Feeling 22-ish (Sorry, Had To)

The one for the new year (obviously).

Hello, hello! First post of the year. Five days into 2022 — how we feeling? Still in one piece?

Now, this is not not a typical New Year’s post… if you’ve been reading along since last year, then you know I love goals and setting intentions and the whole shebang. I make zero apologies for that, and I honestly think the hate on resolution setting is sort of obnoxious. Almost as obnoxious as the “new year, new you”/diet rhetoric January is also known for.

Almost.

I’m not necessarily feeling shiny and brand new stepping into 2022 (I literally didn’t even watch the ball drop or do any type of celebration on New Year’s Eve, unless you count watching the weird “The Curse of Von Dutch” documentary and going to bed at 10pm a party), but - BUT! - I still do believe we can create some goals/intentions/resolutions/better habits…. if we want to, that is. I was talking to someone recently and made a comment that it seemed so bizarre to me that we are all supposed to keep on doing our daily chores and work and responsibilities despite the world feeling like it’s hanging in the solar system by a thread, more or less, and she replied something to the tune of, “Well, what else are we supposed to do?” And that’s sort of how I feel about setting goals for 2022 (and even buying a new planner, which yes, sure did that too!). Like, it may seem silly and ridiculous and a waste of time, but maybe it’s also good for us? Considering the alternative is just expecting the worst and waiting for the next shoe to drop. Who needs that?

Just a thought, anyways.

Long story short, I think goals help create a North Star of sorts for our year. Sort of like shaking the etch-a-sketch or turning to a fresh, blank page — getting clearer on what you want to focus on or how you want to grow. While yes, you can do that literally any time, any day, I do think a new year feels like as good a time as any to make it official; New Year’s is a good forcing function. (Side note: I listened to this podcast episode yesterday and Glennon commented that January must have a great PR firm supporting it. 😹) But again, we’re not talking “new year, new you” here — new year, same you, please. Just maybe you want to learn French or work on being more patient or finally master a handstand, and if that’s the case, GREAT!

And if you were thinking I was going to next guide you on how to set New Year’s intentions, nope — that’s not my lane, friends. I literally have a 2022 goal of getting more sleep (aka finally kicking my 2021 revenge bedtime procrastination habit to the curb), so I am no expert on goal-setting or manifesting or vision-boarding or whatever else you may want to do with your January. (All I do is write a few goals in a notebook.) Although I will repeat what just about everyone else will tell you about setting yourself up for success with any sort of goal: the more specific, the better.

…Do I follow that? LOL no, most of the time I do not…but it does seem like a smart idea.

And while we’re at it, I also like to sometimes establish a word for my year — like a theme or one-word mantra to come back to. For this year, it’s FAITH. Not in a religious sort of way, but more so as in trying to be a smidge braver in all aspects of my life, and having faith that the universe does indeed have my back.

I have always, always been an overthinker and an overanalyzer, as just about anyone who has known me for more than an hour could tell you; I like to have plans, plus also back-up plans, and lists, so I’m always prepared. But I was never really much of a worrier, and definitely never assumed the worst. That gradually changed as the months pushed forward in 2020, with my mom getting sick and everything with Covid, and politics, etc., and continued in 2021. I just… well, I started to have a difficult time assuming the best, or believing things could work out, and instead found myself fearful or second-guessing my decisions and actions, worrying I’d made a mistake that would cost my family or even my own life. (Living with a chronic health condition, even a minor one, in the middle of a pandemic is no joke for your mental health.) And while I will always be cautious and careful and responsible, because that’s just who I am at my core, I also don’t want to forever be trapped in the worry cycle, especially when I know I’ve done everything I can do to keep myself and my family safe. If we’re using Covid as an example, I've stayed away from crowds, worn a mask [correctly], gotten vaxxed and boosted…… what else can I (we!) do? Time is still ticking — there is still life to be lived.

So, this year…. my word for the year is meant to be a reminder. To have faith that I’ve done my best. That things will get better. That the sun will always shine. That even if 2022 is hard as hell, we’ll make it through. That we didn’t come this far only to come this far.

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I hope you all have an excellent first week of 2022! Two pieces of business to close out:

1.) Full disclosure, I’m toying with the idea of changing the name of this newsletter, as I’m not sure it’s ever lived up to its YAY name. Should that happen, I’ll send out an announcement so you know what’s going on, and don’t think you’ve been auto-subscribed to something else. (We all get far too many emails as it is.)

2.) If you like this little spot on the internet and are happy it hits your inbox, please consider leaving a comment or liking posts, and/or sharing them with friends or on your social media. Doing so — along with subscribing, if you haven’t already — helps this newsletter grow and lets me know that you value my work as a writer.

…Either way, thanks for being here. Really. You all helped make 2021 not totally suck. xo

Thanks for reading,

Joelle