About this Post: With the new year upon us (yes, I’m a solid month late), I wanted to choose a Guiding Word and set some intentions for 2022. After much consideration…here’s what I’ve come up with!
I’m pretending that February is the start of the year because basically, January was a write-off! To be honest, February isn’t all that fabulous yet either, but I’m hoping things will start to pick up any day now!
So, since it’s the beginning of the “new year”, I thought I’d go ahead and choose a Guiding Word to lead me through the next 11 months.
It was 2017 when I first heard the term. Rather than making resolutions (that I’ve never been very good at keeping), a “Guiding Word” is meant to help you set goals and intentions – to “guide” you through the year. That first year I chose the word “Courage”, the following, “Embrace”, and in 2018, I chose “Nurture” as my word and for the most part, all three served me well.
In 2020, I had great plans as I was entering a brand new and exciting (albeit terrifying) stage of my life. The last of my kids had flown from the nest and THIS was the year I was stretching my boundaries and pushing out of my comfort zone to discover who I was as an individual…someone more than just a “Mom”.
I chose DARING as my word and set a goal to do “20 Adventures in 2020”. To add to the adventures, I decided I was finally ready to start dating and filled out an online profile to get things rolling!
I was excited, you were excited for me! But the pandemic had different ideas.
In 2021 I never bothered to pick a Guiding Word.
Like you, like me, like absolutely every single person any of us speaks to…we all just want to move on from this last few years. I want to get back on my feet, regain lost time and lost mental capacity…get out of this super comfy cocoon I’ve made and ditch the cozy sweats! I want to start living again as best as this pandemic will allow…learning to live with it rather than be fearful of it..and to pick up the pieces of everything it’s taken.
It’s true that things weren’t always bad. I have a gratitude journal filled with pages of positivity over the last two years and when things were good (ie, numbers were down), I managed to fit in a few fabulous moments with my girlfriends and family. However, the amount of time I’ve spent alone, spent reflecting on things I’d already made peace with and have no business reflecting on any longer, spent curled up on the couch whiling my time away bingeing through one show after the next…is simply far too plentiful for this empty nest mom to comprehend! I’m ready to move on from all of it…and start living my life the way I’d planned.
Therefore, my guiding word for 2022, is FORWARD.
I’m not 100% sure how I’ll do this and I’m not setting big goals or aspirations at the moment…I just know that I need to shake things up. Do things a little differently. Spread my wings.
I need to get out of my comfort zone and get back to the exciting, vibrant, adventure-filled life that I fought so hard for.
Step by step, day by day, tippy-toe by tippy-toe, and on the very best days in leaps and bounds…I plan on moving my life ahead…reaching goals I plan on setting for myself as things become clearer.
At the end of the year I want to look back to see just how far I’ve come! Where I hope my relationships are stronger than ever, my health is well under control, where I’ve enjoyed a few fantastic adventures, my business is flourishing, and my happy days far outnumber the lonely ones.
2022 is all about rebuilding…one step forward at a time.
xo
Colleen
If you’ve chosen a guiding word for 2022 I’d love to hear about it. Drop me a comment on the blog and if you’re wondering about past words I’ve chosen, here are the links: