Goals for 2022
Resolutions for the new year historically have been relative to habits: either good ones being formed or bad ones being eliminated. It is traditional to hear at a New Year’s party that someone vows to quit smoking or drinking or eating unhealthy, or start a fitness program, etc. on January 1. My approach has been to commit to a new goal for the duration of the year as much as possible. I do this with the intention of acquiring a new level of proficiency in whatever it is I choose to focus. For instance, one year I decided I would commit to playing my guitar for 10 minutes every day. I didn’t actually keep the practice up every day, but I tried to do it most days. I found that while some days I may not have even picked up the guitar, other days I would play for hours. My abilities improved dramatically by the turn around of the next holiday season! All that was needed seemed the intention of the habit.
The past couple of years have presented so many challenges, that sometimes, just reverting back to simple processes to manifest some semblance of direction in the chaos has become an invaluable tool I employ, especially when my schedule looks empty. These enrichments have filled voids that otherwise would likely be filled with existential dread and despair. Let’s face it…the world doesn’t offer reassurance of your success. That is up to you to carve that path. Maybe you obtain more skills in designing, or with your crafting, or music or wordsmithing…whatever makes your time pass relative to the speed of fun. Perhaps it is an epiphany rather than a habit change that promotes the active processing needed to bolster this “level up” for you. What ever the case, I cannot underscore the quality of human nurturing that accompanies this dedication to yourself.
Once a good friend told me, “You should never lose that which makes you, you.” We were discussing art, as she was studying art at the time. We discussed the importance of always finding the time to do that which makes us uniquely who we are. Over the years I came to apply this concept in all manners of lifestyle creative habits, not just art. Aikido and it’s dedication to process is an obvious leap as well. The goal attainment is different than a colored belt or cool pair of pants to denote rank and status. It interlaces with the Japanese concept of kaizen: continual or ceaseless improvement. Although we use the belts and rank to denote progress, it is really the daily processing that delivers the real goods.
I get teased often about how much I do to make me feel like me. I am a creative spirit, gifted with many talents. I have found many outlets rewarding enough to devote my time and effort: healing arts, music, Aikido, baking, gardening, and now, writing…well…that is this year’s resolution. Cheers to new enrichments, y’all!
