As I am sitting here writing this – four days into the new year, sick with what I think is Covid but can’t confirm due to all the testing sites being booked up and home testing kits being booked up – it doesn’t quite feel like a new year yet. I am still feeling the tentacles of 2021 penetrating my brain, body and spirit! However, it is sunny (albeit freezing) for the first time in over a week, and I am going to take that as a win!
I think it’s safe to say that the last couple years have been HARD on all of us. Despite how much 2020 threw us all for a loop, I still somehow managed to accomplish every single one of my goals and escape SOMEWHAT unscathed. But 2021? Man…2021 hit me over the head with a wooden bat, dragged me into a dumpster in a crusty alley way, set the dumpster on fire, and came back a couple days later to pour acid on me! Suffice it to say 2021 was RUFF!
Not only did I not accomplish a single goal (ok, half a goal) last year, but 2021 tested me in ways that I was not prepared for! I was challenged in every facet of my being: finances, family, friendships, health (in multiple ways), identity, safety, mental health and self worth. So much happened to me just in December, that I had to literally crawl my way into 2022 – I was hanging by a thread! No wonder I started the year off getting Covid AGAIN!
Luckily, I have been through so many chapters of my life, that I know ups and downs are to be expected, and when you are THIS low, it can only go up from here! I have always been an optimistic person (Sag moon!), and that optimism is what keeps my faith going when I am burdened by stress, anxiety and hopelessness.
In case some of y’all didn’t know, I started my job as a therapist halfway through 2021 (which was the only stable positive thing in my life – I LOVE my job for once!). Although it can be difficult and draining, I love it so much! I get to help people find the light in their own lives, and they inspire me to lift myself up as well.
One recurring theme I’ve noticed the last few weeks is a bleak attitude toward the new year – so much uncertainty in the world makes it seem dangerous or downright foolish to be optimistic for 2022! I totally get that, but what I have been telling my clients is that it is up to them to create that hope and optimism!
How do you do that? Through being super intentional about what you want to get out of next year, regardless of what happens. Spending some time to sit in silence and REALLY think about what your intentions are, is a great way to motivate yourself to see the light and feel good about what is to come. We may not know WHAT will happen, but we just have to trust that it will be great! Blessings are on the way!
Keep reading to see what some of my intentions are for 2022.
Find peace and don’t give it away to others
There has been SO much the last year or two that have disturbed my peace, and I am sad to say I have let it do that. It might seem impossible, but when you have cultivated a sense of peace that is truly solid, nothing and no one can take that away from you!
I want to be able to take things more in stride, let negativity and criticism from others slide off me more easily, not give energy to people that want to waste my time or drag me down, and not get discouraged by things not going according to plan.
I also strive to spend more time and energy on things that fill up my cup and let me tap into my higher self, like meditating, pulling tarot cards, spending time in nature, and traveling!
Establish healthy boundaries and expectations
One thing that has consistently been my downfall throughout my life is that I am so quick to put ALL my energy into friendships and relationships, before even giving myself time to see if that person is worth it. I don’t want to be the kind of person that has my guard up, but I do think it is wise to spend some time observing how that new person shows up for you.
Ask yourself: are they reciprocating my effort or showing up in ways that I do for others? If the answer is no, it may be a good idea to keep that person in the “acquaintance” lane, or cut them out altogether.
I have gotten hurt TOO many times by feeling like my energy and efforts are not reciprocated, and realizing that I have already invested WAY more time than I needed to. We are not doing that any more in 2022!
Spend WAY less time on my phone
This is an intention I set every month of every year, and unfortunately I STILL find it so hard to stick to! The only way I can truly break that addiction is by taking quarterly social media detoxes. I think there is nothing wrong with spending time on social media – especially as a blogger/influencer/content creator – but we all know how easy it is to get carried away! You go to post something, and next thing you know its been TWO HOURS!
I know there are SO many other things I could be doing with my time that are a much better use of it, and I want to reclaim my time! I will continue doing quarterly social media detoxes (I delete the apps off my phone for a whole week), but I am also trying screen time notifications for the first time.
If anyone has any tips to help me reduce my screen time, please comment below!
Start a new chapter in a new place with new energy
As some of y’all may know – either through watching my YouTube videos or me telling you directly – I am planning to move to Miami very soon! I have gone back and forth over the last 4-5 months about when I plan to move, but I finally made the decision last week to give my 60 days notice at my apartment and just rip the bandaid. To say I am excited is an understatement!
Not only do I feel like I have squeezed ALL the juice that I could out of the DMV and my chapter here, but I just love Miami so much and feel like I will be way more in my element there! It seems like perfect timing to move now, both with the new year starting and also some long term friendships ending over the last couple weeks.
I have had a good time since moving back here 4.5 years ago, but this chapter is OVER!
Find new streams of income and feel more financially abundant
The abundance mindset is something that I strongly believe in and have been trying to put my energy into for a LONG time now. I started 2021 feeling fully committed to this mindset, both feeling financially secure and also wanting to shift my mindset to see what effect it had on my life. Fast forward a year later, with half of my savings depleted from travel in 2021 (worth it!) and an upcoming move to a new state – I am not feeling very abundant!
Although I love my job, I do not make as much from it as I need to to feel financially secure and abundant. However, I have crunched the numbers many times, and I would need to take on a significant amount of clients to land where I want to financially, which would leave me feeling EXTREMELY burnt out. I am not willing to make that sacrifice! The answer is obvious to me – I need to find more sources of income!
I have a strong feeling that when I am living somewhere that is a vibrational match for me – aka Miami – that I will start to have a more steady flow of money. Not only is that true on an energetic level, but on a practical one as well! I have so many skills that I can’t apply here, but which could garner me a lot of money in Miami. For instance, I taught three different types of yoga in San Diego, including aerial yoga and SUP yoga. There really aren’t any opportunities for me to do that here in DC, but in Miami there will be! And with all the wealthy people down there, I am SURE I can find clients that want to pay a pretty penny for private lessons. Bring on the money!!!
Grow my social media presence across all platforms
This builds off of the last intention, to make more money, but is also something I have been working toward for about 4 years now! I started my blog almost exactly 4 years ago (January 28, 2018) and have been trying to build my Instagram since then. I started a YouTube channel just over a year ago, and have really enjoyed learning and navigating a new form of content on a different platform! Also, like everyone else, I started a TikTok account at the beginning of the pandemic and have been addicted every since.
Unfortunately, I feel that no matter how consistent I am, no matter how high quality my content is or how much people claim to like it, I can NOT grow my following on these platforms! I know that I just started my YouTube recently and it takes time to grow (especially since I had been editing on iMovie up until now!), but I feel as though I have put enough time and energy into Instagram and my blog to have seen more success by now!
It is hard not to feel frustrated and discouraged by this stagnation, and it is especially hard not to compare myself to other women who started later than me and seem to have just blown up out of nowhere. Often these same women that I am comparing myself to have content that is extremely repetitive and unoriginal. How many more minimalist feeds can we see on IG??
I keep repeating to myself that I have to stick with it because I WANT to and love it, not for the success. But wouldn’t you get frustrated if you were putting in so much effort and getting nowhere?? At this point, I don’t have a recipe for success or any “step by step” guide of how to get to where I want to be. But I DO know that I have to keep going!
On a more practical level, I am going to continue posting videos on YouTube, because it seems like an easier platform to grow on. I just upgraded my software to Final Cut Pro, so I am hoping that makes a difference in my success. I am going to continue posting on IG as I have been, with an attempt at making more lifestyle vlog reels, since those seem to be really popular and I really love watching them. And I am going to make a concerted effort to post on my blog at LEAST once a month – even though NOBODY reads blogs anymore, I love writing them and I am going to keep posting them, damn it!
Lean into my areas of expertise on social media
This is building off my last intention as well – I want to increase my therapy-based content on social media, across all platforms. Up until now, I have kept my professional job very separate from my social media personality and presence. Part of that is because prior to being a fully licensed practicing therapist, my previous roles were so ambiguous and not relevant at all to the message I wanted to share online.
However, now that I have over six months of experience as a therapist – and see how popular mental health content is on social media – I think it’s the perfect time to incorporate my area of expertise into my content! Eventually, I want it to be one of the main facets of my social media personality – something my followers look to me for my expertise on. Given that so many people online talk about mental health without any actual credentials, I think I am more than qualified to talk about it on my platform!
Ultimately, I want my social media to be more than just a means of making more money – I want it to be a community. Somewhere down the road, that community may lead me to my main source of income! I am not sure how that will play itself out, but I have always envisioned therapy, social media, and travel being combined somehow into my main job. Which brings me to my next intention…
Travel more and secure hotel collabs
I have ALWAYS loved traveling, both solo and with friends. I am more than comfortable traveling by myself anywhere in the world, but have found that the right travel buddies can really enhance the experience! This year, I want to find new travel buddies to explore new places with, and continue to plan solo trips.
Last year, I tried my darndest to secure a hotel collab in almost every place I traveled to, but did not have any luck. A travel blogger friend of mine gave me some really helpful advice during my last trip to Miami a couple months ago, so I am going to put that to use this year and hope it provides me more success. I am feeling optimistic!
Have any of you set your intentions for 2022 yet? Share them below! If not, I hope this inspires you to do so ✨
No but I was screaming when you described how 2021 did you because wow I feel the exact same. I feel like l was just chilling minding my own business, listening to music and got jumped! Lol! I’m genuinely laughing about it now because it’s honestly amusing but a few weeks ago I would’ve broken down in tears.
I believe we are both at that ‘light’ at the end of the tunnel. And knowing how driven you are and how you just manage to stay positive, l just know you will achieve all your goals this year. Everything is already in motion, blessing and luck have prepared themselves for you – you just have to be ready to receive ✨
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How am I just seeing this comment 🥲 yes girl 2021 really did us both dirty! and it seems like we are both out of the dark and moving into the light finally ✨