2022: Committment

Instead of a running list of things that may not last after January 21st, I've found that a one word theme can be a guide to the overall change I'm looking to achieve. In 2022, it's commitment

"Without commitment you cannot have depth in anything. Neil Strauss”

How ironic it is that the first year I implemented this was 2020 - a year that proved that no matter how much we plan, we should always be prepared for things to pan out differently. In December 2019 (when very unaware of how the world would change in a matter of weeks) I decided it was time to be more conscious in my ways of discipline. One of the first tests or steps I did towards that was in the choice to go vegetarian for 2 weeks. Well 2 years later, I'm still a veggie loving, sometimes seafood eating person! Looking back, my focus on discipline assisted in my navigation through 2020 - that thought process slowly trickled into my romantic life, my spending, and my self reflecting through journaling and mediation.

Onto 2021, I chose to pivot my focus a bit into consistency. Discipline is one thing, but I realized without devoted and conscious purpose, it can quickly err on the edge of robotic. One focus has been to consistently choose myself, and that can cover all sorts of scenarios. Those scenarios included setting healthy boundaries, not engaging with characters of the past whose place remains in stories of the past, or simply declining a call when I was drained or busy. Another area of consistency I've focused on has been in my finances. Like many others, it's been increasingly important for me to consistently invest and save more.

Seeing that choosing a theme word has been a wondeful guide vs a scary and (unrealistically) rapid transformation, for 2022 my theme or focus is commitment

Where can I show up as a more committed version of myself?

“The biggest commitment you must keep is your commitment to yourself.” Neale Donald Walsch

We often produce wish list's and goals of all that we want to acquire in this life, but so often with little knowledge or understanding of the foundation needed to create those visions. For so long I've had many versions and ideas of what I want my life to be, but I often missed the bar just slightly on my level of commitment to that dream.

If I'm truly committed to financial freedom, do I really need that new dress? If I'm committed to having lovingly vulnerable and healthy relationships in my life, do I still spend time with those who offer nothing close to that? By chance, we often sabotage what we claim to be committed to, not taking note of our small actions that lead to large deterrents in our path to whatever we claimed commitment to.

When I decided to go to therapy some years ago, I unconsciously embarked on a journey of the deepest commitment I could ever make - one to myself - seeing myself, addressing my thoughts, fears, desires, and embracing it all. In that first truly vulnerable step of commitment, I now see that it's propelled me to have the tools to commit to exploring the many parts of myself that can allow me to create the life I truly desire.

My goal in 2022 is to truly take the small steps that lead to big leaps and beyond, and I know that genuine commitment will get me there