To be honest with you all, it has taken me a while to get up the motivation to write this post. We all know the past two years have been particularly tough, especially when it comes to accomplishing goals. How do we set goals for ourselves when we have absolutely no idea what the year ahead will hold? It can feel discouraging to set a goal and not reach it for reasons completely out of our control.
I went back and forth on whether to set 2022 goals or to choose a word of intention for the year. I’m still not 100% sure if I’m making the right choice. But if I’m being honest, I really do like to set a few specific goals for my year, as it gives me something more concrete to work towards. That being said, I have really learned to take into account what I can and cannot control when I set these goals. Setting a goal to find gratitude in every trip is within my control, but visiting 10 countries isn’t within my control considering the pandemic and travel restrictions.
Looking back at my 2021 goals, I was surprised how much I accomplished even though it felt like so much of the year was lost to lockdowns. I intend to take the same mindset with my 2022 goals, and hopefully, I will have plenty of opportunities to accomplish them. So here’s to another uncertain year, to working on myself, and to accomplishing my goals, no matter how small.
Do you have any similar goals for 2022? Leave one in the comments so we can hold each other accountable.
Xx, Kelsey
PERSONAL GOALS
- Give myself grace – This is one of my biggest goals for 2022, and one that is going to take the most work. I have a bad habit of beating myself up when I make a mistake, whether at work, at home, or in my relationship. Usually my mistakes aren’t very big, but I let it get to me so much that I panic and shut down. This year, I’m going to work on giving myself grace a reframing my mindset when I do mess up.
- Practice my French – This is a goal I’ve set before and completely ignored. Over the past two years, we’ve taken longer trips to France which have really helped me improve my French. I’d like to intentionally practice my French when I’m not in France so I can get back a lot of what I learned in high school and college
- Draw again – Would you believe that I minored in studio art in college? Art has always been a huge part of my life, and I’ve let that go. I want to start slowly this year, so I’ll start with drawing again.
PROFESSIONAL GOALS
- Become more confident – This goal piggybacks off my goal to give myself grace. I’ve changed careers a few times since being in Amsterdam, and since returning to pharma advertising, I tend to second guess myself or feel like I don’t know as much as my colleagues. As much as I know this is true deep down, I want to work on projecting more confidence in my decisions in 2022
- Learn more – Oncology advertising is a very specific, very high-science field. In 2022, my goal is to use more of my downtime at work to read publications and learn more of the science behind the drugs I work on
BLOGGING GOALS
- Start a newsletter – In 2021, I found it too hard to keep up with my weekly Friday Favorites. After a lot of thought, I’ve decided to turn those posts into a monthly newsletter. TBD what it will be called, but I need to figure it out before the end of this first month!
- Update my branding – There is a pretty big life update coming soon (keep an eye out over the next few weeks!). With that update, I’ll be looking to update my blog and personal branding accordingly. I can’t really say more than that at the moment.
FINANCIAL GOALS
- Set up a wedding savings account – With our wedding happening in 2023, I want to set up a specific account to save each month for the wedding. I know there will be a lot of expenses that will add up very quickly.
- Save for a house – We’re not necessarily in the market for a house at this moment, but I want to start saving so I’m ready when we are in that place
STYLE GOALS
- Wear more of the clothes in my closet – Anyone else have a habit of wearing the same few things over and over? Working from home only seems to amplify that. In 2022, I want to get more use out of the clothes in my closet.
TRAVEL GOALS
- Visit family more often – After the last two difficult years where we hardly saw family, I want to prioritize visits to spend time with my loved ones. My parents are living in the US again, so there aren’t any excuses for visiting.
- Be on a beach for my 30th birthday – I turn 30 in March, and I want to spend that day on the beach somewhere with my friends. I’ve got something in the works already, so I can’t wait to make this a reality.
- Prioritize travel whenever possible – This is a difficult one considering I want to save for both a wedding and a house. What it really comes down to is smart budgeting. I don’t believe it’s impossible to travel AND save, you just have to be intentional about your spending.
FITNESS & HEALTH GOALS
- See a nutritionist – I’ve suffered from severe bloating over the past few years and haven’t done that much to care for my gut health. In 2022, I want to see an nutritionist and do bloodwork to find out my food sensitivities and make a plan that works for my body.
- Get back in the ice – In 2021, I really wanted to make this goal happen. Instead, the rinks in the Netherlands were shut down for most of the year. I know that this goal is dependent on rinks being open, but I really do want to try and make it happen. I’ll take this goal with a grain of salt, but I also want to prioritize it if possible
WEDDING GOALS
- Enjoy the planning process – I’m only planning to get married once, and 2022 will be the big year of planning. We’ve got plenty of time until our 2023 wedding, so I want to really take my time and enjoy the process. I love all things creative, so I’m looking forward to spending time creating this event.
- Find my dress – I was looking at timelines the other day and realized I will need to find my dress by October of this year! Time already feels like it’s flying. I’m so excited to start dress shopping and find my dress this year.
