Exploring the in-between: Here's to 2022!

Holy cow, another year come and gone! And honestly, for the first time ever, I look back on the year that just passed and I can’t help but smile and feel so proud!

While it is far more common to set resolutions in January, give up in February, and spend the rest of the year frustrated, only to circle back around to new resolutions come December 31, that is not at all how my year went.

I learned a couple of years ago that it is way more helpful for me to pick a word that I want to strive for throughout the year. Instead of setting lofty resolutions that feel nearly impossible to achieve, I pick a word and each day I try to take small actions that are in alignment with the kind of year I want to have.

My word for 2021 was nourish. After all the stress and chaos that was 2020, I knew in my gut that I needed to slow down and nourish my mind, body, and spirit so that I could continue to be my best self. And my best self was asking for some nourishment! I feel really proud of how I achieved that throughout the year. From paying more attention to how I really felt with my workouts and nutrition, to filling my time with podcasts, books, music, and people that inspired me, and even waking up early to spend some precious time in prayer and reflection before work (still striving to be better with this and not give in to pressing snooze), I can confidently turn the pages of 2021 knowing that I am refreshed and nourished to take on a new approach for 2022!

So, with that being said, my word for 2022 is………E X E C U T E. I feel really in tune with my dreams, desires, and passions, and I want to spend this year focusing on how to execute the small individual components that together will create the life that I truly want to build for myself and my family!

A couple of major things that I am so excited to execute in 2022 include finishing my master’s degree and TRAVELING ABROAD. If you have spent any amount of time with me over the last two years, then you know that I am SO FREAKIN READY to break out my passport and finally get to take the trip to Italy that we booked back in January of 2020……….sigh. I am manifesting it into reality this year! So wash ya hands people! And of course, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention my excitement to continue helping friends and family figure out how to prioritize their health and fitness! And this year, I hope to better execute exactly how I want to do that moving forward.

I am so excited because as I think about the year ahead, I can visually picture myself standing on the edge of the Grand Canyon. With my shoes laced up, arms wide open, eyes closed, the sun warming my face and the breeze whipping through my air. There is an aura of wild adventure that fills my lungs and puts a fire in my heart. There is so much to explore in the in-between. Looking forward, I can only see so much before me. But I know once I start my journey through it, there will be so many beautiful and difficult moments sprinkled throughout. I also know that once I reach the other side, I can look back at everything I experienced during the in-between (good and not so good) and be stinkin proud of how far I’ve come, knowing that I will never be the same person in the best way possible. Because each day, I will put one foot in front of the other, striving to take small actions to EXECUTE my dreams that will allow me to turn those dreams into a reality.

So here’s to 2022 and all of the ups and downs to come! My shoes are laced and ready for the adventure!