2022 goals + intentions

Happy 2022! It’s weird, because I usually get really excited and build myself up for the coming of a new year. I have all these big changes I want to make and start thinking about how the old “chapter” of the year before is closing. I honestly didn’t really feel that for 2022 though. Not sure if that’s a good or bad thing, haha, but I feel like it hasn’t really hit me that 2021 is over and a new year is upon us. I definitely have some goals for the year ahead and some changes that I want to make in my life, but it doesn’t feel like this extreme, looming pressure to become a whole new me or do a complete 180. The week after Christmas was spent working, doing my online class, and spending time with family. Then January 2, I went to Passion Conference for three days, which was such a great experience. It feels like I’ve only just now had time to sit down and reflect and create the routines that I want to adopt for the new year, almost a week into 2022, haha. Today I wanted to reflect a bit on 2021 and go into some of my goals for this year!

I can’t believe how fast 2021 went, and I feel like each year goes by faster and faster. If there’s one thing that I need to take away from 2021, it’s how quickly time goes by and how temporary everything is. And that can go for good things and bad things. For example, my spring semester of 2021 was really rough for me. I was homesick, I didn’t have many friends at school, and I was just in a really negative headspace. I was so down every day, and was so ready to be done with school. Looking back, I wish I would have been able to remind myself how temporary it was. That things would change, and I’m never stuck in the same space for long. Going off of that, I had a really fun summer with working at camp, hanging out with my high school friends, and going to the beach. I look back now and see how fast it all flew by, and I didn’t cherish those times enough. That’s definitely something I want to remind myself of going into 2022: to take advantage of every moment, because it’ll be gone before I know it!

Another common theme of 2021 for me was growth. Like I mentioned before, I was just in a really bad headspace at the beginning of the year and felt like nothing was going how I planned. It’s cool to see how much I’ve grown since this time last year and to see all the ways that God has been working in my life. Even when I didn’t see those hard times as a growing period or see how anything good would have come out of them, now I know that God was still at work and it was part of his plan for me. I grew a lot in my faith during that spring semester, learning so much about the Lord and reading so many good books by Christian authors. I’m learning that every season I go through, whether good or bad, has a purpose for God’s overall plan for my life. This past fall semester was so much better for me, with new friends, roommates, classes, and opportunities. And of course nothing was perfect, but I wouldn’t have been able to appreciate the fall semester without all the struggles of last spring. And it makes me hopeful for the spring semester ahead, for all the growth and maturity that will happen over the next few months!

Now for my 2022 goals, I broke them down into a few different categories. It can be easy for me to set goals and then never look at them again. But I’m trying to be diligent about reading over them and reminding myself of my goals each day. I want to take my 2022 goals and break them down into smaller steps for my monthly goals. Then, as I’m planning out my weeks and my to-do lists for each day, I want to try to include steps that push me further in my goals. I think a big thing for me is to create routines and habits that are intentionally pushing me forward and bettering me, instead of being complacent and sticking with the same habits that aren’t actually serving me.

PERSONAL GOALS

  • Read at least 75 books // I read 84 last year, so I’m hoping I can get 75 again this year! I have a big list of books I want to read, maybe that’ll be my next post :).
  • Work on my mindset // This is kind of general, but I really want to be better about not overthinking and not letting small things affect me so much.
  • Get outside daily, even just for 10 minutes // This can be so hard whenever it’s a cold day like today, but I really want to be intentional about getting out of the house and getting some fresh air.
  • Lower my screen time to under 2 hours 30 minutes a day // Another hard one. Right now I’m usually around 3 hours for my screen time, and I don’t understand how. I never feel like I’m on my phone that much, but it’s always a wake-up call when I get my ST report every Sunday. I want to be better about staying off my phone and not mindlessly scrolling.
  • Become more confident and comfortable in who I am // Another general one, but an important one. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve slowly started to become more confident and get out of my shell more. I want to use 2022 to push me out of my comfort zone and be willing to put myself out there and be myself, even when it’s hard!

CAREER GOALS

  • Get as much experience as I can // This will be my last semester of junior year, and I really want to start focusing on what I want to do for a job in the future. I want to grow my skills and get as much experience as I can to build my resume.
  • Complete a course to narrow down what I’m interested in // Kind of similar to the last point, but I want to brainstorm and do a course that helps me really journal out everything I’m interested in and narrow down the kind of job I want.
  • Grow my social media accounts // This is definitely not a career for me, but I would love if sometime in the future I could make money off of my instagram! I’m still a very long way away, but I really want to put more effort/be more consistent with my accounts.

FINANCIAL GOALS

  • Create a weekly/monthly budget and stick to it // Now that I will have a job next semester, I really want to be better about how I use my money. I want to track my spending and learn how to budget out my months.
  • Save at least $5,000 // Instead of just saving here and there and then spending a bunch at random times, I want to be intentional about putting portions away from every paycheck.
  • Become more financially literate // Overall, I feel very unknowledgeable about money, saving, banking, etc. I want to read more books and educate myself on all of these topics!

HEALTH GOALS

  • Eat nutritious meals, not just snacks // It can be really easy for me to snack all day instead of taking the time to make a meal. I want to be better about meal planning and prepping so I have healthy food on hand when I’m in a rush or don’t feel like cooking.
  • Work out 5-6 times a week // I have been pretty good about working out the past few months, but it definitely gets harder in the winter and when school gets busy. I want to stay consistent with working out, and also try new workout classes at my school’s gym!
  • Get outside every day // I mentioned it already above, but I want to focus on getting sunlight in the winter and getting fresh air, even when it’s cold.
  • Stick to a consistent morning and night routine // With a new school schedule comes a new morning routine, and I want to be diligent about how I spend my time. I also want to be better about not being on technology right before I go to bed at night.

SOCIAL GOALS

  • Get more involved on campus // There are lots of different organizations and clubs on campus that I’ve been interested in getting involved in, and I’m really going to try to make that a priority next semester!
  • Invest in my relationships and go deeper with my friends // I want to really be intentional with my friendships and being a better friend to others. It can be easy to just go along with surface level friendships, but this year I want to invest in my relationships and form deeper connections, as well as make new friends!
  • Join a small group at church // I’m in a small group through my campus ministry, but I’m not as involved at my church as I want to be. This semester, I’d like to start getting more involved in the college ministry and join a group there as well!

What’s your number one goal for this year?

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