10 Goals for 2022
To resolve the bleak chaos of my last blog post, I’ve come up with 10 goals for 2022, which I hope will make this year feel more productive, meaningful, hopeful, and less disappointing overall than 2021.
But before I list those goals…
I want to quickly examine why I think they are necessary in the first place, i.e. why I am so displeased with my current state in life.
I think it’s because I have very rarely seen anyone else also struggling to get their life together.
Excluding one of my half-sisters and her son…
…everyone in my family has, and seemingly always has had, financial security, a fancy house or townhome, a well-paying, rewarding job, and a straightforward trajectory in life, which they did not, and still do not, deviate from.
I mean, consider two examples:
- My father
- Never seems to run out of money
- Owns hundreds of acres of land
- Worked for decades as a university professor (and seemed to enjoy it)
- Buys whatever he wants, whenever he wants it
- My half-brother
- Probably earns six figures a year
- Built a huge house in a new development where all the rich people build
- Has worked as an engineer for decades, moving through the ranks at his company
- Wins awards for inventions
- Stays in great shape all the time
- Has a stable, loving family
I think it was only natural growing up seeing these two people and the rest of my perfect family move through life so effortlessly that I would expect to do the same as an adult.
And yet, my life is more on par with the half-sister and nephew I mentioned earlier…
…who have difficult family relationships, move around a lot, have trouble holding down jobs, have money shortages, etc.
Believe me, I’m not the only one who has thought of them as screw-ups (though I love them both dearly).
Well, now I’m a screw-up, too…at least by my family’s standards.
And that feels shitty.
I want desperately to fit in
I want everyone to look up to me and respect what I’m doing and what I’ve accomplished. At the very least, I want my family to think of me as a stable person who has her life together and some prospects.
So, I continue striving toward the “American Dream” life that people like my brother have.
On the other hand, I’m clearly a very different animal from my family members
Physically, mentally, emotionally, socially, behaviorally – I am definitely a black sheep.
And I wonder if I’m meant to lead a different kind of life. I wonder if I’m supposed to always struggle financially because I prefer an asocial, artistic life, which does not naturally lend itself to earning six figures in the American culture and economy. I wonder if I’m supposed to gravitate more toward self-employment rather than devoting my life to a single company or career. I wonder if I’m supposed to be isolated rather than a super active social butterfly.
What if the goals I’m making cause me more disappointment at the end of the year because I’m continuing to push against who I really am and what I should be doing?
Well, I don’t know.
But exploring these questions is first on my list of this year’s goals.
Speaking of goals…
As a music therapist, I learned and witnessed the benefits of making both long-term and short-term goals.
As a writer, I’ve learned and witnessed the benefits of making scheduled, simple, step-by-step goals that one can achieve without a huge amount of effort (at least initially).
So, I’ve taken my biggest problems from my previous blog and attempted to come up with a short-term and long-term goal for each. The short-term goals are immediately actionable and will be followed up by more short-term goals until the long-term goal is reached. I definitely won’t blog about each goal’s progress or lack thereof (you’re welcome), unless I have a notable breakthrough.
And one more thing:
I don’t consider these goals New Year’s Resolutions (NYR). Personally, I hate the concept of NYR because they often cause people to wait to enact change in their lives until a new year instead of starting right away. As such, they can be a form of procrastination. Furthermore, when people do make NYR, they often make them too ambitious, leading to their demise sometime in February.
I’m aiming to make the following goals attainable and sustainable, and I just happen to be creating them at the start of a new year so I have something to blog about (I know, what a pretentious dick).
So, without further ado…
10 Goals for 2022
Problem #1: Unhealthy thoughts and beliefs making me unhappy about my current position in life
- Long-term goal: Learn and implement at least three coping mechanisms that challenge these thoughts and beliefs, ground me in reality, and help me focus on my accomplishments by the end of 2022
- Short-term goal: Research online and local therapists to consult with by Sunday, January 9
Problem #2: Job/income instability
- Long-term goal: Hold a full-time job that covers my expenses for one year
- Short-term goal: Quit my Walmart job and return to fully online work by Monday, January 10
Luckily, I still have the option of decently paying, full-time, online work available to me. Unfortunately, the online work is not completely reliable. This is a risk, but remote jobs are the only ones I’ve historically been able to consistently hold down.
Problem #3: Living in an apartment instead of a house
- Long-term goal: Add at least $600 to my House Fund by the end of this year to be used for an eventual down payment
- Short-term goal: Add at least $50 to my House Fund at the end of this month
Yeah, it’s not much at all. But it’s what I think I can consistently manage right now.
Problem #4: Loneliness/lack of a significant other
- Long-term goal: Spend at least 30 minutes/week with an enjoyable group of people by the end of 2022
- Short-term goal: Research local choirs to join by Sunday, January 16
I seem to mostly fall in love with musical women, and my happiest social memories have come from involvement in music ensembles. Maybe joining a choir again will be good for me.
Problem #5: Unfinished Magnum Opus: my book (series?)
- Long-term goal: Complete my current research focus by the end of 2022
- Short-term goal: Resume researching for 1-2 hours every night, 5 nights/week, every week of February
Problem #6: Evil belly flab
- Long-term goal: Flatten that stomach by the end of 2022
- Short-term goal: Research local certified clinical nutritionists, certified nutrition specialists, and dieticians to consult with by Sunday, January 23
I really can’t figure this problem out on my own; I need others’ knowledge.
Problem #7: No cat/kitty
- Long-term goal: Visit the cat café quarterly or as needed for snuggles this year
- Short-term goal: Make a reservation at the cat café for a free day the first week of March by Sunday, January 30
Trying to control as much as I can in this situation. My dad also has cats on his farm so if I get REALLY desperate, I can go there…but I’m trying to avoid that as Dad is pretty toxic.
Problem #8: No visit to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter
- Long-term goal: (obviously) Visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter once in the next three years
- Short-term goal: Determine how much money I can regularly allocate to a WWoHP trip fund by Sunday, January 30
Problem #9: Not yet a published harp composer/arranger
- Long-term goal: Publish at least one harp work by the end of 2022
- Short-term goal: Reacquaint myself with my harp works by looking through each one by Sunday, January 9
I really need to go slowly with this so I don’t burn out the very minimal interest in returning to the harp I’ve worked up over the past two years. Plus, I’ve forgotten what all I’ve written… This should be fun.
Problem #10: Mother paying for my phone bills
- Long-term goal: Pay for my own phone expenses each month of 2022
- Short-term goal: Give Mom a check for half our January phone bill by the end of this month
My parents still cover a couple more of my monthly expenses (car payments and half of student loans), but I think I can feasibly afford to take over this one right now.
And there we have it!
Rational, calm, and hopeful goals to guide me through 2022.
(Begins channeling Billy Mays)
You didn’t think I was just going to focus on the negatives of 2021 and how to fix them, did you? No, I’ve filled the glass half full and picked out 20 21 personal successes from 2021! Head over to that post here and maybe think about your own achievements from the past year (it really does help).
See you there!
(Ok, done with the obnoxious salesperson shtick)
