Over the past two years, a lot of us have been in "survival mode." We have had to put some things on hold and focus on the basics of living in unprecedented times. It feels like we have been holding our breath for so long and waiting for life to "go back to normal." It is time to start living again while being safe. With that in mind, in 2022, there are some things that I want to do more of that have brought me joy and helped me feel fulfilled in the past.
 
In this blog post, we will discuss some steps to identify what you want to restart this year, as well as the five things I am restarting this year.
 
How to create your restart list 
If you are wondering how to go about creating your list of things you did in the past and want to continue, here are some steps to consider:

• Think about things you used to do that brought you joy and write them all down 
• Reflect on why you enjoyed them and how they helped you grow and live a great life
• Ask yourself why you stopped doing them over the past years
• Select three to five that you want to restart this year
• Create a plan for how you will start doing them again

 
MC's Journey: What is on my "Restart List"?
Thinking about my list of things that I wanted to restart made me very excited. I had missed doing them. The five things on my "restart list" are the following:
 
#1: Prioritizing Self-care
Especially with the pandemic and having a baby, I had to stop doing things that were part of my self-care routine. Although some of them are available and safe to do, I found that I did not make time. I remember how good I felt when I prioritized self-care. In this phase of my life, I need to redefine what self-care means to me and plan for it.
 
What is my plan?
To make it happen, I will incorporate more self-care into my daily routine and schedule time once a month for things that take a little longer.
 
Resource
[Blog Post] Make Self-care a priority
 
#2: Doing what I love doing
Working on my passion projects gives me a lot of energy. I really enjoy writing my blog, making videos, speaking at conferences, sharing my knowledge, and connecting with people in my community. Sadly, I stopped doing many of these things over the past two years due to the pandemic and needed to reprioritize my time to care for my son. This year, I have many opportunities to do things that I love again, and I want to seize them.
 
What is my plan?
I really want to reconnect with people on a deeper level in the near term. I am blessed to have so many amazing people around me who I can reconnect with, and I also look forward to meeting new people. 
 
Resource
[Blog Post] How to find or revive your passion
 
#3: Learning and getting inspired
One of my top five strengths is being a learner. I am great at it and have incorporated different learning goals into my yearly planning in the past. In 2021, I was not intentional about learning like I usually do. It has left me with a desire to learn more this year. Over the holidays, I went back to reading books and listening to podcasts. It has been a while since I last read. The inspiration that I get when I learn and discover new ways of thinking has helped propel my life.
 
What is my plan?
I want to continue my new routine of reading every evening and listening to podcasts while doing chores. I also plan to attend at least one virtual event or conference.
 
Resources
[Blog Post] How to be a life-long Learner
 
#4: Planning long term
If you know me personally or have read my blog posts, you know that I am a planner. Creating plans in my personal and professional life brings me a lot of joy. I started creating something I called an orientation plan about ten years ago. It was a 3 - 5 year plan that outlined the high-level things that I wanted to do or achieve in my life. It gave me a sense of direction, and I changed it as I evolved in my life. Over the past two years, I have focused my energy on surviving and living in the present and have missed planning the past year. I am at a pivotal time in my life, and I know that I need my orientation plan again.
 
What is my plan?
The first step is to refresh my 3 -5 year orientation plan. It will take a lot of soul-searching to see what I want to do and who I want to be five years from now.
 
Resource
[Book] The Long Game: How to Be a Long-Term Thinker in a Short-Term World by Dorie Clark 
 
#5: Dreaming big and setting bold golds
As I planned for 2022, I started experiencing a strange and familiar fear that comes up when things are going well, and I have big things planned. I was afraid to have too much hope or do new things, so I was not disappointed. As a result, I planned very "safe" goals. I know from past years that when I set bold goals and took risks, I accomplished things that I could never have imagined. I do not want to stunt my growth and possibilities because of self-doubt.
 
What is my plan?
To get back into the mindset of working towards bold goals, I will reflect on my journey and what I have accomplished so far. While I work towards my goals, I will also practice gratitude and not let fear stop me from being brave.
 
Resource
[Book] How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead by Brene Brown
 
Final Thoughts
Writing my "restart list" got me thinking of how fortunate we are to do things we love. Some of the things on our list may seem small, but what really matters is their impact on us. Ask yourself if it brings you joy, makes you excited for the future, helps you grow or highlight your strengths. If it does, then the objective has been met. We all deserve to live our best lives and achieve greatness.
 
A Moment to Reflect

• What are three things you want to restart or start doing this year?
• How do you plan to make them happen?
• How will you enjoy and celebrate the process?

As I started planning for 2022, I knew that I needed to do things differently to thrive and accomplish my goals. As a planner, I need a structured approach to this challenge. I believe that to succeed, we need to put systems in place to do things differently and not just let them happen by chance.
 
In this blog post, we will explore the process of identifying what you need to do differently, and I will share three things I plan to do to set myself up for success this year.
 
How to discover the changes you need to make to accomplish your goals
It is essential to think through what you want to do differently as you start the year. Sharing some of the questions you can ask yourself to analyze what you need to put in place to thrive:

1. In what areas of your life are you struggling the most?
2. What can you do differently in those areas?
3. What kind of support would you need to make changes? 
4. Who is in your community can support you, or do you need new people?
   
5. How will you use the new time or resources that you free up?

 
MC's Journey
This is one of my posts where I share something that I am working on in real-time. Although I do not have it all figured out, I would like to share my process with you and hopefully some of the fantastic results down the line.
 
#1: Getting additional support
One of the areas where I realized that I needed help was childcare. Over the past fifteen months, my husband and I have taken care of our son while we were both working full-time jobs. We are very fortunate to have made it work as I primarily worked from home. Our son has also integrated himself perfectly into our lifestyle, and we are a great team. However, as he grows older and wants to explore more, we want to give him the opportunity to keep learning and have some more dedicated care while I get work done.
 
What is my plan?
We just found part-time care for our son. Very early, we knew that when we were ready as a family, we would want to have someone to help out for a few hours in our home. Being a babysitter for many years, even through college, I expected the process to be more straightforward for me. I pushed it out of my mind for as long as I could, and then one night, I decided to face my fears and start the search for a nanny. As I write this, I am very aware of the privilege to have the option available to us. We are willing to make this huge investment to ensure that I do not burn out trying to do too many things at once.
 
I am learning a lot through this process. The biggest lesson is that I need to trust the person and the process. Like others entrusted their children into my care when I was a babysitter, I have to do the same thing now. So far, the transition has been smooth, and our son, who has not been exposed to people due to the pandemic, is adapting very well.
 
#2: Setting Boundaries around my time
Like many people around the world who have the privilege of working from home, I find myself working very long hours. My workdays consist of caring for our son while running meetings, events or getting project work done. I feel that the times I pause work to feed or care for him needs to be made up for after he goes to bed. However, the truth is that I end up working much longer than I did on regular workdays without a child. I pack my workdays so full and always feel like there is still much more to do. There is a term for what I have been doing; it is overworking.
 
Over the holidays, I reflected and realized that I worked for 10 - 14 hours a day. This is subtracting the time that I spent caring for my son. And that has led to me not getting as much rest as I need.
 
What is my plan?
I will be limiting the time that I spend working every day. It will be hard to walk away from work that I think needs to get done. I will also be eliminating the constant sense of urgency by prioritizing my tasks and setting realistic timelines.
 
#3: Starting new routines
There are things that I want to start and others that I want to stop doing. Knowing myself, the best way to do this would be to develop some new routines. I am a creature of habit, and things are more manageable if I do them in the same way regularly. Although I need to make relatively minor changes, I want them to stick. One of the ways that I am thinking about my new routines is that I need to create space for things that make me feel more efficient, energized, and inspired. The great news is that I have the resources I need to start my new habits, and what I need to do is start.
 
What is my plan?
I have started new habits and routines that are good for me. I want to start a few habits, including reading, going outdoors, and resting more. I need to create the time to do the things that help my mental and physical well-being.
 
Final Thoughts
This year started very busy, and I already have to remind myself of what I committed to doing differently. Writing them down has been an excellent way to keep them top of mind. I am excited to see where this journey takes me and look forward to sharing some of my learnings with you.
 
Time to Reflect 
What are three things that you want to do differently this year?
How will you make sure you take care of yourself this year?
How will you celebrate your progress this year?

Happy New Year, and Welcome to 2022! I really hope this year brings lots of growth, laughter, and happiness to you and your family.
 
There is something powerful about starting a new year. It often feels like a wonderful opportunity to be hopeful, reset and start new things. We are all truly fortunate to be alive and able to live out our dreams in a new year. Although the last two years have been different and challenging with a global pandemic, I am still extremely optimistic about this new year.
 
At the beginning of every year, I like to share my goals and vision. In this blog post, we will focus on our 2022 goals and how to start the year right. In my other posts in January, we will plan to accomplish our goals.
 
How to start your year right
To have the best year we have ever had, there are crucial actions we can take to achieve our goals. Some of which are listed below.

• Set your goals: Having an initial set of goals that you want to accomplish will give you a sense of direction as you kick off the year. The goals do not have to be final as you can fine-tune them over time
• Schedule time for what matters: I have learned that the only way things get done is if I schedule them. I block time on my calendar to make sure I create the space to work towards my goals
• Start routines and put a support model in place: we often think about setting goals but forget that we need to establish a system that will help us accomplish them
• Plan for how and when you will check in on your goals: one of the practices that help us successfully accomplish goals is tracking progress and reflecting as a regular cadence. I strongly recommend at least quarterly goal check-ins
• Find your people: having companions as you work towards your goals increases your success rate. Surround yourself with people who cheer you on, encourage you, hold you accountable and celebrate your accomplishments
• Take action: while having goals is great, the magic happens when we do the things we planned to do. As you make progress remember to celebrate yourself and continue completing the tasks

 
MC's Journey - My plan for 2022
Goal setting is one of my favorite activities in both my private and professional life. Each year, I set time aside and document goals in all the important aspects of my life. This year, planning was slightly different. My goal list is typically quite long as I seek to accomplish as much as possible. However, as I listed what I wanted to accomplish this year, I kept thinking about the word "sustainably". The thought of accomplishing my goals while avoiding burnout was front and center for me. With that in mind, I decided to have a shorter list of goals and prioritize setting up a support system to make sure I am taking care of myself. I will share more about this in my future posts.
 
Over the past years, I have shared my goals as a way to commit and also have you all as my accountability partners. I am excited about growing and learning how to do things differently in 2022.
 
My theme for 2022 is "be brave to take on great things and take care of myself". Some of the high-level goals that I want to accomplish are:

• Personal: Prioritize self-care and create sustainable routines
• Family: Make memories and enjoy our time as a family
  
• Professional: Expand my sphere of influence and lead programs that reach more people
• Financial: Set the financial foundation for our next investment projects
• Business: Grow our community of women and create helpful content
• Learning: develop the skills needed for the next phase of my career
• Bold Goal: Take the next step higher in my career

 
Final Thoughts
Over the past two years, our world and lives have changed significantly. We have had to redefine what is important to us and possible with the resources at our disposal. Now is a great time to reflect on what really matters to you. For me this year, I really want to enjoy life in the process of accomplishing my goals.
 
I would like to invite you on this journey to plan for our best year yet. In the upcoming blog posts, I will share about what I am restarting in 2022 and how I am setting myself up for success.
 
Time to Reflect

• What do you want to accomplish in 2022?
• What do you want to do differently this year?
• What are you excited about the most about this year?
• What are you concerned about the most this year?
• How are you going to take care of yourself?

 
Great resources
Check out some of my other posts that will help you start your year right

• Why are you not achieving your goals?
• About your goals: How to start planning for 2022
• How to do something you have been procrastinating
• How to do things you are afraid of
• The Power of being Consistent