2022 New Years Resolutions

2021 was a big year for me. I got pregnant during grad school while I was working full time. I earned my masters in marketing and got straight As. I had my beautiful baby boy. I left my job after my maternity leave ended and secured a new opportunity which started this past week. 

I’d love to say my resolution this year is to slow down and not do anything drastic. But I know better. Slow just isn’t in my DNA. However, with the newfound clarity I gained while pregnant I hope to be relentless in sticking to my guns, focusing on my priorities, and continuing to strive for fulfillment.

But before I get to 2022’s resolutions, here are my 2021 resolutions. My comments and reflections are in bold.

1. Graduate grad school and be ok if I can’t sustain my straight A’s. A’s are nice, but if the trade is living life and getting a B rather than an A… I prefer that option. The nature of the program wasn’t very conducive to having a life… and once I became pregnant, I wanted to use what little free time I’d get to relax and prepare for the baby. That said, I did just that — and got straight As!

2. Look into and potentially invest in redeveloping my website. Once grad school is done, I’d like to get some quotes from a developer and designer to clean up and restructure my website. I want to also sort out how I can improve selling my art. Right now I do it through Red Bubble because it’s the easiest, but it’s not the best business model. This didn’t happen. Work, grad school, baby… yea, didn’t even come close to completing this one!

3. Spend as much time with family and friends as I am able to (once it is safe to do so.) My parents moved to Rhode Island in June, so that made this goal a lot easier to do. We still took serious precautions because of my pregnancy and then of course for the sake of the baby . But it has been wonderful having them close by.

4. More painting, photography, and writing… once grad school is done. Ehhh I underestimated the pain of the third trimester, ha! My trigger fingers were so severe I could hardly open and close my hands towards the end of my pregnancy. Once the baby was born, he became my focus and I’m very happy with that decision.

2022 Resolutions:

1. Don’t stress out unless there’s a reason to stress out. I put a LOT of pressure on myself, and sometimes it’s unnecessary. This is something I want to be conscious about.

2.  Step up to the plate and use my voice. This one is specifically directed towards my career. 

3. Minimize the noise and focus on what matters most. Less stuff, more enrichment.

4. Improve my photography abilities. With a baby, I would love to get better at shooting people. 

5. Change the platform that I sell my art through. 

6. Get good at carving time to focus on myself. This could be reading while my son sleeps, working out when I’m traveling, etc. 

7. Design a new website.