The 4 essentials to make 2022 your best year yet
2022. A new year. A blank canvas.
With every start of a year, a lot of us will take a moment to take stock and reflect on where we are and where we want to go. Right here in January of the new year, you may ask yourself “How can I make 2022 my best year yet?”
For us to answer that question, let’s reframe what life really is. In essence, our life is a work of art, as is our work. For one person, life looks like an abstract painting with 3 essential colors; for another, life looks like a field of glitter and gold. Whatever your life looks like, all lives have something in common. For us to fully allow creativity and success to flow in our work and life, we have to make clear choices. Without choice, we end up lost in a sea of endless possibilities.
What our life’s artwork needs is a frame. Without the frame, we keep creating outside the canvas or not creating anything at all. We may wonder why we got there or why we used that color. In this blog, I will introduce you to the 4 edges of the frame: direction, intention, dedication and energy. These 4 essentials will help you start painting that empty canvas of 2022 in a way that fulfills you.
1. Direction
Having a clear desirable end in mind is essential in directing your life. Many businesses use Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) to give direction to their year or quarter. They bring focus to everyone working at the company and ensure its employees hold each other accountable. Essentially, this first border of your artwork will exactly do that. For the different parts of your life, think about what you really want to achieve and create a specific goal. Here are some examples of different areas of your life:
Business goal examples:
Serve 100 clients by the end of 2022.
Generate $100,000 in revenue this year
Create 2 new products
Health goal examples:
Lose 10 pounds in 6 months
Have a consistent daily workout routine in 1 month
Relationship goal example
Meet 10 new friends this year
Attract my soul mate
Of course, there are many more life areas not covered in these examples, such as personal development, spirituality or family.
Get crystal clear on what is truly important for you this year. If you are not ready to 100% commit yourself to reaching the goals you set, then reprioritize them. We often want too many things at the same time, get overwhelmed and then not complete any of them at all. Ask yourself what you REALLY want this year for yourself. Choose. As mentioned before, without choice we may end up lost or overwhelmed.
2. Intention
Whereas our direction sets our goal and a dot on the horizon we work towards, our intention defines HOW we want to move towards that goal. I always envision a perfect harmony between direction and intention, as if they are two wings on a bird. Direction is our expression of masculine energy, full of focus and discipline. Intention is our expression of feminine energy, full of creative power, intuition and enjoying the process.
With only a direction and no intention, we may actually shoot past our real goals in life. Let’s say we set ourselves on building a successful business and laser focus our actions on achieving this goal. What may very well happen is that we get so obsessed with reaching the goal that we can’t see beyond the material goal. We may accumulate stress and tension or not allow ourselves any other joy of life before reaching the material goal. An intention is crucial to keep your process in check with your values in life.
Examples of intentions:
I am filled with joy
I have peace of mind
I experience a connection with myself, with others and with the universe
Each of these intentions defines your “why” and therefore your “how” . We can perfectly work towards our business goals, with a constant feeling of joy. But unfortunately, without intention the opposite may actually happen. Focusing on intention as part of creating the art of your life will ensure that the feelings you are looking for by achieving your goals can actually already be accessed TODAY, with intention. What do I mean by that?
We can feel wealthy before we have created wealth
We can feel loved before having a relationship
We can feel connected before finding new friends
Nurturing the feelings you are looking for actually will help you attract your desires because you will start tuning in with the energy you want to attract to your life.
3. Dedication
Some of us will end right there and there. “I have a goal. I have an intention. I am good to go.” But this is actually where the real work starts.
For us to start moving towards our goals and live our intentions, they need daily attending. It’s like growing a vegetable and fruit garden. Every day, the plants need water. Every once in while, they need manure. Only then will you enjoy the fruits of your labor.
The main question to ask yourself is “What will you do consistently to achieve your goals and live your intention?” The magic sits in the word consistently.
We are not going to get ripped by exercising 2 times a week. We are not going to experience joy without filling our days with joyful moments. We are not going to get 100 clients if we don’t speak to any prospects.
What you need to achieve your goals and live your intentions is proper time management, a.k.a dedication. And yes, this means actually scheduling time for all the activities that will contribute to these.
How do we do this? We’ll start with our goal and intention, and start creating tasks that will ensure we reach them. Let’s say your number one goal is to attract 100 clients this year. Your number one intention is to experience true joy in life. For each of these, you’ll create activities that contribute to living these, for YOU. It may look like this:
Goal: Attract 100 clients in 2022
Dedication Task 1: Write weekly content
Dedication Task 2: Schedule outreach to 15 prospects per week
Intention: Experience true joy in life
Dedication Task 3: Meditate 30 minutes daily before 7:00 AM
Dedication Task 4: Take a long 2 hour walk in nature every Saturday
Dedication Task 5: Invite friends over for dinner and laughs 2 times a week
Of course, these dedication tasks are just an example of how you can create activities that contribute to your goals and intention. For you, they may look entirely different. That’s not the point. The point is that for you to move towards your goals and live your intentions, you need to be consistent. Oh, and schedule them in your calendar.
Attend your garden and you’ll reap the fruits of your work.
4. Energy
So aren’t we there yet with direction, intention and dedication? Almost.
For us to be successful in the direction, intention and dedication of our art work of 2022, we obviously need high levels of energy. To be honest, our energy levels are so sacred in the process of creation. Why? Because the more energy we have available to us, the easier it is to create. Energy is our driving force of creation, and the more we have available, the faster we flow.
There are different ways to approach this fourth essential element of success in 2022. One way to work on our energy is to have good energetic hygiene. If we close our energy leakages, it means we have so much more available to us. Ask yourself this question: “Where am I leaking energy in my life right now?”
Are you spending 2 hours on Instagram scrolling away?
- Set yourself a time limit per day.
Are you spending time with people that actually do not inspire you?
- Make time for meeting new inspirational people
Are your thoughts and emotions critical and negative?
- Set aside time to truly feel your emotions and get yourself a coach to help you release and transform your energy.
Are you distracted by the mess in your house?
- Declutter.
Are you lacking physical energy?
- Start a work-out routine. Eat healthy. Work on your sleep hygiene.
Our energy is influenced in different ways: spiritually, mentally, emotionally, physically, environmentally and socially. Look at all of these aspects to ensure you have enough available energy to realize your full potential in 2022.
That’s it. These four edges of the frame will form your blank canvas of 2022. Developing these essential elements for your success and creativity will ensure you can live life on purpose. Living life on purpose means waking up daily full of direction, intent, dedication and energy.
I can’t wait to see what you’ll create this year. Happy 2022!
