2022 is an important year for me. It’s my 60th. Here’s the advice I’m giving myself. I hope some of it will resonate with you.
1 Learn One New Skill
Learning should be a way of life. It’s essential to help us grow and thrive. The risk is that in our enthusiasm, we start and stop too many things. Much better to choose one thing and focus on it. It could be anything: something creative, something practical. The important thing is that you enjoy it. This year, it’s going be my Italian language skills. I’ve been learning Italian on and off for many years, but this year I really want to be fluent. To be honest, given my family background, I really should be.
2 Do Less
I wrote about this last January. It’s not only what you do, it’s what you choose not to do that’s equally important. Think about all those things that take up too much of your time. The things that drain your energy or are pointless. Stop. Do the stuff that’s important.
3 Take Care of Your Body
Physical health is more important than ever to me. Not feeling confident in your physical state can make you hesitant when taking on new challenges. Not feeling good about your appearance can affect your self-belief. Nowadays, most people I work with are younger than me. I need to make sure I don’t come across as the ‘old guy’ in the team. I’m going to be fitter than ever in 2022.
4 Build a Routine
Without a system, without a process, you won’t achieve your goals. Becoming the person you want to be requires daily action. Consistency is key to everything. Create good habits. Create an environment that supports these good habits. Now Christmas is over, I’m getting back into a productive routine.
5 Focus on What You Can Control
Although I’m not religious, I love the ‘Serenity Prayer’
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference
The key words for me are ‘courage to change the things I can’. Stuff happens outside your control. What’s important is to control how you respond to them.
6 Invest in Relationships That Matter
I find this hard as I’m a natural introvert. But I know how important my relationships are to me. Recognise and appreciate the people that are most valuable to you. Spend time with them. Help them, support them. They’ll feed your soul. Don’t overstretch yourself, but nurture deeper relationships. In 2022, I’ll see my best friends as often as I can.
7 Focus on Effort Not Results
Rather than obsess over dreams and goals, focus on the effort required to achieve them. If you commit, put in the work, and do your best, the results will take care of themselves. Measure and reward yourself for your effort, not your outputs.
In Summary
January is one of my favourite months of the year. Every week, there’s a family birthday to celebrate (including my own). The days are getting longer and the year ahead offers opportunity and potential. Don’t just capture a list of resolutions. That’s easy. Decide what person you want to be and work towards it. 2022 will be my best year ever. Will it be yours?