Let's do fewer hard things in 2022

Our family motto is the phrase, “We Can Do Hard Things,” made famous by Glennon Doyle. We have a little sign in our kitchen that reminds us of it.

I was looking at the sign at the end of December, and said to my spouse, “I know we CAN do hard things, but I would like fewer hard things in 2022.”

2021 was HARD - a different kind of hard than 2020. While 2020 was terrifying and exhausting with the newness and scariness of the pandemic, 2021 was a tough slog where we all held our breath and held on to get to the other side of…something - the Trump presidency, the promise of vaccines, the pandemic, in-person school. It felt like such a slog, in part, because the other side to all those things isn’t what we thought it would be. The other side is a changed world, in ways we cannot fully understand right now. The new normal is moving forward with uncertainty.

I know this sounds like a bummer of a way to start a New Year’s blog, but sometimes to move through you have to look at where you’ve been to see the progress.

One year ago, in January 2021, Trump was still President; we experienced a violent insurrection and attempt to take down our democracy; our kids were in virtual school; we had no Covid vaccines; and on a personal level, my mom was in the ICU on a ventilator. A pretty shitty list of hard things. If I were rating January 2021, it would definitely get 0/5 stars: do not recommend; avoid at all costs. 

And then, very slowly, things got better, and worse, and better, and not good, but also not quite as bad. 

We ended the year with: our democracy (although deeply wounded), a Biden-Harris administration (even if we want them to do more, faster), vaccines and boosters (!), in-person school (mostly), my mom making a miraculous recovery, and a new variant that, while really distressing, seems a bit less scary for many people (although not everyone, like my immunocompromised friends). 

Collectively, we did a lot of hard things. Some people had more hard things; some had fewer, but last year dealt everyone a pile of hard things.

So, now what? What does this mean for 2022?

How do you plan 2022 when the last 20 months have tossed our plans out the window?

First, let’s normalize what you might be feeling. The levels of stress we have been under (and again, some much more than others) are a form of trauma - collective and individual, depending on your circumstances. 

This can lead to:

• Burnout

• Exhaustion

• Numbing (meaning you can’t feel emotions as readily as you could before Covid). This is my personal tell tale sign of burnout.

• Languishing (a feeling of purposelessness)

• Anger or angry outbursts

• Discontent (with work, with home, with certain people)

Raise your hand if you’ve felt any of these over the last year. Me too. 

That’s led me to think about 2022 differently. 

We know we can do hard things, but do we WANT to?

After the 20 months we’ve had, it can be hard to pause and take stock of where you are and what you want. But if you want things to change, it is necessary to do this work and to name what needs to change. Only then can you determine what you want instead.

Personally, I want to use 2022 to begin to recover from the last 20 months. To rest. To recharge. To build more sustainability into my every day.

2021 reminded me that busyness and productivity are not the same thing as working sustainably, even when I am doing work I love. I am someone who tends to make myself busy - and to help a lot of people and produce a lot of things. But, my busyness kept me from doing a lot of other things that make me happy, like connecting with my family and laughing. 

My 2021 levels of busyness are not sustainable. I’ll bet yours were not either. You know they are not sustainable if you’re tired all the time, you’re getting sick or injured more often, and/or you don’t have time for the things you want to do.

In 2022, I want a work and home life that feels sustainable, so I’ll be saying no to hustle culture. 

Hustle culture was never here to redeem you. There are no gold stars for getting through your to-do list. 

Instead of doing lots of things, I’ll be doing fewer things but will focus on those that have a bigger impact, that are in collective service, or help the progressive movement to become more sustainable. When I help a client or an organization become their best self, it’s like a beacon of light that helps others be their best selves too, and that helps the whole collective. I’ll be doing more of this in 2022.

Less, but bigger is one of my 2022 mantras. This means I’ll choose projects and clients where I can dig deep and have a lasting impact that ripples out beyond that one project or client. In order to do this, I have to set boundaries to ensure I have the time I need, and jettison some projects that don’t spark joy to clear space for new, bigger things. 

In 2022, I’ll be choosing joy and pleasure and incorporating things into every day that help me experience both. I look forward to laughing more, connecting deeply with those I love, and spending more time outside, enjoying nature. 

After this year of hard things, what do you WANT In 2022? How can you bring more sustainability into your life? What would feel delicious this year? What do you want to embrace in 2022? And, what choices will you make to build a more sustainable life in 2022. The new journaling practice on my website has some questions to help you figure this out

We can do hard things - the last 20 months have shown us that - but how nice would it be to do what makes us happy instead?

Wishing you many blessings and fewer hard things in 2022!