Paul, our friendly neighborhood Captain over at The Captain’s Speech has nominated me to share my goals for 2022. Yes, he used the word “nominate…” Though, to be honest, I feel like it’s more of a challenge. I may only feel that way because I’m not one who enjoys setting goals for myself. I definitely don’t like coming up with resolutions. I’ve done it from time to time in the past, but I always wind up letting myself down. But let’s not back down from a challenge, shall we? Let’s try to be a little more optimistic than we were in yesterday’s Year in Review post, hmm?

The Rules…

• Thank the person who nominated you.
  Thank you, Paul, for challenging me to challenge myself by setting these goals that could potentially lead to me being a better and, possibly, happier person.
• Write your own goals for next year.
  See below…
• Write how you’re going to achieve these goals.
  See also below…
• Tag at least five blogger friends.
  You can’t tell me what to do!
• This last one is optional, but in 365 days, write a post about whether or not you’ve been successful.
  With my memory, it will be just shy of a miracle if I remember to follow up this post a year from now.

The Goals…

1. Find Contentment on a Professional Level
   I don’t know what that looks like right now. I don’t know if that means finding a way to be content where I am with what I’m currently doing or if it means finding something else. So far, finding something else has been a non-starter. All I know is that I am emotionally drained. I reach the end of my typical work day and I am exhausted in all possible ways. It’s having a serious affect on my mental and, probably, physical health. I honestly don’t know how to achieve this goal right now because it feels so enormous that it becomes insurmountable. Small steps, I’m sure, will be the answer…
2. Seek Therapy
   Speaking of my mental health… This is actually something I’ve already tried to get the ball rolling on. A friend of mine made a recommendation for a therapist she swears by. I’ve reached out to this person by email through their office’s website. I never got a response. Feels really good when you’re depressed and overwhelmed with anxiety when you try to seek therapy and get no answer. I’d have settled for a quick, “I’m sorry, I’m not taking on new clients at this time, but here are some other therapists you may want to look into.”
3. Read More
   I feel like this is a goal I set for myself every year, even in the years when I don’t feel like setting any goals. In the past, I’ve gone onto Goodreads and challenged myself to read a certain number of books. 2021 was the first year in the last five that I actually surpassed my goal. I set a goal of 20 books for the year and read 22. Funny thing is… that happened in August. And I haven’t picked up a book since. I’m setting a goal of 25 for the next year. Hopefully I’ll stick to it and continue reading even after the first eight months pass.
4. Play Through Every Mainline Final Fantasy Game
   Got to have a fun one on the list, right? This one has actually been on my bucket list for a long time. I recently bought the latest versions of Final Fantasy I-VI that were available on Steam. I have VII, VIII, and IX on my old PS3 as well as the PS3 discs for X and XIII. XII and XV I have downloaded to the PS4. I’m leaving out XI and XIV… they’re online games, so I’ll be skipping those. I prefer to fly solo in my video gaming. Sorry… that was a super geeky paragraph.
5. Walk More
   Because who couldn’t use a little more exercise? Truth is, I definitely don’t get enough movement in my daily life. It was easy to get those steps in when I worked in an elementary school and had kids in different classrooms. All day I found myself walking from one end of the school to the other and back again dozens of times. With my current job, I’m sitting in the driver’s seat of my car for about six out of eight hours a day. The most walking I get done is if I have a client that wants to get their groceries from Walmart. I’m planning on getting a treadmill for my apartment (once I make room for it) since walking around downtown at night isn’t really something I want to do.
6. Make Room in My Apartment
   Okay… I just put that one because I need to make room for that treadmill I’m hoping to get. Truth is, I have a small apartment and I just don’t have the space I’d like to have for that kind of exercise equipment. Even if it’s the kind of thing that can be folded up and pushed against the wall. I have an exercise bike that I’m too short to use, so I need to sell that as soon as I can. And I have this twin bed that I was using as a “sofa” before I got my actual sofa. Why do I still have that thing? I never sit on it… I never have company over to sit on it… It’s a waste of space.
7. Learn How to Meal Prep
   I mean… I guess I know how to meal prep. I just have to do it. I figure this will not only be a healthier way for me to eat my meals, but it’ll also be cheaper. Because, and this covers both of those things, it will mean I won’t have to rely on fast food drive throughs for lunches during my work day. I just need to find some good recipes designed for the pickiest of eaters. Oh, and some decent storage containers that won’t give me cancer if I use them to heat food up in the microwave.
8. Blog Every Day
   As of today, I have posted something to The Confusing Middle for 735 consecutive days. Got to keep that streak alive.
9. But Also Write More
   Not just blogging… I’ve wanted to write a novel since I was a kid in the 5th grade. I have no idea what has stopped me from doing so for the last 32 years. Fear? Self-doubt? Lack of confidence? Being my own worst critic? Blaming life’s busyness? All of the above. I don’t want to just say, “Write a novel…” and have that be my goal for 2022. Because, like finding contentment in my professional life, it feels enormous and insurmountable. I’ll need to break this one up into smaller chunks. Write a chapter by January 31. Write another three chapters by my birthday on March 6. Things like that…

Wish me luck… I mean, I said I don’t like setting goals and there are nine there. I’m not sure how well I did with figuring out how to attain these goals. But I guess one day at a time will have to do for now.

The Nominees…

You know what… I’m not gonna do that part. I always feel like I’m trying to call someone out and, to be honest, I’m not sure who I know who hasn’t already been nominated anyway. So, I leave this to you, the reader, to decide if you want to do something similar on your own blog. If you want to share your goals for next year, that is entirely up to you. Just be sure to share your links so we can all see what you’d like to do in 2022.