Happy 2022, my friends! A shiny new year has dawned with infinite possibilities and grand adventures ahead.

I have officially returned from my long hiatus recharged, full of ideas, and so very happy to be back in the blogosphere with all of you. Breaks are most fabulous things, but how I miss the world of blogging when I’m gone. It was, indeed, a beneficial break though. After a happy Christmas break spent with family and a January of plotting out the year and digging into some exciting projects, I am feeling so very energized and truly ecstatic to tackle All The Things.

Again I say: breaks are fabulous.

Normally I’d be over here with a long list of goals to shout to the world about in great hopes some good ol’ accountability will help me, you know, achieve them. But last year I chose to not share my goals publicly. After a really hard 2020 in which I kept pushing through some projects I said I’d do and them just…not working, I realized sometimes pushing through isn’t the answer. Sometimes having that pressure of everyone expecting you to work on one thing can be harmful, because what if you realize you need to set aside that project?

Now I am ALL about goals. Without them, I’d never, ever, ever get anything done. They are my life force of achieving my dreams. But I’ve also realized sometimes I get too rigid about them. Sometimes I waste my time on goals instead of allowing myself to shift and change them as the project and/or life needs. It’s a hard balance, and one I’m still practicing. But the Infamous Year of 2020 taught me a lot about when to push myself and when to go with the flow. It was a year of creative dryness, overworking myself, and possibly wasting my time on things that just weren’t working.

But, most importantly, 2020 was a year of growth.

I learned so much about myself. About my projects. About how to manage it all. About when to hold on to things and let them go and what to prioritize.

And 2021 was a year of practice.

After realizing so many of my failings in 2020 and doing a lot of self reflection, I went into 2021 with a new mindset. For 2021 I wasn’t going to be so rigid. I chose to not publicly announce my goals for the year, and I set out a word to focus on…

ADAPTABLE

Because that, right there, was the key to fighting back these failings of mine. I needed to learn to be adaptable with my time.

I talked a lot about this in my end of the year post, so I won’t go into it all again. But to sum up: 2021 proved to be a year of seeking balance, taking more time for fun, realizing rest and fun are GOOD THINGS and don’t hinder my productivity in any sense of the words (in fact, they help), and finding the joy in creating again.

A friend the other day asked me if I experienced any creative burnout during 2021, and as I took a second to respond it hit me…no. I experienced very little in the way of burnout. In fact, I’d say it was one of the most creative years I’ve had in a very, very long time. And I think the reason for that was because I didn’t constantly push myself, and I also found other outlets that helped keep me recharged throughout the year (like roleplaying and more video chatting with writer friends and the like). I allowed myself rest and fun and new things, far more than I have in…years. And, as a result, I felt such a surge of creativity.

Not to say 2021 was a perfect year of creativity. But it was better. So, so much better. I took the seeds I acquired in 2020 and planted them in 2021 and slowly they have taken root.

So for 2022 it’s time to truly water and feed them.

2021 was a year of practicing adaptability. Of learning to go with the flow and embrace life as it comes, instead of constantly pushing myself and missing out on the moments just to get some tasks done on my to-do list. For this year, I want to expand on that practice.

My word for 2022 is…

E N J O Y

It’s one thing to learn to go with the flow and not be so rigid, it’s another thing entirely to find the joy in it.

Life is a matter of one’s mindset. Our minds—they’re powerful things. But so are our emotions. It’s so easy to allow things, from big to small, to toss about our emotions. For example, a single mishap in the morning can leave us grumpy for the rest of the day. (They say don’t cry over spilled milk, but sometimes you just want to.) I’m a pretty heavy Feeler and can definitely allow my emotions to tug on the reins of my mood.

But I can also tug back.

It’s all a mental perspective. It’s a choice. I have learned over the years that I can absolutely shift my mindset with some conscious effort. Often when I feel some grumpiness trying to sneak in and ruin my day, I’ll consciously shove it back and embrace cheeriness instead. Have you guys ever tried randomly smiling and laughing? You may feel like an insane person, but it honest to goodness shifts things in your mind! Try it sometime when you’re feeling down. It’s great.

Obviously I’m not saying we can be in a permanent state of happiness. There is sadness in the world. There are hard days and heartaches. Depression and mental health is a very real thing that can’t just be shoved back with a simple smile.

But the day to day? Those are the times we can practice truly finding the enjoyments of life.

It really wasn’t until the end of 2020 that I realized I had lost much of my enjoyment in writing. The enthusiasm Young Christine always had dissipated somewhere along the way, and I didn’t know it really had until I came to that low place and began self reflecting. At some point in time, I had turned all of my hopes and dreams into dreaded chores. I had forgotten myself.

But during the last bit of 2020 and all through 2021, I slowly came back.

Is being a writer hard, grueling work? Goodness yes. There will always, always be days of stress and a dry well of words. But it shouldn’t be that way permanently.

I chose to be a writer because I really, truly love it. I love creating brand new characters and discovering other worlds and seeing blank pages fill up with words. With life. I love exploring themes and seeing my characters battle and overcome struggles I have had to battle myself. I love being a co-creator with God—creating with the Ultimate Creator Himself.

Writing is amazing, guys.

But beyond the stories, there are other aspects of writing, like blogging and social media and querying and all those millions of other things writers have to do. It’s so easy for me to look at a brand new week and be so overwhelmed at the prospect of trying to get Instagram posts out and a blog post up and reply to comments on things and, oh yeah, maybe make time for my actual WIP. But I don’t want to do that anymore.

I want to look at each week and be grateful. I want to be excited that I have a list of things to do that are a continuous pursuit of what I love. I adore all my amazing internet peeps and interacting with you guys, I’m so grateful to have a space to be able to share all the many thoughts in my head, and I truly love creating stories. I get to spend much of my time doing what I love, and so many people don’t have that privilege.

So I want to shift my mindset and not think of it all as chores and draining tasks. But tasks to love and enjoy and have fun with. To remember that being a writer really is a privilege, and to always focus on being grateful for it.

It’s not just about writing though. In fact, I think I focus a little too much on writing. Actually, I know I do.

I don’t want to spend every waking hour this year poring over just writing things. Last year, I tried so, so hard to allow myself time for other things too, and it helped a lot. This year, I want to continue that practice of adaptability. Of shoving aside my to-do list to instead watch a movie with a sibling or chat with a friend or even putting away my current WIP to scribble down little nothings simply for the fun of it.

And I want to find enjoyment in every moment.

I don’t want to just do these things, but live them. Embrace them wholly and seek out the joy in every aspect of the day. I’m so focused on the next task and the next and the next, I hardly ever slow down to simply soak in the moments I’m in.

I also want to make enjoyment. I want to work harder in finding activities that really bring me joy and be more adventurous and say yes more and do hard things. Not just settle, but really LIVE.

That is why ENJOY is my word for 2022.

This year I don’t want to forget to enjoy this one life I’ve been given and let the moments pass me by. Life really is a gift, and I don’t want to be a passive character in my story, but one who forever seeks out the brightness.

“Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in Thy presence is fulness of joy; at Thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.”
– Psalm 16:11

Through Jesus, there is an infinite well of enjoyment to be had!

And that, my friends, is my game plan for 2022. To continue practicing being more adaptable with my time and to enjoy it.

I do have many, many things I hope to accomplish this year and am honestly REALLY excited about them, but again, I think I’ll keep them close to my chest and take them a day at a time, and if they have to change, that’s okay. Life is a journey, and sometimes there are unexpected things that come along with journeying. It’s like Bilbo taking the plunge to aid the dwarves in rescuing their home from a terrible dragon—you know there will be hardships, but the growth and wondrous adventures are worth it all.

Life may be full of dragons, but it’s also abounding with beauty and growth and hope and joy. All we have to do is take that first step. It’s always worth it.

So here’s to venturing across those first steps of 2022! May they lead us down roads of wonder.

A most happy 2022 to you all! It’s SO good to be back. I want to hear everything. How was your Christmas and New Year’s? How has this first month of 2022 treated you? (I can’t believe we’re already a month in!) What are some of your hopes for this year? And do you have a word for 2022? I’d love to hear it!

P.S. Whilst on hiatus I’ve been working on thingsss, and next Monday I will be announcing something super exciting! I think you’re all going to like it. *grins* So stay tuuuuned!