At the start of 2022, I was on a roller coaster of emotions – I was happy and a bit disheartened at the same time. I was delighted because we spent almost the entire month of December and the first week of January with families and friends whom we could not meet physically in nearly two years due to the travel restrictions. I never expected a typhoon to ravage our place while we were away from our Cebu home. We were so worried, yet we did our best to enjoy the limited time we had with family. Though it was difficult due to the circumstance, I started the year in the way I knew was right.
First and foremost, I celebrated with loved ones. Celebrating the start of a new year has never been so wonderful as this year because we all felt more grateful than ever for new beginnings, family gatherings, and life as a whole. We all took time to enjoy preparing, share experiences, and savor the moment and all that came with it. I put all my worries and thoughts about work away and enjoyed every moment of our celebration.
Second, I let go of negative emotions and assumed a positive attitude. Letting go and such was not that easy. It took a conscious effort on my part. In other words, I decided to do them and took action. I identified the emotions weighing me down and led me to become unproductive, then actively chose to assume a more positive attitude. It is a decision I have taken every day since.
Third, I appreciated my wins from the previous year. This helped me have a positive mindset – counting small and big successes. I deem it beneficial to remember all that I have accomplished because being reminded of all the wins usually boosts my confidence in myself, which is one of the most important things I need to face the new goals ahead.
Fourth, I sat and wrote my goals for the year. This is one of my irrevocable traditions when welcoming the new year because I believe that if I do not write it down, I would more likely forget about my goal. Seeing my goals on paper and visualizing the process motivate me to work for them and make them happen. This technique works for me and has served me well these past few years.
Last, I made a plan on how to achieve my goals. Writing them down makes it easier for me to devise strategies to make my goals happen. Writing my plans down is as essential to me as writing down my goals because these writings would serve as reminders for when I forget or get confused about what to do next.
Following all these allowed me to focus on what’s more important. These diverted my attention from dwelling on the inconveniences brought by the calamity. Now, despite the slow pace, we have gradually accomplished the tasks we set ourselves to do to achieve our goals for the year.
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