2022, let's be having ya...

So I’ve somehow found myself more than 3 weeks deep in to 2022, still fairly disorientated from the sheer amount of cheese and wine that I consumed over Christmas, and only just getting myself out of the habit of taking twice-daily naps, but hey ho, I’m back and I’m (kind of) ready to go. After spending almost the entire first month of the year doing the absolute bare minimum, I thought it was about time that I sat down to reflect on 2021 and finally get my shit together for the year ahead.

2021 was a strange year, wasn’t it? For me, it was a year of huge changes, big decisions, and entering into the final year of my twenties (eek). I laughed and cried in equal measures and learnt some important lessons along the way, so if that doesn’t warrant a big fat list on my blog, I don’t know what does. Get yourself a cuppa, this might be a long one.

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Everybody will have their own definition of success, and that’s okay.

I will hold my hands up and admit to frequently comparing my life to other people’s and wondering if the grass is greener on their side, but I really am starting to realise how important it is to stay in my own lane and just focus on what is important to me.

For some people, success is owning a house, for others, it’s having the perfect figure; but for me, I've realised that success is having the time, the freedom and the resources to have truly great experiences and make wonderful, fun and fulfilling memories every day.

So with all that in mind, this year, I’m going to try and stop measuring my success based on the number I see on a scale, the number of likes I get on a photo or the number of 0’s in my bank account and instead focus on the number of people that I make smile each day, the amount of free time I have to spend doing the things I love, and the number of times I get that lovely, content feeling in my tummy. Easier said than done, but I can only try my best, eh?

Life’s too short for shitty friends.

Last year, I had to lean on the people around me more than I ever really have done before, and it quickly became crystal clear who my strongest supports and loudest cheerleaders were.

I've learnt that it's absolutely fine to outgrow friendships if they're not making you feel the best and most sparkly version of yourself, and that time is precious and you need to spend it with the people who make you feel uplifted, not deflated. I read something recently that said ‘spend more time with the people who’s eyes light up when they see you’ and it resonated with me profusely. I have some flippin’ amazing friends in my life who make me feel so loved, valued and supported. Those are the real assets in my life and those are the people that I want to put my time and energy into this year.

I’m not entirely sure why it’s taken me the best part of 29 years to learn this, but it doesn’t matter if you’ve known them 20 years or 6 months, your true friends will come through for you when you need them.

You should always try to be as brave, generous, honest and grateful as you can.

Now obviously there are lots of other wonderful character traits that are worth having, but in my experience, particularly in this past year, if you approach things with courage, generosity, integrity and gratitude - you won't go far wrong. I've also learnt that being brave doesn't mean you never find anything scary, it's finding things frightening and giving them a good crack anyway. And that’s important.

Never make life altering decisions after 10pm.

I feel like we’re all prone to a late night, ‘what am I doing with my life?’, meltdown every once in a while (me, more than most), but I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: just go to sleep. You should never trust how you feel about your life once the clock strikes 10pm and things will always seem better in the morning.

How you treat others speaks volumes about you.

Don’t get so wrapped up in trying to be cool that you forget to be warm. I've well and truly learnt that people will always gravitate towards the kind, friendly, warm people - the radiators, if you will. It’s been a difficult couple of years and you never know what other people are going through, so just be nice.

Don’t save things for best.

If the past few years have taught me anything, it’s that things can change unnervingly quickly and we actually have no idea what’s around the corner. If there was ever a time to wear a fancy dress to Nando’s, it’s now. If there was ever a time to apply a spritz of £100 perfume just to run a few errands, it’s now. If there was ever a time to start appreciating your body for what it is and not be constantly waiting until it's exactly how you want it to look, it’s now.

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Now, onto my resolutions for the year ahead - better late than never, am I right? To be honest, I’m in a funny old place where I’m trying not to put too much pressure on myself to achieve everything I’ve ever wanted, but at the same time, not wanting to be so gentle with myself that I never step out of my comfort zone or get anything done. I’m a true creature of habit; I like routine and I love being in control of what’s going to happen next, but that’s just not how it works, is it? So this year, I’m really going to try and push myself out of my little safe haven and fearlessly embrace the changes that come my way. I want to be braver when it comes to doing things by myself and not let fear or self-consciousness stop me from doing the things I want to do, and I’m going to start saying 'yes' to as many opportunities as I can. Lastly, I’m going to address my terrible habit of avoiding being in photos. I know for a fact that future me won’t look back at pictures of my life and see eye-bags, greasy hair and weight gain; she’ll see love, laughter, adventure and utterly joyful memories, and who am I to deny her of seeing those, eh?

So I hope you’ve all had a lovely start to 2022 and are feeling hopeful and optimistic about the year ahead. I’m wishing you health, happiness and all the other good stuff, but if you’re not feeling quite so fab about 2022 just yet - didn’t someone wise once say that sometimes, the best step to take in life is the next one? Well, that.

Katie x