“Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset.” – Saint Francis

In lieu of a resolution, I’ve selected to emphasize a word for 2022: calm.

That’s it. The mantra and the goal. Calm.

I’ve been a compulsive self-improver for as long as I can remember, needing to constantly work and set goals to accomplish something better on the horizon. While I do think this has made me more disciplined and productive, I also think my forward thinking has prevented me from fully enjoying the present. I’ve also discovered that I rarely give myself enough time to celebrate before moving on to the next goal.

So, this year I’m halting the forward momentum in favor of inner peace, learning to enjoy each day fully and accepting myself where/how I am. I’m going to silence the relentless inner critic, chill out, breathe deeply and find more reasons to be thankful in the present. After all, today really is all we have.