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2022 is off and running. And I am walking into this firestorm with a lot of hope. But a whole lot of reluctance as well.
I’m sick of pretending like things will be normal any day now. I’m sick of just waiting around for the world to stop being such a mess. And I’m ready to make a difference in my life.
But there’s trepidation.
Last year I decided I’d attack five bucket list items. They weren’t even close to the hardest ones on my list. And I regretfully admit that I crossed exactly zero of them off my list so far. I’m not even close to ahead of where I was at the beginning of 2021, and yet I’m back here ready to write another post just like that one.
But there’s a difference. There’s perspective.
Why write a list that I can look back on as a source of regret and failure? Because hopes and dreams are fulfilled on the back of those who weren’t afraid to take risks. For those who let their visions run wild. And for those who knew that even if they didn’t accomplish their goals, they were better off than anyone who didn’t have any goals at all.
So here I am. I’m writing about five tasks to conquer in 2022. And they’re even loftier than the previous year’s goals. Far loftier, in fact. Why? Because that’s how I’m going to make my mark in this world. That’s how I’m going to become the person I want and need to be.
Hopes and dreams are fulfilled on the back of those who weren't afraid to take risks. Click To Tweet1) A 2022 Writing Bonanza
I have written four books so far. All fairly short, all non-fiction. They’re about topics I know a lot about, in some ways too much.
And they’re about topics I needed to write about.
But they’re not the ultimate goal. The ultimate goal is to write a novel. To create a work of fiction I can look at with pride.
But I’ve had a block now for years. I just don’t know what to write about. And I desperately want to write something unique and original, yet it feels like everything has already been done.
But fears can hold me back no longer. It might take me years to write my book. And I might scrap large pieces along the way. But this is the year I do the hardest part: I get started!
2) A Bright Economic 2022
It’s taken me a long time to come to terms with the fact that I’m nowhere near where I want to be financially. I keep hoping that someday my current job will do more than just “pay the bills”. And I keep hoping that my different side projects will at some point just take off and make all the difference. But it never seems to happen. And I find myself stuck in a situation in which I can’t comfortably do for my family and my children what my amazing parents did for me.
And so 2022 is the year in which I come up with a new game plan. It’s a year I try new and exciting projects, and hopefully find myself on the road to where I want to be. Not just where I hope to be, but where I need to be.
I’ve been reading all about how to “get rich”. I already soaked in Rich Dad Poor Dad and I’m currently reading Think and Grow Rich. I read this fantastic newsletter every day, trying to become more economically savvy. And I plan to put all my abilities, knowledge, talent, strength, and energy toward revising my path and getting where I need to be, as soon as humanly possible.
It’s not about if I succeed. That is inevitable. It’s about when I succeed, and finding the best and fastest path to get there.
3) An Unlikely 2022 Six-Pack
Yup, it’s quite vain. But I’m totally OK with that.
You see, I’ve been losing a lot of weight lately. Way much more than I even thought was possible at this point.
When I was younger and first got my Diabetes scare, I also lost a ton of weight. I was over ten pounds lighter than I am now, in fact. But I was unfit. I was scrawny, not a muscle on my body.
But over the years I started becoming a gym rat, and packed on the muscle. But I was never really able to both gain a ton of muscle and also burn off the pesky fat that was plaguing me. And it was frustrating. I was working very hard for years. Yet it felt like I never properly saw the fruit of my labor.
Chael Sonnen, famous MMA commentator and former competitor, once said that only two types of people can have six-packs: Twenty-year olds and those on steroids.
He’s got a point. And I certainly don’t fit either category at all.
Yet… challenge accepted. I desperately want to see what my stomach looks like under that last little layer of fat. And I will get there. No matter what!
4) A 2022 About-Time Driver’s License
I grew up in New York and learned to love the public transportation system. Who doesn’t love the speed of the subway or the view from the ferry?
But because of this I had little interest in getting a driver’s license. In fact, I didn’t get mine until I was 28 (!), when I moved to Ithaca and it was basically mandatory for all tasks.
And that led to eleven years of non-stop driving, in which I honed my skills and became a pretty decent driver.
But five years ago I came back to Israel and I have yet to transfer over my license. This is for four reasons: First, I like walking and I can get almost anywhere in this city on my own feet. Second, the process of transferring a license is miserable. It’s expensive and time-consuming, so without a huge reason, I just didn’t bother. Third, driving in Jerusalem is horrifying. It’s like watching an almost accident every other minute. My last three years in the States I lived in Kansas, where driving was such a pleasure. I’m just not sure I’m ready for the Jerusalem driving experience.
Finally, I married a lovely person… who has been driving in Israel most of her adult life. And very well, I might add.
But that’s really part of the point. The time has come to figure out how to get myself around this crazy country without someone else’s help.
In 2022, I brave the offices. I brave the treacherous Jerusalem roads and drivers. And I start contributing to the driving going on in our happy household.
5) Another Degree of 2022
In 1998, I got my undergraduate degree. Many years later I earned a Masters’s in Education. But I haven’t done much since then. Oh sure, I’ve learned plenty. I never stop doing that. And I’ve gotten certifications ranging from tech to personal training to bartending.
But the dream of a Ph.D. seems to be too lofty at the moment. And I keep changing my mind about what subject I’d want to master anyhow.
So the goal has temporarily shifted. Right now, I just want another degree. I want another shiny piece of paper to put on my wall. Sure, these take a long time and are potentially costly. But I like them! They’re like giant, pretty trophies I hang above my non-existent fireplace.
I earned myself a full-tuition fellowship to get my Master’s. I want to figure out the next step in my education. And even though the Master’s was four years of reading articles and writing papers while trying to put kids to bed, I’m ready for the next one. I’m ready to get the next trophy. In 2022 I’m going to figure out to make that happen!
I’ve got a big year ahead of me!
