When I thought about what message I wanted to write for you this week, I kept thinking about what I wanted to declare for the year ahead. So I decided to include a letter I wrote to the year 2022. I hope you gain some insight through this letter, reminding you to start out the year full of intention. And perhaps some of you will be inspired to write your own letter too. I talk a lot about writing your own narrative in life.

So, here’s what I’m writing for the year ahead. 

Dear 2022, 

The pressure is off you. No one can deny that the last two years of living within a global pandemic have been very weird. So I really do believe things can only get better this year. This is me officially setting that intention.

And there are a few things I want to focus on this year. So I’ll go through and list them here. I hope you’ll be able to help me stay focused on them.

I’ll be honest, 2022 — I crave more quiet. I got a sampling of it in 2021 and I really loved those moments when I could sit with my thoughts. Moments that allowed me to dream, to practice gratitude, or to just be. So, 2022, please help me in creating more space for that beautiful quiet in my life. 

I will continue to transfer my thoughts to this screen, spilling my guts every week. I want to continue to write as it’s very therapeutic to me. I hope you will continue to come along on this journey with me.

2022 will also be the year that I truly learn to breathe deeper. I feel like I go around all day rushing from one thing to the next without really taking deep breaths. It may sound silly, but I really do want to be more intentional about my breathing this year. I want to breathe in more consciously and let it allow me to slow down. If we aren’t careful, and we don’t take time to really slow down and take it in, life can just zoom right by us. I think deeper breathing will help me slow things down and appreciate more as I take those deeper breaths. I want to pause to appreciate whatever moment I am in, to really be intentional about every moment.

I know I use that word a lot, 2022, but I want it to be another theme of the year. I always want to remain intentional. I will intentionally not over-promise. I will intentionally not over-plan or over-schedule. But I will intentionally create space for more fun, and more moments that take my breath away. And let me lead my year with my intuition. I want to tap into it more deeply than ever this year.

On that note, I am setting the intention that 2022 is the year John and I find our family’s forever home. We have been looking for land, possibly even a farm, to deepen our family’s roots outside of the busy city. I can see it clearly. I imagine a big flower garden where friends can come and pick their own fresh flowers to brighten their homes. I imagine my children running and playing with our dog, Carmen, all around the property. I imagine stunning trees that will glow in the fall and take my breath away as I look out at them, drinking my morning coffee. I imagine opening up the back door to birds singing and leaves rustling. I imagine a firepit and outdoor kitchen for summers and a cozy garden room where I can sit and read all year round. I imagine all of these things, though we have yet to find the spot. So, 2022, I’m trusting you to guide us to finding it so that we can set that plan in motion.

And for EYT, I see 2022 being its most impactful year. So please send me inspiration throughout the year so that I can come up with more ideas to help me use EYT as a way to make an impact in this world. I feel like our footprint gets bigger every year and I’m so excited about that. Maybe I’ll even change the EYT motto to something like this: Do Good. Often.

And about my bowling… I still have plans. I’m not done yet so give me the grace and strength I need to keep at it. I plan to focus on what I can control and drown out the rest of it. I have been spending a lot of time strengthening my knees, rehabbing them, and healing them. And much of what I have been doing has been helping. So 2022, if there’s anything else that might help me stay strong in my body, may it also cross my path. I intend for my knees to carry me to the foul line with grace and leverage for another year. 

Finally 2022, I would just like to declare that this year I want to travel together again. Let’s actually get on a plane somewhere and chase some heart-pumping moments! Let’s add back a squeeze of excitement. It’s been long enough without adventure. Let’s do things we’ve never done and go places we’ve never been! It’s time.

And ultimately, may all my decisions this year be led with my heart.

Sincerely,
Diandra