2021? More Like Twenty-Twenty-Get-It-Done

It’s a new year, y’all. Okay, so it’s been a new year for almost three weeks by now, but to be fair, sometimes it feels like it’s really just March 292nd, 2020.

ANYWAY…

As per tradition, I—along with my fellow semi-delusional but well-intentioned Americans—have often come up with BIG plans for how this year is going to be different from all the others…how this year I’m going to get my life right…how this year I really mean it…and how every year that quickly falls apart like a Doritos Locos taco from Taco Bell after just one bite.

Y’all know what I’m talking about.

This is the month I’ll usually find myself slipping on my under-worn running shoes, buying lofty boxes of spinach, deep cleaning the abyss that is my apartment, and making all sorts of lists in my head about how I’m going to achieve personal, professional, and global domination—all while on a balanced budget.

No wonder I fail every year.

At the start of last year, instead of making resolutions, I gave myself a “theme” word in an attempt to guide my efforts. 2020’s word was balance. Ha, that went well. Last year was about as balanced as a baby giraffe learning how to walk in heels (aka drunk me in heels—but way less adorable when you’re in your 30s).

Nevertheless, out of the ashes of the Great Dumpster Fire of 2020, a new word rises to steer this busted, out-of-warranty ship to sparkling, pandemic-free (hopefully) shores.

Cue rhythmically challenged drumroll, please…

My word for 2021 is intention.

Instead of passively letting things happen, I need to commit to taking action and seeing it all the way through. This is my greatest struggle and consequently, my greatest opportunity for growth, and ultimately the key to my own success. It’s all about intention.

Basically, instead of being a Lyft passenger in my own life, I need to be the Lyft driver. Now, whether I’m driving a Ford Pinto with a propensity to combust at a moment’s notice or successfully parallel parking a 3008 Tesla Space Convertible, eh, it’ll be a sliding scale, for sure.

Part of my issue is setting an “all-or-nothing” mindset, and that if I miss “one day,” then it’s Game Over and I’ll often just give up on the goal entirely. Or, I’ll fall into an energy vampire trap of thinking I’m too tired for the very thing that gives me energy and joy.

So what intentions am I setting in 2021? Mind you, these aren’t grandiose plans ripe for dramatic movie montages set to an inspiring Rachel Platten song. And that’s the point. Here are a few things I want to work on, both personal and professional.

Commit to commitment.

I am the worst (or best, I guess?) at treating any sort of goal like it’s a 7-day, free trial with no credit card required at sign-up. Lately, I’ve been treating this business more like it’s Stationary Romer instead of Stationery Romer. Ba dum tss!

(Note: Unsurprisingly, this is the last paragraph I wrote for this blog post. That’s because figuring out how to get un-stuck is the HARDEST thing for me.) So how do I get there? I. Don’t. Know. So, I’m going to commit to taking 30 minutes every day to work on growing this venture. It’s a vague start, I know, but the point is I need a start. If I can commit to making time and space, then, I can set myself up for successfully committing to a particular task.

Be social.

Even though I work in marketing, self-promotion is hard. Exhibit A: It had been six years since I last posted on my personal Facebook when I officially launched Stationery Romer last fall.

I recently created a spreadsheet for social media that breaks down my posting schedule week by week, so it doesn’t feel so overwhelming. Tackling just 7 days at a time feels way easier and more actionable than drowning in all 365 of them.

Just move.

I mean my body and not apartments here. It’s time to begin undoing the damage of eight months of working from home, which may or may not have involved pulling a back muscle WHILE sitting in a chair during a 9am Teams call. Not my finest moment.

I downloaded C25K 5K Trainer (again) and the goal is to run/jog/flail three days a week. I’ve never made it past Week 3 on these types of things, but I did complete Week 1 on Friday. Tiny win already won.

These are just three small ways I’m trying to set myself up for success this year. At the very least, when the 2022 Life OS update sneaks up on us next year and I look back at 2021, here’s hoping this isn’t my only blog post.

Here’s to a year of intention!

Enough about me! What are your intentions for 2021? Do you have a theme or “word compass” to guide your year? I’d love to hear from you (and cheer you on) in the comments!