As we close out this first week of 2022, we reach an inflection point. Now that the holiday decor has been put away and the novelty of a new year is starting to wear, do we begin to slip back into old habits or push on with resolve towards the goals we’ve envisioned? How do we ensure our actions stay aligned with the optimistic vision we’ve set out for the year?
I was flipping through magazines at the end of December, trying to source inspiration for the vision board I had planned to create. Truthfully, nothing was catching my eye. But just as I was getting ready to put yet another magazine back on the rack, the pages fell open to a spread with the words, “Identify your joy, then build around it.” To me, it felt like a sign.
Joy has always been a main focus in my life— it’s literally my middle name. But joy is such a personal thing. And I’ll admit, in the past I’ve allowed myself to become wrapped up in chasing other people’s dreams without realizing that they weren’t my own, and that the chase would ultimately create more exhaustion and frustration than joy.
For example, I’m always in awe of the final result when my sister sends photos of the vision boards she creates ahead of each new year, but creating them is so not my thing. And to be honest, they don’t do a lot for me in terms of inspiration. Instead, my efforts are most inspired when I have SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, time-bound) goals lined up and metrics that I can track to gauge progress. And while some photographers dream of jet-setting and capturing images in a new country every week, the stories that arise from each wedding I photograph make me so eager to come home and immediately share them with my husband.
All this to say that my word for 2022 is ALIGNMENT. With every action I take this year, I have two questions I’m keeping at front of mind:
Who am I at my core?
What are the things that would bring me the most joy?
And with the answers to those questions, my aim is to ensure that my goals are in alignment with my own, true self. And that my vision for my photography business is in alignment with the vision I have for my family.
I’d love to know: do you have a word you’re drawing from this year? How do you ensure your actions stay aligned with the vision you created at the beginning of the year?
