2021 is almost over. I will remember this year as the one where my kids were in virtual school about as much as they were in person. I went back into the classroom in 2021. It was the year I pulled myself out of the breakdown I had towards the end of 2020. 2021 was when I did a ton of work on myself, said goodbye to my parent's cottage in Canada and our beloved Primrose the Cat. I saw Saint Augustine, Florida more than I ever had and explored the wilderness of Virginia. I visited our nation's capital. Josh, my three biggest boys, and I got vaccinated and witnessed so much change with the pandemic and also so much stay the same. Finally, I watched #hundtboysx4 learn, grow, and change a lot in 2021.
2021 was also the year I picked the best #oneword I ever could: small. I could feel that it was a winner way back in January, but I didn't know how much that word was exactly what I needed to focus on. Here are some of the awesome things that small little word has done for me this year.
Starting Small
I was on a mission to think smaller this year- to set more attainable goals, to do things in smaller chunks. I knew this was going to be a challenge for me and it was a challenge I desperately needed. Before starting ANY project or new routine, I started small. One of the things I started working on was travel photo books. I was getting sick and tired of having all these perfectly good photos sitting on my phone or on my external hard drive and wanted to do something about them. The big thinking, recovering perfectionist, normal side of me gets overwhelmed by a task like that almost immediately. How would I organize this? Where do I start? How can I make the right decision at the beginning to get this moving in the right direction?
My #oneword forced me to slow down and start small. Instead of trying to tackle everything since the beginning of time, I picked one trip and started there. I made that photo book. YAY! Celebrate! Then I made another and another and another. Travel books were nice because they have a beginning and end start date. They aren't linked to anything else. It was easy for me to feel success in a small way and in a small amount of time.
Small Changes to Build New Routines
The other place my #oneword helped me huge this year was in small changes to my life. I wrote last January how I wanted to exercise more, for example. Again, I would normally set giant goals and feel like a failure when I didn't do exactly what I set out to do. During 2021, even with exercise, I started small. I told myself I wanted to add some movement to my routine at least 2 days a week. That felt manageable. For most of the year, I have exercised somewhere between 2-4 days a week. I was consistent. That was new for me and it was great!
I went through some times when I journaled or meditated most mornings, but started small with only once or twice a week at first. I tried a few different things at nighttime to help calm down before sleeping, but only tried one thing at a time. Before, I would've added at least three things at once. When I made small changes, I could increase things if I wanted to later on down the line and the feelings of failure I was trying so hard to avoid were less because doing things little by little were tweaks I could actually do.
How Can I do This in a Small Way?
The biggest way my #oneword helped me in 2021 was creating a different first thought. When I am planning, organizing, researching, or trying something new, my new initial thought is about how I can do this or think about this in a small way?
Let's say I wanted to go through one of my kid's clothes to get rid of things that don't fit anymore. I would ask myself how I could do that in a small way and start with one drawer. Just one. The rest would certainly follow, but just one at a time. When I decided I wanted to read more after being in a slump, I did that in a small way by choosing one book (not the 2-3 I am usually juggling) and reading for 10 minutes every other day. 10 minutes is 10 times more than zero.
Trying to think about things in a small way has permeated into party planning, gift giving, grading papers, organizing drawers or bins in the house, shopping, and doing school work with my sons. A small move forward IS progress. Period. Amen. (Progress over perfection... I write that here for me just as much as anyone else)
Onto 2022
The new year is almost here. I haven't decided what my #oneword is going to be yet. What I can tell you is that small is still going to be a big part of me (the punning with this word is just too much for a punny person like me).
Do I still get overwhelmed?! Absolutely... often.
Do I still want to do everything and do it perfectly yesterday? Yes. I will always be a recovering perfectionist- that's not going anywhere.
Are there times when I start thinking of things way too big? I fight the urge every day.
This is why I still need to continue practicing starting small.
This last year had its challenges for sure. I will celebrate that I worked hard and was intentional about trying to make smaller changes and tackle things in smaller chunks. Doing things small really and truly helped me.
Just like when 2021 first started, I'm treading slowly and carefully into 2022. We'll see what it brings!
What is your #oneword for 2022?! HAPPY NEW YEAR, ALL!
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