Sweet joy of 2022, publishing this almost a quarter into the year and just as Russia marches into Ukraine. I am convinced that January is a trial month and that there is no point in starting new-year visions or resolutions in January (have you seen how many people drop their gym membership after January?), and February is too short to get anything real out of. Well, to be fair, I have not been completely unproductive, it is not like I am starting on my goals right in the writing moment, but January still stands. I recently bought a new car, which I am hoping to take me on my (previously Covid-blocked) adventures.
What I carry with me from 2021
Something I will carry with me from 2021 is that I will not blame others for my situation. I will (try to) take responsibility every day. I started actively reflecting during the day whether I took the responsibility for situations and my life or not last year. My family has always made sure I took the responsibility for my actions growing up, however, in my growing-up brain, I saw this more as an action-consequence type of thing, rather than to actively applying it beforehand. The reason I say try to take responsibility is simply that it is very difficult. Some periods simply require not to keep it in mind, and knowing myself I can easily become too picky and strict with what counts as responsibility. I could easily forget the value of rest, and instead, see it as “resting is just being lazy”, while I normally see resting as a way of taking responsibility for future me. I also use this responsibility thought as a way to push myself outside my comfort zone and to do tasks I have been putting off for a longer period of time.
Personal Holy Grail(s) of 2022:
Improve My General Knowledge of Stocks and Funds
My mother started a fund for me when I was little, however, reading the printed updates did not quite interest me. I always wanted to understand and learn more, I love numbers and statistics, especially regarding (positive) finances. This year I finally took my funds and stocks under control, and finally switched banks. I was really unhappy with my previous bank, but now I have all my finances through platforms that suit me. And that feels great. I still don’t understand stocks or funds as well as I’d like to, but I have made a plan and invested in stocks for the first time. It is not large amounts, because I am studying (!) again, but learning with small amounts and seeing the value change feels great. And honestly, I feel so tempted to someday write a post discussing finances when studying, women and finance and what we in Sweden call “kvinnofällan”, or the “woman trap”. I am not great at the economy, but I am so happy I grew up with my mother working in the economy, still teaching me taxes and how to navigate through them, especially company related things.
Dutch Riding License
This year I want to complete a Dutch Riding License. I still don’t know if I can do this as a foreigner, but I would like to. I don’t necessarily agree with the system (or the fact that you have to update it more frequently than a driving license!) but it feels like a souvenir from my horse-time in NL. I am also checking out riding clubs in the Netherlands. I feel like my association-life has been lacking due to the pandemic and having to travel between NL the past year, so finding a club as well definitely sounds exciting to me.
Improve my Groundwork With Horses
I am honestly not very good with groundwork. Even though I have done horse-riding for the majority of my life (excluding a few breaks for motorsport), I have never spent enough time on groundwork. This was not anything I learned when starting out at the local riding school, it was first mentioned once I went to an all-fjord stable in upper secondary school, as I got interested in the academic art of horse-riding. That resulted in a few lessons in groundwork and longing, but not more. Then, when I met the Dutch horse Odette, I finally got to try liberty work. This year I want to improve my communication to the horse using groundwork, and communication is definitely something I need to work on (regarding horses).
Run, run run!
Every winter I somewhat voluntarily stop running. It is nice when there is snow, but when it’s just grey and dark, I simply don’t enjoy it. So every year it’s the same story, as the spring flowers grow, I start running. Still feels like a nice (and reachable) vision of the year.
The Creative Holy Grail of 2022
I often have as a goal “improve editing”, however, this is far from precise enough. It’s not reachable without precise formatting of the end goal. And what defines “improve editing” anyway? Is it based on effectivity, storytelling through video editing, how many different tutorials I have watched and understood? (Yes, I still watch tutorials for special effects! A great way to get inspiration and learn how others edit). And this is basically how I do with most creative things. But this year, I want to get more precise. Not “get better at X”, that won’t work. Instead, I have set some economical goals, some goals of creative things I want to improve (such as sorting through material), and improve my networking. Because these things I can measure or check off.
Bring my Camera on (more) Journies
Another goal (that I can measure) is to travel to *more* interesting locations with my camera. However, I still have not set enough time for this, as I am currently busy with a move and university studies.
Combine Studies and Creative Work
My current study is very academic (research uni, duh!). I totally love it, but my background is a lot more practical, and therefore I want to combine some of my written work with more practical. For instance, can I turn x into a video, photoshop-artwork or a blog post?
I also want to start working on a long-term photoshop-art project. But that’s a bit of a secret right now.
My vision for 2022 is that it will be calmer for me than in previous years, my health will improve (as I am actively working on it), and my yet-again-found connection to horses will keep sparkling. It might seem weird to post this or think this, just as the war broke out, but I am positive that things will get better. And much of this was already written down in my calendar.
