02/01/2022
Welcome to 2022!
I'm so excited to spend the year together!
At the end of 2021, I decided to document the journey of quitting my day job to finding a more fulfilling career as the final video on the YouTube channel where I met my husband.
Sidenote, the London trip mentioned in this video has been moved due to the pandemic, but is still on the cards for this year! Woohoo!
Tw0 Observations
Pictured left: A new skill I learnt in December - cocktail making!
Pictured right: Justice and Lady getting cozy on the recliner
Lean In
Over the Christmas and New Years hump, I had a bit of time to do some pondering. I thought back to the person I was at the start of 2021. If you’ve been here a while then you might recall that this time a year ago we were about to get the keys to our first house. What I failed to mention during that whole process was how scared I was. I was scared of the debt that comes with homeownership, I was scared of spending another year in my miserable job, I was scared to try to rip off the latex painted popcorn ceiling in my new home.
I resisted a lot of changes that were due last year, and although eventually, it all worked out fine in the end I would have prevented myself quite a bit of agony if I had just been a little more open-minded.
As we take our first steps into 2022, I’ve made a small promise to myself this year to continue to grow and be open-minded intentionally. Rather than resisting change and shying away from a challenge, I’m encouraging myself, and you, to lean in and do things regardless. The great thing about making this promise to yourself is it evolves as much as you do, at the start of last year I thought I still wanted to be an illustrator and now here I am working as a copywriter. It didn’t happen overnight and I felt uncomfortable a lot throughout the process of the shift, but I did it.
I am daring all of us to grow on purpose, to actively seek out the things that will ultimately help us to live how we’ve always wished we could. This looks different to everyone, and it takes grit, but the outcome is undoubtedly brilliant. Let’s see how much life we can truly squeeze out of the year!
Be A Stickler For Yourself
Did you learn any new habits or routines that you’re looking to flesh out more this year? This is your sign to do just that.
For me, this came in the form of swimming five days a week. I’ve even been lovingly dubbed “that fast Australian girl” at my local YMCA. As the year ended I was still getting to the pool, working to improve my swim times and getting to know the new lifeguard.
This effort didn’t happen overnight, I had to make it a priority until it became second nature. Sometimes, the most important ways we must care for ourselves require routine and being a bit of a stickler. It could be as simple as having a strict bedtime or finally accepting that you’re lactose intolerant, even if you’re a die-hard cheese lover.
I’ve mentioned the importance of setting boundaries for our own health and mindfulness in previous newsletters but seeing as we’re challenging ourselves to be open to growth I encourage you to look at a habit you’ve built to help yourself and its full potential. For me, that means being able to swim twice as fast as I currently do. For you, it may mean learning to make vegan cheese. Whatever it is, I want to hear about it! What’s something you can carry on from 2021 that has huge potential?
Food For Thought
"Only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness will we discover the infinite power of our light."
— Brené Brown
"The present moment is filled with joy and happiness. If you are attentive, you will see it."
— Thich Nhat Hanh
"Our greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another."
— William James
Thank you for taking the time to read this newsletter, I look forward to spending 2022 together! If you have any thoughts or comments please feel free to respond to this newsletter or shoot me a fresh email at: emerickchelsea@gmail.com. Otherwise, see you next month!