As 2022 is creeping in around the corner, I do feel like there is the annual urge to write more "new year resolutions": new goals, new targets, new plans, new whatever you want to call it, but...are they really the things we could be spending our time writing? Here are some thoughts that worked for me this time around, and I hope they might give you some sparks of ideas.

2021 Reflections

We all can probably agreeby now this year has been a heap of misfortune for a lot of people, and I personally think that we would thrive even further through hardship and challenges. A touch of thought to give us a sense of direction is all we need to clear our minds after an arduous year and to lead us toward a brighter future.

Some of the questions I found that would be helpful for this:

If you could change one thing about yourself last year, what would it be?

What scenario was so difficult that you couldn’t make a decision, so you let someone else?

List 3 things/events that happened last yesr that made you happy, and 3 others which made you sad. Follow up with the reasons why.

Letter to past self

For the most part, when I read a note of myself talking to my future-self, 9 times out of 10 I found myself cringing so hard that I just threw that piece of paper right out of the window, after burning it of course.

A letter to your past self might be a better idea as you standing at this very moment in time, being the more mature and experienced than your older self, giving out advice and being the bro that you wish you had that got your back when shit hits the fan.

The best part is that: it does not have to be a lengthy 10000 words essay, not does it have to be something serious that prevent you from starting to write it in the first place. 

Prepping your journals

This one ventures in the usual "new year new journal" territory, and I am definitely no experts when it comes to making those beautiful looking spread with gorgeous decorations. Journals are really personal things and you would need to decide what purposes they would serve you in order to create the best possible designs for yourself.

Note down whatever you need to track first, design a prototype layout, give them a few rounds to see how they perform and adjust from there.

If you had to create chapters in your diary or journal, name three of their titles.

Wishlists...a lot of them

shoot for the moon because if you fall short, you will land amongst the star

Norman Vincent Peale (1898–1993)

Wishes are pretty fanciful, yet a wishlist might help more than you think. To have a list of things or project written down is to create the first tangible step to pretty much anything, and by taking the initiative in making that first babystep, we're heading just a tad bit closer. It could range from I want a nice dinner with my family at least once every week to I want a Rolex reference 114270 (too specific, I know, but it's gonna be mine one day!), just write down the things you would strive for and who knows, you might get them sooner than you think!

What is something you wish you’d learned?

What is something you hate that you wish you loved instead?

If a genie offered you three wishes, what would you wish for (not more wishes)?

New Year messages to loved ones

I know, it's cheesy and corny, but it might do wonders, not just on the relationship alone but also on your own mental health. We have been seeing the rise of video call technology and VR and all that jazz, but there is always a hole that technology can never replace, that is the human touch. Using your personal writing instruments, the ink color of your choice, the words from your mind, and a bit of the scent from your hand are all it takes to make your loved ones happy.

If it is your first time writing a letter or you don't know how to start, I suggest jotting down a thanks, a sorry and a wish, everything else will come naturally after that ;)

What else would you like to write for the upcoming 2022? Please let me know in a message, and if you are looking for writing prompts and questions to fill up a writing journal for the next year, please sign up for my newsletter since there is a lot of ideas I would like to share to you guys soon! Thank you for reading and I'll catch you in the next one.