Happy New Year, my friends! I feel like 2021 flew by. Between moving to Korea, finding an apartment, moving to a new home in South Korea, and dealing with Covid chaos for the second year in a row, the weeks and months keep ticking by. Yet, here we are – the first week of 2022 with a blank slate for the year ahead. I’m not a big resolution person. I find them to be trite and, frankly, a waste of time for myself and, instead, focus on little goals. One thing I’ve made a habit of, however, is choosing a word for the year. In 2020, my word of the year was “intention.” In 2021, my word of the year was “drive.” Curious about my 2022 word of the year?

How I Chose my 2022 Word of the Year

I had a lot of things running through my mind when I chose my word of the year, but there was a recurring theme that kept coming up. Most of last year was spent being reactive. We kept rolling with each and every punch that life threw our way, but by the end of the year, I was exhausted and, frankly, I kind of just gave up. I stopped trying to rise above it all. So, my 2022 word of the year is persistence. 

The definition of persistence is pretty simple:

• The quality that allows someone to continue doing something or trying to do something even though it is difficult or opposed by other people
• The state of occurring or existing beyond the usual, expected, or the norm

To me, persistence is that driving force behind everything we do because, eventually, we will all encounter some sort of resistance. Whether it be internal or external, I want to embrace a spirit of persistence and rise above the challenges this year – all while working with my children to do the same.

How I Will Embody My Word of the Year

This year is going to be a landmark one for our family. It will be our first full year in South Korea, my second year doing photography and freelance full-time, and a chance for us to have a semblance of stability as a family. The last six months in South Korea have given us more uninterrupted family time than we’ve had in years, and I’m excited to embrace a full year of that.

With a spirit of persistence, I aim to chase down individual goals this year as we figure out what’s next for our family. Physically, mentally, and professionally, it’s time to recapture what I’ve let go of through the early years of motherhood and realize my full potential. I truly believe that this persistence will carry over to our children, as well. Whether it be continuing to work through the challenges of dyslexia with Spencer, navigating middle childhood with Porter, or potty-training with Mieke, I know that our kiddos are going to do great things this year, too, and that excites me.

Pick Your 2022 Word of the Year

I shared this last year, but I find the list rings true each year. If you feel like choosing your own word of the year for 2022, reflect on what you’ve been through and where you’re going, visualize what you define as “success” for the coming year, then commit. Here’s a great list of words to get started!

Tell me – do you pick a word of the year or set resolutions for the year ahead?