My Intentions Are Good
I can’t believe we’re already a few days into 2023. I swear, just last week I was prepping for 2022. I guess it shouldn’t surprise me how quickly 2022 flew by. It was a busy year with lots of things involving family, friends, and rescue.
This year saw the much-anticipated return of Whiskeys for Whiskers for one thing. And WOWZA, it was a biggie. Almost 200 people came together to celebrate three amazing animal welfare organizations. It was exhausting but exhilarating. Austin Puppers was one for the books and we’re wholeheartedly looking forward to Showdown at the Bow Wow Corral in 2023!
Other than Whiskeys for Whiskers, the year brought lots of ups and downs in all facets of life. I faced the dreaded COVID in January, watched family members battle illnesses, sat with friends while they fought their way through their own crises, and struggled through a few of my own.
I am not going to lie: 2022 had lots of lows. It was a tough year. AGAIN. I feel like I’ve said that every year since 2020 and it doesn’t appear that things will make a major turn for the better in 2023. There are just too many contraindications to happiness. But 2022 wasn’t all bad and I can guarantee 2023 won’t be either. If I can find some resolutions to some major roadblocks I am currently facing, it may even turn out to be a good year. Fingers crossed.
One thing I can say about 2022, I had my most successful word-of-the-year ever. My 2022 word was “worthy”, and the theme threaded through so many things - like all the things, both the good things and the bad things - all year long. Self-worth is something I have struggled with and will continue to struggle with. You don’t hold yourself to an unattainable standard for 45 years and then get over it because you made it your word-of-the-year in your 46th. BUT I did catch myself practicing negative self-talk many times and was able to pivot and reframe more times than not. I also had several affirmations of my worthiness throughout the year, one of the big ones being an award I won at work back in April. That was a big one, but there were little ones too. Like when a friend gave me a necklace that literally said “worthy” on it. It’s something I’ve worn quite a bit this year and it really comes in handy on those days when a lot of things aren’t going right.
I can only hope that my 2023 word is as successful as 2022 was: intention. Intent: a resolve to do things with purpose. You may be thinking that the last thing I need is another reason to put pressure on myself to achieve based on decisions I make, but it’s actually the thing I need most. All my life, I have pressured myself to do everything for everyone for every reason and do it all at 125%. This year, with the knowledge of my worth fresh in my mind, I intend to half-ass everything. Kidding. You know that’s not true. But I am going to be more conscientious of where I place my efforts. It’s time to start looking at tasks and events individually, weighing their impact on my life and the lives of those I love, and begin putting more effort behind the things that matter. Not that I am going to ignore everything else, because of course I’m not. But it’s time to ask the question “why am I doing this?” and then follow that with “how much effort does it require and how much of a difference will it make?” and then decide if my intentions match my efforts and expectations. If they don’t, I need to adjust.
As the wise words of Toad the Wet Sprocket go: “It's hard to rely on my good intentions, when my head's full of things that I can't mention.” It’s hard to do the things that matter with focused intent, while there are a million things that don’t matter running through my head, eating up my energy.
In 2023, I hope to do important things with more intent and not let the less important things overtake my ever-thinking mind.
