A few days ago, I was talking about new year resolutions with my bestfriend and I told her that I would like to have a period of time when I’m not chasing anything at all. I just wanted to breathe, not chase any goal and be at peace with that. It might sound lazy to some people, but it depends on everyone’s background. For the last couple of years, I have worked hard to build something for myself. Every year I would stress about what I wanted to achieve by a certain time and even though in most cases I would get there, it was after much anxiety, panic attacks, insomnia, fear of failure and so much more.

I read somewhere on IG a quote by a certain Sonia that said:

“When your love for ocean is greater than the fear of drowning; Darling you will surely swim.”

I took a journal to write down my 2022 goals but I was overwhelmed by what I wanted to achieve. It then dawned on me that I could choose to not achieve anything, I could have a 2022 with no expectations for myself. That’s when I finally came up with my resolution:

2022 will be the year of LEARNING….

My love for learning will trump my fear of failure…

When I say I want to achieve XYZ, it automatically puts pressure on me to do it and succeed. Failure is not an option. However, deciding to learn XYZ, means that I am surrendering to the learning process, and that at the end there won’t be no trophies. Achieving is driven by results whereas learning is driven by passion or a desire to know more of something…not necessarily be the best at it.

Here are some examples of the difference between achieving and learning:

• I want to finish a writing course vs I want to learn how to write
• I want to get a certificate in XYZ vs I want to learn XYZ

And so, as I have already started, I want to learn how to cook, I want to learn how to care for myself and my loved ones, I want to learn how to breathe, I want to learn how to enjoy life, I want to learn how to write….etc…and. There is a lot I want to learn in 2022 and the best part is nobody (including myself) expects me to have a certificate to prove I’ve done any of that. And if by the end of the year I am not necessarily where I think I should be…it will be okay…I will have learned. I will be somewhere in between 0 and 10. It will be okay.

If the tables were turned, if you could allow yourself to have no expectations, what would you wish to learn rather than achieve in 2022?

Love always,

WWA

P.S. My debut novel Ahadi is available for purchase on amazon. Click here to purchase.