#19 Welcome to 2022
On not setting resolutions for the new year, but kind of setting them at the same time?
I’ll Start on Monday is a free, weekly newsletter that lands in your inbox every, you guessed it, Monday (sometimes Tuesday, or Wednesday, or another day and okay it’s not always weekly either). We explore creativity, curiosity and whatever else it may be that pops into that cute little brain of mine. If you like what I do, feel free to buy me a coffee. If you DON’T like what I do, feel free to buy me five coffees.
Welcome back to I’ll Start on Monday for 2022! I know I have been absent the last few months but sometimes at the Nikki Coo headquarters, we do things more sporadically than consistently. I aim (key word, aim!) to have this newsletter in your inbox no later than 11:59pm tonight - it’s still Monday after all!
Writing requires you to pay attention to the world, to detail, to what is going on around you, and sometimes quite frankly I just want to sit in my bed and drink a cup of coffee while I stare at a wall, as my mind zones out by mulling over the mundane.
My day job requires me to write all day everyday, and for those of you who work a job that isn’t creative, it can sometimes lead you to think that you don’t have the time for creativity in your life. My work is sometimes creative, but mostly factual and strategic. My brain starts to see words and paragraphs as outcomes, goals and strategies. How will I communicate the most critical information in the most effective way? When I sit down to write my own newsletter, or brainstorm ideas in my notebook, I begin to worry about the outcome of my newsletter. How will I get more subscribers? How can I boost engagement? What catchy title can I write to entice my readers to open up their email?
I have been pondering on these questions lately and I have decided to try to focus less on the outcome and more on my commitment to consistency. I love starting a new project, but I very rarely end up following through. I don’t know whether it’s fear of failure, committing to a new idea without thinking it through or not having enough time but I do know that doing a little every day is more achievable than doing a lot every now and then.
As we come into a new year, posts circle our social media feeds about ‘new year, new me’ or ‘make this year your best one yet’. Despite COVID taking over our plans for the last two years we seem to be deeply committed to being even better than we were the year before.
The reality is, time and dates are just a construct and you’re no different than you were a day or hour or minute ago. We can get caught up in reinventing ourselves that we lose track of the moment in which we are alive right now. We are works in progress and we don’t have to be anything more or less than we were last year. I love self improvement and self help but rather than pressuring myself to reach maximum potential bounded by a 12 month timeframe, I am focusing on doing a little bit everyday, for myself, with no attachment to outcome.
So, whether I have something that I deem interesting to write about or not, I am going to commit to sending a newsletter out to you every Monday. Sure, 2022 has propelled this goal forward but I am not attaching worth or success to sending out my weekly newsletter. I am committed to consistency in however that looks like and I look forward to having you all along for the ride over the next 52 weeks! I am working on doing away with worrying about whether people find my writing interesting or relevant, and sticking to writing what I know and love.
Speaking of - I have wanted to put my love of food out in the world for a long time, so I have started an Instagram called Cooking for One and will be sending out cooking notes every Wednesday to subscribers here at I’ll Start on Monday. I know it’s one more newsletter in your inbox, so if it’s something you’re not interested in I can always look at sending it as a newsletter on a seperate list! And if you would like to follow along with my recipes over on Instagram, you’re more than welcome to.
Whether you have set resolutions or not, I do hope this year opens your eyes to new experiences, people and life lessons.
If you wish, I would love to hear your reflections on 2021 and your hopes for 2022 in the comments!