Not to poke the bear, but we all had such high hopes for 2020 –“new decade who this,” lol. Then welp, it all went downhill. 2021 was much the same. High hopes met with continued adjustments to our “new normal”.

Surprisingly, 2020 was one of my best years sales wise, and I learned a ton about pivoting in business and actually started a few new ones. I would have to say, 2021 has been worse, lol. With that said, it’s almost that time of year again and we need to start thinking about 2022. What do we want for this next year, and how are going to do it?

What’s the best way to start the year? The best way to start the year right is energized, motivated, and ready to get started on your goals! I could have made a list of 100 things to do, but I think we are already overwhelmed enough, so here we go! Here are 10 tips that will help you be prepared for 2022.

1. Take a look back at what did and didn’t work for you in 2020, and 2021

I’m looping these 2 years together because to me it’s all a blur… lol. Make a list of yes and no’s and trim the fat. One of the things I’m doing in anticipation of 2022 is closing one of my retail stores and moving my warehouses into one giant building by Amazon. I will revisit reopening a store when the time is right, but right now I am focusing on online sales and will avoid issues with impending shutdowns.

2. Revisit Your 2021 Goals

If you haven’t looked at your 2021 goals since January, don’t feel bad! Given how the last two years have been going, just about everyone has probably abandoned some goals. Before you look at them, promise yourself you won’t feel any guilt. That won’t serve you in any way. Look at them as a fun challenge. It’s totally fine to discard any that you just aren’t interested in anymore but be sure to focus on the ones that still resonate with you and see if you can make an action plan for them.

3. Cut Down the Watching of The News and Going Out Partying

This is probably one of my #1 Life Rules. Focus on you and your goals and nothing else. I focus solely on work, close friends, and my baby Baron. I also am limiting my TV to Sundays to catch up on my shows.

4. Try to Cut Down One Bad Habit

This year I quit smoking cigarettes (I was a social smoker and nervous smoker), and I never have to worry about stinking again. It’s mind over matter baby!

5. Eliminate the Things You Don’t Enjoy

What in your life is stressing you out? Write down 10 things that first come to mind, and then see if you can eliminate at least a few of them. How can you make something you don’t enjoy easier? Can you negotiate with someone to share a task? Is there a relationship that doesn’t make you feel good, where maybe you are giving and all they do is take, or they just complain and criticize nonstop? Can you end that relationship or minimize situations where you might encounter that toxic person? Don’t take toxic shit into 2022! I did all that Dec 27th, 2020, and I’m still cutting things off that don’t serve me. Call me a bitch, but it’s working.

6. Daily Mini Meditations on Your Hopes and Expectations

Get yourself in a positive frame of mind to begin your year. Focus on what you hope and expect to achieve in 2022. You can visualize yourself being successful. You can pray every morning that you’ll make the best choices each day. Our thoughts and feelings often precede the actions we take. Focus your thoughts and feelings in a positive direction to influence yourself into positive action. Stay calm, it’s going to BE OK!

7. Get Organized

I like to clean my desk / office before the new year. An organized workspace will do wonders for you. Treat yourself to that new 2022 planner, cute folders, and organizers. You are going to have a great year!

8. Have Your Goals Planned Out

Going into the year without your goals planned out will get you off to a slow start. While everybody’s trying to figure out how they’re going to achieve their goals on New Year’s Day, you can be ready on day one. Here are a few tips on how to plan, and this is exactly why you’ll need that new planner!

• Write your goals down
• Write the things you’ll need to get started
• Break your main goal into smaller tasks
• Set a schedule for doing those tasks

9. Set A Budget For 2022 — Include people’s birthdays, weddings, holiday shopping, etc.

No matter if you’re running a business, saving for a home, or planning for retirement, it’s important to have a budget. Having some guidelines to follow with your finances will help you save up faster to achieve your desires. This year I started shopping for the holidays back in October! I’ll be starting even earlier next year. YUP!

10. Be Signed Up For A Course and Learn Something New

We know I love the Masterclass APP! Also, Facebook (now META, lol) is a great way to connect with people who are involved in something you want to do! Sign up for some kind of course that will help you do better at working towards your goals. It can be a leadership course, a business course, or just a course related to personal wellness. Any type of knowledge or information you can learn more about, try to have yourself signed up for a course on it for the beginning of the year. You won’t regret it!

So, what are you doing to prepare for 2022? One of mine is to keep my notification sounds off on my IG! Comment with your responses at @AskHeatherMariannaBlog on Instagram!

Sending you all that new year love!
XOXO, Heather