Every year, I pick out a focus word. A word that governs various aspects of my life that year in lieu of resolutions. My previous words have been focus (2009), discipline (2010), growth (2011), nurture (2012), surrender (2013), challenge (2014), connect (2015), strength (2016), self-care (2017), evolve (2018), simplify (2019), energy (2020), and release (2021).
“In order to scale at what you’re good at, you need to scale back and grow the muscle you need, so you can scale at what you’re good at” – Fredrik Wikholm
Listening to those words of wisdom from my friend Fredrik, my focus word for 2022 immediately materialized in my mind.
2021 brought with it a lot of personal and professional growing pains, and that was because I was in the middle of transitioning to the next stage of my career.
Like an animal shedding skin because it doesn’t fit anymore or it’s worn out, I was evolving in 2021.
This meant many of the things I’d done up to that point were no longer sufficient for my becoming and the expansion I was going through.
So, when Fredrik dropped those words in their simplicity, I instinctively knew what needed to be done.
My focus word is… STRUCTURE
I need to bring even more structure into my life than I already have. Strengthening the muscle and teams behind the work because I’m adding another level.
I already started the process of scaling back a couple initiatives last year. For example, I put Slow Travel Stockholm on an editorial hiatus until I have the bandwidth to relaunch it or find an equally passionate new owner to hand it over to.
I significantly scaled back one-off freelancing unless it’s a brand, subject matter, or campaign I’m completely passionate about or absolutely want to be involved with.
I also expanded my core and extended team by two more people, and plan on growing my various teams even more this year. I will continue developing the muscles behind Local Purse, Geotraveler Media, and Geotraveler Academy.
Beyond scaling back on initiatives, projects, and personal relationships that no longer contribute to my growth as a person, I will be carving tighter boundaries, and dare I say it, instituting unflappable routines into my life. There would be a lot more cooking in silence behind the scenes, and serving publicly once fully cooked.
Structure for me in 2022 will wear a lot of faces.
It will be as simple as organizing meetings for Wednesdays & Thursdays only to boost productivity, reclaiming my entire weekends for family time, waking up earlier for my morning routines, going to bed earlier for self-care, saying no more often than I’d like, and daily routines that include some exercise and at least one hobby.
It may not be the sexiest focus word I’ve picked to date, but it sure is the one I need right now at this stage of my life.
And for an ENFP-A Campaigner personality type which is the antithesis of structure and routine… God help me.
