2022 is here and most of us have things we want to accomplish this year. All of us are hoping that this year will be better then last, healthier, less loss of people, less drama, less violence, less politics, with less… you can fill in the rest.

But not many of us are willing to stand in the gap. We talk about wanting change, but don’t necessarily want to get involved.

For me, getting involved looks different this year. I am passionate about so many things, but can also resonate with this prayer: “Our lives are so small, our vision so limited, our courage so frail, our hours so fleeting. Therefore give us grace and guidance for the journey ahead.“

As I am getting older, I realize that I don’t have the same strength and energy that I had in my twenties, but I hope I have more wisdom, some more knowledge, some more depth… so I want to invest in people, I want to spend more time with individuals, coach, train, equip, listen, debrief.

The top of my planner says: Focus, Discipline, Generosity.

That is what I want to keep my eyes on this year: Focus (which goes with my last post) - I want to focus on what I can do, and encourage others to do what they can do. Discipline - nothing happens without that. Generosity - to be open handed with my knowledge, to be less judgmental with others, to be a learner.

In the past my goals were things like: read more, lose weight, exercise….. All good things, but they should be the results of the bigger vision of life, the things that make the goals happen.

The last two years has shown us how easily our lives can change, all of us have lost people, all of us have been in difficult conversations where we have lost friendships because of a divided society, all of us have struggled in finding a new ‘normal’. I think all of us have learned how important community is, how we need each other.

So, what are your plans for 2022? How can you give back to your community (small and large)? I have a sand timer and it reminds me how fast time goes by, the only commodity that is non returnable. So, spend your 8,760 hours well (by the time you read this, it will already be 144 hours less.