2022 was a recovery year.
With the chaos of 2020 and the aftermath in 2021, 2022 was a year where I was recovering from disorder and bringing back some normalcy. 2022 also was the start of my latest chapter, married life.
I didn't write a reflection post in 2021 or 2020 for this reason. But you are welcome to see my past reflections for 2019 and 2018.
Let's start reflecting on 2022.
What I wanted in 2022, as reflected by my vision board
To improve my health by drinking water and making choices for a healthier lifestyle.
To reflect on my life post-pandemic and take steps to learn and grow from it
To make small changes in my home so I could feel more comfortable working from home
To plan and execute my 1st Year Anniversary / Wedding
To find ways to get more fresh air
To plan and perhaps move from my childhood home to a new place
To continue celebrating the hidden holidays and find small things that spark joy in life
Play Ring Fit Adventure to encourage me to exercise more
Be more frugal with my purchases and be happy with what I have
To start a podcast
To create a 'command center' in my room where I can be organized and be more productive
To level up my social media game
What Actually Happened in 2022
Went to several wedding expos in preparation for the wedding. These include the New Jersey Bridal & Wedding Expo in Secaucus and a bridal expo at Montclair State University. My favorite vendor from these expos was Clarity Music Productions, who, while I didn't hire for the wedding, still impacted me with their live performance skills.
I attended the Notion Block by Block virtual conference. This was where I was inspired to gamify my Notion to encourage daily healthy habits.
I improved my Daily Notion pages by upgrading their look and enhancing their filters. Shout out to Christina (@ChristinaCignk), who hopped on a Zoom call at the beginning of March to help make that happen!
I made small steps to improve my workspace. One of those improvements was getting the Apple wireless keyboard, which is much better than the native keyboard on the MacBook. I also upgraded my computer setup from a MacBook to a Mac Studio.
I used ThredUp to give my clothes and my grandmother's clothes. By doing this, I could slim down my closet a bit and then use the credit I earned to get a cute jean dress in April that I ended up using several times throughout the year.
I started the year with a cute pink Hydraflow cup I saw on sale to improve my water-drinking habits. Later in the year, I got an actual water bottle with markings on it to help me track how much water I'm drinking throughout the day.
I started wearing Thinx underwear during my periods. This has helped me reduce purchasing one-time-use pads, which are super comfortable too. I recommend others do the same if they menstruate.
I created a few YouTube video series, such as "Nitro Type Journey to Keyboard Cat," Learning from Crypt of the Necrodancer Masters, and "Carprincess Plays Unpacking." While I didn't continue these as I got closer to my wedding date, doing these series was a great learning experience, and I had a lot of fun.
I participated in Improv Everywhere's MP3 Experiment Seventeen with my friends. It was the first Improv Everywhere event I participated in since the pandemic, and I was glad I did. It was a lot of fun, and it's great to add a bit of spontaneity to my otherwise somewhat predictable routine.
I went shopping in Walmart and Lidl on weekends so I could meal prep on Sundays and choose healthier options throughout the workweek versus ordering from Grubhub or takeout. Some of my go-to's were making sandwiches and using shredded chicken breast to make several different kinds of meals for lunch and dinner.
I started using the tea and other flavor packets I've gathered. This encouraged me to choose healthier alternatives to drinks instead of going to my go-to kryptonite, Sprite.
I attended a few craft and thrift shows as a vendor with my best friend and husband. One was the Hoboken Arts and Music Festival in May, another was Geek Flea in November, and then the Hoboken Holiday Craft Faire in December. These have been interesting to participate in, even if I was primarily there for moral support versus actually vending like my companions.
Tried the LifeAt Community. I joined this community to help with my loneliness with working from home. At first, it was just so I could have an 'aesthetic' webpage to look at while working, but then I joined their Discord and created a morning routine that helped get me in the proper mindset in the mornings. After a while, I dropped off, but I did appreciate the weeks I spent with them.
I started to run the SGM Newsletter. I began to take on the responsibility of running our company newsletter. While I'm not the principal author of it, I do make sure to gather all the content and make sure it goes out when it needs to. While I had a few initial hiccups, we are developing a better workflow for 2023. And we are even redesigning it!
In July, I started to incorporate 15-minute walks as a part of my daily routine. This works as both a stress reliever and an added health/exercise benefit. I would do this alone or sometimes ask my husband if he wanted to join me. As the cold weather started to roll back in, I got a WalkingPad to fulfill my walking quota in November and December.
I went to Savannah Comic Con with my husband and my cousin. It was great to travel during the year, and Savannah, Georgia, was lovely. The convention we went to was relatively small compared to what my husband and I are used to in New York City. However, we still had a fantastic time, and it was great chatting with the vendors and artists who got booths there.
I used Notion to help plan my wedding. It was indeed a monumental task to plan a wedding. Still, it wasn't unbearable, thanks to Notion, my wonderful mother-in-law, my husband, my bridesmaids, and several wonderful vendors I worked with.
I celebrated my 1st Anniversary and Wedding surrounded by friends and family. My husband and I wanted to throw a traditional wedding for our friends and family. It was an adventure to plan, but we could execute it in such a way that it screamed 'us.' We had our custom-made logo of our wolf and cat all over the place. I also was able to incorporate my love for Pokemon into the decor, and we even had wolf howling on our Zoom ceremony call, as well as with our DJ. While I still wish we had a place to call home first, I don't regret celebrating this special occasion surrounded by our loved ones.
I started to use the Charachorder. I ordered this unique keyboard in the Spring of 2022 and received it in August. However, I started using it in September, and it has been quite an adventure.
I created my joint bank account with my husband. As a step forward in our life together, we finally made a joint checking account. We have had joint savings account for a while (which is how we saved up for the wedding), but our next step was having a joint checking account for mutual payments.
I participated in (and completed) NaNoWriMo. This year, I decided to participate in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). However, this year I just focused on hitting the 50K word count by the end of the month versus writing an entire novel. So what did I write about? I wrote my blog posts (like this one).
I made several dentist appointments throughout the year. However, due to my health insurance plan, I couldn't be seen by a dentist until late autumn.
Unexpected Events in 2022:
A stranger paid for our meal in April! I occasionally stumble across wholesome articles or posts on Facebook about strangers paying for other people's meals, but I never imagined that it'd happen to me. Especially not to our group of friends when we went out to celebrate a birthday.
Had my first "old geezer" moment at Starbucks. This was hilarious because I was working quietly at a Starbucks when suddenly a swarm of teens came into Starbucks and made a ton of noise. While it was in their right to chit-chatter and gossip because they are enjoying life, I remember the fleeting thought of how I wanted these kids to "get off my proverbial lawn." But I quickly shrugged off that thought with a chuckle and appreciated how the tables had turned in my life. Because I once was one of those teens.
We ate at Applebees with two good samaritans. Along the line of unexpected events, one of my friends lost their iPhone. When we tracked it down using the Find My app, we connected with a couple trying to track us down. We then had dinner with them at a nearby Applebees and had a great evening.
I started to coach people at Start Grow Manage. As I type this, I don't mean coach as in doing business coaching. Still, in 2022 I started to give our clients and our growing team advice on email management, Asana, Loom, and several other productivity tools. It felt great being able to share my wisdom with others. And even better, the wisdom was well received.
I did public speaking. During the summer Westchester Angel event at Garcia's Capital Theatre in Port Chester, I was invited to say a few words to our guests, which I was unprepared for. Still, I managed to get by, crack a few light-hearted jokes, and gracefully give the microphone back to the host. Past Carla would have been impressed with my improved public speaking skills, a victory in my book.
Got a shrimp tank from one of my husband's co-workers. While some people add greenery to their workspace to liven it up, I initially started the year with a small and humble fish tank. Then in June, I upgraded to a shrimp tank full of colorful tiny shrimp. These have been a delight to work alongside, and they brighten my day.
What I Did Not Do in 2022:
I did not move out of my childhood home. However, in November, I did talk to my husband about us moving into an apartment in North Carolina. And we are starting the year of 2023 in our new apartment!
I did not start a podcast, but my company did! Feel free to check it out on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.
My social media channels still need improvement, though there were a few months when I spent more time on Twitter and YouTube and started to get some results on those platforms. I just needed to be more consistent with it.
Final Notes about 2022
When looking at my vision board, I think it is a bit bare-bones. However, it helped me prepare my mindset for this year, and the fact that it wasn't overcrowded meant I could focus on what mattered to me this year.
And if it wasn't obvious, my three main focus areas were:
My health
Preparing for the latest chapter of my life (married life)
Creating a comfortable work-from-home space
With those things, I did relatively well and set myself up for an adventurous 2023. So please let me know what your goals are for 2023.