2021 is behind us. A pretty lousy year as it was, it could have just gone gently into that good night. But no, it just had to listen to Dylan Thomas and take the likes of Desmond Tutu, John Madden, and…BETTY WHITE. I’ve been saying it for a while–whichever year is the one that takes Betty White will officially be the worst year ever. Can we put Bob Barker in bubble wrap before 2022 gets any ideas?
Don’t let the door hit you in the rear end on the way out, 2021. All of us would like to kindly show you the third finger from the left (or is it the third finger from the right?).
OK, we want to keep it G-rated in this blog, so we won’t do that. Who knows? My students might be reading this (doubtful, but not impossible). And now that Baker Island and Howland Island are into 2022, we can officially say it…
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
The three words always bring about resolutions and promises for change, many of which don’t last more than a week, a day, or even an hour. Lose weight, quit smoking, learn a new language, blah, blah, blah. People too often make their resolutions without putting any thought into them. Or they get into them for a few days and make excuses.
Boring, recycled, and uninspired resolutions like the ones above just don’t do it for me. I need resolutions with meaningful, practical, and tangible outcomes which will benefit both me AND others in specific ways. During this school break, I’ve done a lot of soul searching and have asked myself a ton of questions.
Fun fact: a ton is just over 907 kilograms. What are “Things I Had to Learn to Teach Middle School Physics” for $1,000, Alex? So now that we know how much the questions weighed, let’s talk about what the questions actually were…
Who am I? Who do I want to be? Why is the College Football Playoff so predictable?
There were more than that, but these were the ones I liked the most. I’m not sure I can come up with definite answers to any of them. But I’ll certainly try, and my resolutions will hopefully help me to be the best version of myself in 2022.
Resolution #1: Spend 30 minutes a day bettering myself and my life situation.
I’m going to cast a wide net on this one. It could be exercising, going for a walk to clear my head, meditating, writing/journaling, listening to TED Talks, researching exciting opportunities, etc. I found that I was frequently unhappy in 2021 and often just let myself stay stuck in that rut rather than go out and do something about it. In order to become the person I want to be, I need to stay hungry, humble, and motivated. Self-improvement isn’t going to fall from the sky–I have to go out and get it myself. Whatever I can do to increase happiness will improve my physical, mental, and emotional health. No complaints. No excuses. No giving up.
Resolution #2: Relationships, relationships, relationships
As I’ve said in this space before, I didn’t always do the best job with my mental health in the past year, and it negatively affected many relationships. I said, did, and posted some things that I would like to have back. I drifted apart from key people in my life and did a poor job of communicating with others. The goal for 2022 is to restore these relationships, at least the ones which are worth restoring. Those who are meant to be in your life will. Those who aren’t meant to be there won’t be. I need to control my mental health and manage my time better so that I can strengthen the relationships I do have and maybe even develop some new ones.
Resolution #3: A new attitude
I’ve always been someone who has worn my heart on my sleeve. I let my emotions show and it’s easy for others to tell if I’m having a good or bad day. Admittedly, this will be a hard habit to break, and I certainly don’t think I can do it overnight, but I’m going to try my darnedest to stop this behavior. Obviously, I don’t try to have negative energy come off of me, but it does happen sometimes. When students and colleagues can see this, it can fill them with negative energy, too. I don’t want to be less real or less genuine, but I think that hiding my emotions, at least while I’m in the professional setting of work, might be for the best. After all, this is still a new job and I’m still getting to know many people there. I don’t want my coworkers, who I am going to need on my side, getting the wrong idea about me and believing that I’m an unhappy, impatient person. And if the kids see it, they’ll have an easier path to getting under my skin, and that doesn’t benefit anybody.
To conclude, I think the big reason that 2021 went poorly for me is because I couldn’t find that happy medium. I either tried too hard to impress people or to make something work OR I didn’t try hard enough, becoming apathetic and just wanting to be alone in my own little world. Both ends of the spectrum were driven by my anxiety. Although I shared my three main resolutions, I have one phrase that is going to be my overarching goal, or life motto, if you will, for 2022.
Don’t let anxiety win.
Last year, anxiety won far too many times. It was beating me so often and so badly that I felt like the Buffalo Sabres. That’s not happening this year. I didn’t move 5,000 miles away from home to get here and step right back into my comfort zone. My comfort zone is exactly where anxiety wants me to be and where I was too often in 2021.
But anxiety isn’t going to get what it wants. Not anymore.
I’m ready to change for the better. I’m ready to get that spark and that passion back. I’m ready to see the world again. I’m ready to show my nieces and nephews some of the things you can do if you set your mind to them.
And most importantly…
I’m ready to fight like hell.
Czeching Out the World of TEFL 