Rising Together in 2022
”One of the most effective things you can do to build better habits is to join a culture where your desired behavior is the normal behavior.” James Clear, author
When you look back on 2022 one year from now, what do you hope will be different for you? One year ago when I posed this question for 2021, three things emerged for me that centered around the word “Cor”, which became my “word for the year.”
· I wanted to live more from my “heart” (opening my cor) and have access to and appropriately express a fuller range of emotions, particularly in my significant relationships.
· I desired to have greater present moment awareness (living from my core), spending less time in “reactive” mode and more in place of responsiveness or even “presponsiveness” (a made-up word that should be a real one).
· I needed to physically get back to doing the things I love by actively recovering from a significant back injury (strengthening my core).
In order to increase the chances of my succeeding in these intentions, I made 3 significant changes to my daily routine, which over the course of the year became ingrained habits: journaling daily about at least 3 blessings and/or “moments of meaning”; meditating daily for at least 16 minutes using a meditation app; joining a gym and going at least 4 times a week. But what really made the difference was the 4th change I made. I swallowed my pride and shared my intentions widely, including with my PeerRxMed buddies, specifically asking for their support and accountability, and also invited others to join me.
Well, one year later, I’m glad to say that all 3 of these intentions have been achieved, and when I look back on 2021, despite the many challenges we all have faced, I personally consider this year a rousing success. While my PeerRxMed buddies did not participate in each of these (and made some intentions of their own), the mutual support we provided was definitely the “secret sauce of success” for me.
The process of change can make anyone feel vulnerable. Afterall, to a certain degree we are admitting “incompetence” in whatever we are aspiring to. That vulnerability can give rise to fear. Overcoming these takes courage and can be accelerated by the support that comes from connection. Indeed, in his book “Atomic Habits”, James Clear writes, ”One of the most effective things you can do to build better habits is to join a culture where your desired behavior is the normal behavior.” By doing so, “You’ll rise together.”
So this year, I am once again posing the question, “When I look back on 2022 one year from now, what do I hope will be different for me?” and invite you to do the same. And as we do so, one thing I am certain of for me is that whatever I envision, I won’t have done it alone. There will be others who will be crossing the finish line with me. And that will have made all the difference.