Looking Into 2022 with More Insight

For me, 2021 felt even harder than 2020 because I didn’t want to spend another year in the unknown. The last two years have felt like a never-ending waiting game. We’ve all been waiting for everything to magically go back to the way it was, but that is just not the case as the pandemic continues to impact our world in endless ways. As we head into 2022, which will be the third year of the pandemic, I’ve decided to embrace the reality we all find ourselves in, instead of fearing it.

Thankfully, I learned to lean into my meditation practice to help me feel more grounded and cope with the realities of the world. It has taught me that how we react to things is completely shaped by our minds. Through my meditation practice, and after re-reading Adam Grant’s article on languishing (which was the most read article in The New York Times last year), I have decided that it is time to accept the world for what it is right now and learn to live my life with it.

Side note: For those new to meditation, the Ten Percent Happier app has been a big help for me.

Lean into the Positives

In 2022, I’m choosing to see more of the positives and focus on how that impacts my interpretation of reality. There’s so much I’m grateful for: I have a job that can be done virtually; I can work from the comfort of my home; I can interact with my family more; I have made more room for hobbies. When I need a little break, I can walk around my garden or water the plants.

Life is pretty good. But what can I do to make it better?

A shifted mindset. Before you know it, the ideas and thoughts that you plant (like garden bulbs) will eventually bloom (into daffodils, roses, lotus vines, zinnias, and more).

Focus on the Insights

I’m going into the new year with a new word of focus: Insight. Last year, my word was How - I focused on how we work better together, how we partner, how we collaborate. Now, I want to build on the How to have a deeper understanding of collaboration, teamwork, creativity, and productivity.

One of the ways that I’m leveraging insights is by going one click deeper into my personal hobbies. Over the past couple years, I’ve been trying a variety of new things: vegetable gardening, baking, exercise, studio lighting. This year, rather than expand into new hobbies, I decided to put more intentional thought in three areas: cooking/baking, gardening, and photography.

●?????Cooking & Baking: I initially started my journey by searching for different recipes and picking the 4-5 star rated meals, but now it’s time to up level these interests, so I signed up for an online cooking school. I want to round out my skills by following a program and learning more about all the different types of cooking and baking processes.

●?????Gardening: I typically repot flowers and plants that have already sprouted, but I experimented and planted bulbs for the first-time last week! I don’t know how the bulbs will take to the conditions in my area or if the pesky gophers in my backyard will eat them, but I’m looking forward to seeing what the outcomes are. I’m also researching new plants to add to my garden, along with watching how other plants are maturing.

●?????Photography: I’d like to expand my photography work by heading out on a photo adventure or taking a photography class. My team also does a monthly Lightroom photo challenge, where someone picks a theme, and we all take a photo with our interpretation of that theme. It’s a great way to spark creativity and do something together as a team.

Celebrate the Team Wins

At work, I continue to be passionate about team dynamics, culture, creativity, productivity among teams, collaboration, and innovation. More specifically, I strive to solve this question: How do you create environments for all these dynamics to thrive? ?

And so far, I’ve found that it boils down to two areas – first is process, which includes roles and responsibilities and structure; second is people.

One of the ways we’re working to improve our processes is by continuing to update our OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) – gleaning insights from what works last year and where we want to go in the future. While good processes provide the framework and structure to see alignment, I also want to explore what it means to be a good team player and good partner, so that collaboration and trust can truly thrive both at the individual and team levels.

This focus on people dynamics, led me to kick off a cross-functional program with some colleagues last year with an emphasis on developing stronger working relationships and training/cultivating/rewarding a culture of collaboration. The program is being led by Dr. Margaret Heffernan and her team; I’m excited to continue the program this year and hope to be able to share the insights we gathered effective collaboration in the coming months.

Start Mapping Out a Plan

With a focus on insight, in 2022, I’m in planning mode. The past two years have been so unpredictable with a lot of waiting - waiting for things to return, waiting for new data, waiting for some pattern to reveal itself. I don’t want to be waiting anymore. While this will likely be another year of unpredictability, to help support my mental health, I’ve learned that you can still set goals, plan, learn, and grow.

I’m not sure what 2022 will bring, but I know that I’ll leverage my focus on finding deeper insights to achieve more purposeful outcomes.

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