Happy New Year everyone! Hard to believe we are welcoming in 2022. Is it just me or does time pick up speed the older you get, I mean where has the time gone? Seems like only yesterday I was sitting down to make my New Year’s resolution list for 2021. An inspiring and desire laden list of things I was going to accomplish in the year. I’d pour over my list like a recipe. I needed all the right ingredients if the year was going to turn out successful. I would sit back in deep satisfaction as I gazed over my list of inspirational and exhilarating goals for the new year.

But this year something clicked within me. Wait a minute. It dawned on me that for decades I’ve been sitting down at the dawn of a brand new year and listing out all the things I haven’t done. All the ways in which I’ve fallen short, or ways I could do better. How on earth is that inspiring? How on earth is that motivational? Of course you want to make a list of things you need if you are preparing to take a journey, but you also take note of the things you do have.

Instead of making a New Year Resolution on January 1st, I decided to make an Old Year Accomplishment list. How in the world was I going to know what path I wanted to take in the future unless I took a moment to savor the journey thus far? In what ways had I taken the last year and grown? What tools had I gained? What lessons learned and how were those teachings going to benefit me in the new year?

This year I was going to take stock in what I had accomplished. What I had completed, all the ways I had proven I could finish a task. Instead of coming at the new year reaching and yearning and listing all the things I had yet to do, I was going to list out everything I had done. A long overdue list of motivation and momentum. A beautiful way to self love and self gratitude for a job well done.

Take a moment to sit down and write out your own list of accomplishments over the past year. All the ways in which you entered life’s arena and stayed standing. All the choices you made that brought you peace and ways in which you learned how to stand firm. List your strengths and all the ways you loved those near and dear to you. What beautiful gifts did you give yourself this past year? Maybe you found your voice and learned to say no (or yes). Maybe you learned about healthy boundaries or how to love yourself just a little bit better. Maybe you got that new job, or took those tennis lessons, maybe you finally organized the storage room or your closet. List anything and everything…list them all.

I hope all of you will have a stunningly beautiful 2022 and that at the end of the next 365 days you will have another accomplishment filled list.

Jackie Melfi

John and Jackie Melfi are in a consensually non monogamous marriage. They have been featured in ABC News Nightline Special Report “Getting Naughty In N’awlins”, Inside a New Orleans Swingers Convention, and CNN “This Is Life” with Lisa Ling. The Melfis are the force behind the industry famous colette swingers clubs in New Orleans, Dallas, Houston, and Austin. With over 20 years of combined experience, this powerhouse couple coaches thousands of singles and couples through their award winning blog Openlove101.com.