Happy first Friday of 2022! It doesn’t feel possible that we are already in a new year – I feel like you all just left camp from last summer! We can’t wait to get you back and for all of our new found friends to join us around the campfire soon.

Many of you may have spent some time in the last week thinking about how you spent 2021. (And, if you didn’t a little re-examining is useful.) When I was going through my 2021, I kept coming up with phrases starting with or including ‘should have.’

I Should Have…

I should have eaten less fast food on the road… been better about returning calls…written more ‘thank you’ notes… stretched more… listened more and spoken less.

The ‘should have’ phrase is important. It allows us to look back on past behaviors and decisions and reassess the situation. We can make a lot of good plans for the future by looking at our past mistakes and planning how we’ll do things differently in the future. (You can learn from other’s mistakes, too!)

And, if we aren’t careful, the ‘should haves’ can drown everything else out. Too many of these can make you think ‘Wow, I really stink.’ But we know that is not the case. So, you’ve got to balance the ‘should haves’ with a different, just as important sentence starter.

Thank Goodness For…

Thank goodness we planned for extra time to install the new water park… for all those incredible staff members… everyone who lifts another’s spirits… the campers who were so brave to jump back into ‘the soup’ of camp last summer (and the parents who let them!)

How would you complete ‘thank goodness for…?’ Take a moment and think about your 2021. Write out at least five ‘thank goodness for’ starters and fill them in. It’ll take you five minutes. (Don’t worry – the tiktok video will still be there!)

There’s a lot of research showing the expression of gratitude makes you calmer, happier, and more fulfilled. But, you don’t need scientific research to tell you what a 30 second mental exercise will let you feel.

The Balance

Now, too much of ‘thank goodness for’ without some ‘I should haves’ can be detrimental, too. The idea is to continue to grow as a person, no matter how old you are or how much you know. By balancing the ‘should have’ with the ‘thank goodness’ phrases, you’ll learn a lot and keep yourself motivated to keep the learning and growing going.

And that, I think would be a great start to the year. Happy New Year, Weequahic!