2022 Theme: Year of…

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I really liked having a yearly theme in last year. My theme for 2021 was ‘year of taking part’.

It ended up being really important to my thinking. My health changed a lot (spinal cord injury!) but the theme still works. Taking part just looked a bit different. Taking part in exercise, or trips, or adventures was important to me.

Also taking part more in work. Getting more involved with other parts of the BBC. Doing things like attending networking events and the like.

It was really effective and for 2022 I wanted a new theme which was just as flexible.

Year of…

It took a while to find a theme I liked. I wanted something that aligned with my general approach of [‘living little in a tiny home’](/blog/2021-12-31-living-little-in-a-tiny-home ) and felt really good.

After chatting with friends I came up with:

2022: Year of Little Moments

To explore the theme a bit I’m going to use the structure from CGP gray’s video. Looking at broadness, directional and resonates.

Broadness

I wanted a theme which was broad enough to work for all parts of my life. Home, work, relationships etc etc.

The Year of Little Moments works nicely.

At home it’s about doing stuff I find joyful and taking time to enjoy it. Slowing down a bit and creating moments.

That might be taking a moment for extra snuggles with lion. It may also be able doing ‘living little’ things. Enjoying something toddlery just because it’s enjoyable. Allowing myself to be lost in the moment on something like sensory play or just choosing bright & colourful things.

In my work it means taking little moments with my team. Giving positive feedback. Having some fun. Perhaps arranging more adventures.

In my relationships it might mean spending time with a friend just to watch a film or have a longer hug.

It’s really easy to apply it to lots of contexts.

Directional

Directional means having a certain trend. The trend is to have more ‘little moments’ like those suggested above.

I think I’ll be a happier Jamie with more little moments in my life and that’s a good enough reason to make them happen.

Resonates

This one took a while. I had loads of theme ideas but none of them really went ‘ping’.

Year of Little Moments was the first one which really felt good and felt exciting. It really resonated with me. I could see lots of ways to apply it and felt excited about them.

Final thoughts

I really liked having a theme in 2021. Its one of the things which helps me to be a better Jamie. It’s a way for ‘current Jamie’ to help make ‘future Jamie’ a happier person. A bit of direction and a useful tool to shape the way I think about my thinking.

I hope everyone had a wonderful New Years. If you haven’t before I’d highly recommend having a theme. My themes have really helped me to thrive.

About

Spaced Out & Smiling is about exploring the fun side of Autism, and trying to understand what it means to be Autistically Happy.

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Jamie: @JamieKnight
Lion: @Lickr