Dream and Wanderland – Reflections On 2022

2022 Reflections – A Year Of Fulfilled Dreams, Learnings, And Mindset Work

One of the things that I did in the past couple of days is to look back to 2022. I know I’m a bit late, and others went wild with all kinds of reviews already or didn’t do it at all.

But first, I’m not “everyone,” and second, I just haven’t felt like doing it until now. And when I learned one thing in 2022, it was that I should listen to my gut and forget about any “should,” “I have to,” or “other people do it that way.”

That’s why I took some time the past week for myself and looked back to all the learnings, wins, achievements, goals, and dreams I had in 2022.

Especially as I’m not doing it often enough, it felt like now is the time to acknowledge and celebrate everything I achieved, survived, or overcame.

The Importance Of Acknowledging And Celebrating My Achievements

Another thing that I learned from 2022 is that it’s essential to look back at those things and see how far I have come and how much I have grown. I tend to undervalue myself and take everything that I do for granted. As if it’s the tiniest thing and not even worth mentioning. And in the end, I feel unmotivated, frustrated, and disappointed that nothing has happened and that I still am where I was a year before. I can’t see any progress when I let things pass by without acknowledgment or recognition.

Therefore, I’d like to switch things up and do some reflections. 

Travel Highlights In 2022

Here are some of the highlights in 2022:

England in February

I followed my heart, yearning to be at sea again by traveling the English southeast and south coast. Herne Bay, Dover, and Brighton, including finally visiting Stonehenge, which was on my wish list for several years now.

Grand Canaria in July

Fulfilling a wish that I had had for the past three years. Having a relaxed, not busy at all beach vacation. Without road-tripping. Just stay at the same place for two weeks or so and do nothing. Close enough to the ocean to hear, see, smell, and taste it. And that close that I just need to leave the house and be right there. But without hanging out in an all-inclusive resort (I’m not a fan of those ones). I found the perfect location in Arinaga, Gran Canaria. A very local and coastal little town on the island, not far away from the airport, and perfect for not being distracted by any huge tourist attractions, as there is literally not much. I loved that vacation! And I really needed such kind of vacation.

Morocco and Sahara in November

One of the biggest challenges of my life was, for sure, my trip to Morocco this year. I attended a hiking tour through the desert of the Sahara. 200 km walking, hiking, sometimes even crawling, 12-18 km per day, sleeping outside or in a tent, and watching the most amazing sunsets. It was a challenge for me in several ways. Not only for my body, like walking such long distances several days in a row while carrying a 15 kg backpack. No bathrooms, beds, or showers, surrounded by 18 other people every single minute of the day. But also mind-wise. Short story: all kinds of (self-) doubts, conditioning, and limiting beliefs that I thought I would be done with them and that I dealt with the past one and a half years punched me in my face so hard that I broke down. I made it anyways; I survived, and I walked the entire distance carrying the total weight and a lot of learnings, acceptance, and pride. By the way, before and after the trip, I spent a couple of days in Marrakech. Things you need to do when you’d like to visit yourself, you can find them here!

Herne Bay For New Years’ Eve

One more wish I fulfilled in 2022 was to celebrate New Years’Eve in a foreign country. And being surrounded by people that I know. There was quite some “trauma” for me around that time, as I never had an inner circle of friends close by so that everyone knew who was doing what and where to celebrate together. One dream of mine was to go to friends and celebrate with them because I know they are there without extensive planning. Just calling and saying: “Hey, are you there? I’ll come around!” At least, that is my understanding of a perfect New Years’Eve. It happened! I called a friend and asked, and three weeks later, I sat on a plane and spent time with good friends, at sea, and celebrated New Years’Eve in a pub. Uncomplicated and relaxed. I loved it; it was the perfect ending for a challenging year.

Learnings in 2022

Listening To My Body

I learned not only to listen to my body but also to act accordingly. For quite a while felt tired. My usual vacation looked like road-tripping around to see as much as possible in the short vacation time. When you work in corporate, you can never decide to stay longer if you like it. You always have to be back at work on a specific date. And as I´m still working in a regular 9-5 job, I have to make the best and the most out of that time. However, even though I love those kinds of trips, I felt that I needed to slow down. Even before Covid hit in 2020, I felt like I needed to have a simple beach vacation. I haven´t been to the beach, but the situation at that time forced me to slow down eventually.

In 2022, I had that feeling again. This time, I listened immediately. I did as I felt and stayed in one place only, without any sightseeing or doing things. Just be; day in and day out. It was fantastic. From the outside, it might look like the most boring vacation I´ve ever had. But on the contrary, it was exactly what I needed! What I learned from this trip was how important it is to listen to what your body tells you. Don´t ignore it. When you feel tired, then rest! If you feel restless, you might need to move your body. If you´re not hungry, then don´t eat (something that I definitely need to integrate!)

Listening To My Gut

Same for listening to my intuition! For a long time, I didn´t know how my intuition sounded or how I could recognize it, how it felt, and what it told me. In 2022, I took part in an online program that was all about reconnecting to your mind, body, soul, and also your intuition. For the first time in my life, I understood what my personal intuition is and how I can recognize it. It was eye-opening and game-changing. I always thought I didn´t have something like intuition, but in fact, I just didn´t know how it felt.

Since that program, everything has changed. Now that I can “hear” my intuition, I make better decisions. I sometimes struggle with acting accordingly and not being in my head too much. But it feels so deliberating to know that my intuition is there and that I can rely on it.

I Am Stronger Than I Thought

I am indeed stronger than I thought. with every step that I made in this personal development journey, I realized how far I already came. How many difficult situations did I survive. How many struggles I overcame. And what I have already achieved. With every single realization, recognition, and acknowledgment, I believe more and more in myself and my dreams. I can feel that everything is possible to achieve what I dream of. I CAN make everything happen, especially when I really want something. I´m able to move worlds when I´m on fire. Not only for others but also for myself. My trip to Sahara reminded me of what I´m capable of! I had that thought a couple of times already, but this time I do believe it! 

I Have A Dream

Together with the above, I also believe that I have a voice and a message that needs to be shared with the world. So far, I have often been hiding. I kept my mouth shut not to stand out and not to offend anyone or to appear that I think that “I´m better” than others. But not anymore! I believe that I´m here for a purpose! And that I´m here to share my message and change the world. Even if it´s only a few people that I reach, maybe for those people, it might mean the world. My message is: Follow your dreams and your heart! Make those dreams happen! I´m here to inspire you to not only dream but also wander!

What about you? What are your wins and achievements in 2022? Did you look back and actually celebrate or at least acknowledge your wins? What are you proud of in the past 12 months? 

Feel free to comment with your thoughts below!

I wish you the best year to come!