I feel like I was sharing my 2021 Powersheets Prep Work with you just yesterday, time really does fly!

I am delighted to give you an inside look into my 2022 Powersheets with you today!

(would you rather watch my 2022 PS Prep Work walk-though instead of read? The video is below, if you plan to read scroll on by this.)

Before we get started, I want to re-introduce myself for all of the new friends we have here. Whether you have been here for a while or you recently found me through this Living the Chronic Illness Life blog, the Grace + Goals Resource Library, or the Chronically Cultivating podcast, I am so happy to have you here!

I’m Cassie, and I am passionate about sharing the journey I’ve gone through of trading guilt for God’s grace and control for confetti – and teaching you how to do the same. I live the chronic illness life with a progressive connective tissue disorder called Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. I am an avid Powersheets user and this is my 5th set of the Powersheets Intentional Goal Planner!

(Don’t know what Powersheets are? Start Here!) 

Last year, I struggled to dig into my prep work because I didn’t want to acknowledge the significant decline I was facing. Life with a progressive chronic illness means that I will see decline as I age, and I am very aware that this upcoming year I will have to face some very hard things that I can’t avoid any longer. Yet even with that knowledge, I was ready to dive into my Powersheets Prep Work and prepare for the year ahead! Like every set of powersheets before this, I am leaving lots of room for medical uncertainty and expected challenges.

I pray over my powersheets long before I plan to write in them and when I hosted The PSP Gals Annual Powersheets Prep Party, I wrote in my 2022 Powersheets for the first time! There is nothing magical about January 1st, but there is something magical that happens when the four of us dig into our Powersheets together and prepare for all God will do through us and for us in the year ahead ✨

I don’t know exactly where you are at with your 2022 Powersheets Prep Work. Maybe you got your powersheets, completed your prep work, and are pumped to get goal-ing like me! Maybe you bought your powersheets and can’t seem to open them up. Maybe you are curious about powersheets and have been eyeing a set, but haven’t placed an order yet.

Well, whether you are new to the Cultivate Community or a seasoned cultivator, you are welcome here. Whether you use colorful pens and stickers or just a pencil or black pen, you are doing your powersheets right. Whether you have your 2022 prep work and January tending list done before January 1st or you are taking your time finishing, you are right on time.

One more thing before we get going…

As you and I walkthrough my 2022 prep work, I am going to share: what stood out to me the most, my insight as a 5 year PS user, hopefully give you some inspiration for your own prep work, and share the earth-shattering truth that God revealed to my heart through these pages.

…but before I do, I need you to promise me something. I need you to promise that you will not compare your prep work to mine, just like I will not compare your prep work or The PSP Gals prep work to mine. Okay? Okay. We can always draw inspiration from others Powersheets, but our Powersheets are unique to each of us and it would be weird if they looked the same!

I do think it’s also important to let you know that I have been working on my Powersheets little by little since December 6th and only finished a couple days ago. I like to take my time for two reasons: 1. so I can make space for God to speak to me in these pages and 2. to make these pages pretty for me because that fires me up (and who doesn’t love glitter gel pens?!)

Now that we’ve kicked comparison out of this space, let’s goal 🎉

90% of the time, I do all of my prep work in my Papermate Mechanical Pencil FIRST, and then go over it with a Papermate Flair Pen; the other 10%, I do with a black Frixion Erasable Gel Pen.

This year, I also used:

• Glitter Gel Pens
• Black Dual End Brush Markers
• Tending Tape
• Cultivate Sticker Book + Packs
• Homemade Confetti (similar look here)

Fresh Start (Page 1 + Page 3)

Here I used double sided tape to stick actual confetti from our annual PSP party (that Sam and I made) into the front page! I also like to add in a prayer over my prep work and the year ahead somewhere on either page 2 or 3 the night before I will be digging into my Powersheets prep work for the first time. P.S. in case you didn’t know I am #teamblooms this year!

2022 Goal Ideas (Page 5)

I had a lot of fun with this page, especially when I realized I could use the color coding dots to make sticker confetti! I totally brain dumped on this page, as one should, because that’s what this page is made for. I wrote down some goals that challenged me because they required dreaming; along with goals I want to continue to build on since last year. Certain goals, in my Goal Idea Page, I notice consistently show up each year now that I am cultivating an intentional life and know what matters to me. If you aren’t new to powersheets you may notice that too, and it’s perfectly okay.

I did not add the confetti stickers until after I had made it through my Cultivated Life Evaluation on pages 10-11 because in those pages I determine what my color code for the 2022 would be. I’ll explain more about that when we get there!

Comparison Evaluation and About Me (Pages 6-7)

I’ve found that it’s really easy for me, as a veteran Powersheets user, to skip over or skim the writing in the prep work so I challenged myself, after Lauren pointed this out to me, to truly take the time to fully read through and absorb ALL of the teaching and instructions. I also underlined or made note with stickers so I could easily go back and notice the coaching that really stuck out to me. I also look through my prep work from the year (and sometimes years) before in preparation to write this post and enjoyed seeing how I have changed in the past 5 years. (Check out my Prep Work, Tending List, and Refresh Gallery here!)

What Fires Me Up (Page 9)

I love hand lettering, especially because it was a 2019 goal from my 2019 Powersheets that I have enjoyed greatly! So it was fitting to use my favorite form of hand lettering on this page! I put the things that fire me up the most in the biggest font, such as: fresh blooms, throwing confetti, goal setting, His Word, The PSP Gals, and quality time with Jared. This is my second favorite page in the Powersheets prep work.

This page is so important because not all of these things that fire me up look “productive” on paper, but when we don’t make time for the things that fire us up, we risk burning out.

Sometimes the things that we are called to do and need to do, don’t “look” productive. For example, spending time in the garden rather than answering emails did not “look” productive, but my soul needed it. Living a purposeful life always produces good fruit.
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As a recovering perfectionist, I struggle to remember that our goals don’t always have to look productive to produce good fruit. We need to do the things that refresh our souls and that are life giving because those things that give us joy and peace and comfort fill us up so that we can better give more into our goals. Obviously its a balance but if you don’t make time for the things that fire you up you will probably find yourself exhausted rather than energized. So go cuddle your puppy, go on a date, enjoy the sunshine because this things matter too.

Cultivated Life Evaluation (Pages 10-11)

One of the most important things that I do on this page is color code the areas of my life. Now it is an unpopular opinion, but I stopped using a different colored flag for each individual goal. I have a different colored flag for each area of my life because it helps me stay rooted to my “why” for each goal. For a long time, I struggled to understand the value of knowing my “why” along with the struggle of not being consistently motivated to work on my goals. So by being able to know – and be reminded – of my why quickly via color coding has been a game changer.

Every year, I also redefine what my 1-10 scale is for my health box because it is really hard to rate my health from 1-10 with a disease like EDS. So, I changed that scale! This year I defined my scale as: “1: I am not able to do my best and need more help; 10: I am able to do my best and have a good team.”

Then I finished by checking off the box at the bottom of page 11 where I starred the three areas I want to cultivate most in 2022.

Good Things, Gratitude, Challenge, and Lessons Learned (Pages 12-13)

I wish you could see the shimmer of these glitter gel pens (if you haven’t watched the video walkthrough I did, you should watch it *just* to see these glitter gel ink shimmer in action!) I put my sticker books to work on these pages! These are my favorite pages because I am a huge believer that celebrating every tiny victory matters. Acknowledging what didn’t work and what we overcame matters. Noting the people who helped us live out our purpose and cheered us on matters. The lessons we learn – good and bad – along the way really, really matters.

I firmly believe that if we don’t pay attention to what God has taught us, then we will forget and have to learn them again. I don’t know about you, but I don’t enjoy making the same mistakes again and again. It was hard to only choose a few lessons, but if I had to pick a top three it would be: assumption causes miscommunication and sin; the why matters more than the how; I can throw confetti and grieve at the same time (because His joy is not invalidated by my grief.)

Break Free and Move Past Fear (Pages 14-15)

My greatest revelations from the Lord come each year from this page. We should be vulnerable and honest throughout all of our prep work because if we aren’t honest with ourselves we can’t be honest in our goals. The hard, heart work on this page bears good fruit. This year, God revealed 5 core lies that I was believing about myself so on page 15, I color coded my stickers to then write a freeing statement about what would happen if I flipped the script on each of these. There is one that I want to share with you.

I am safe to dream when I dream with open hands because my dreams are safe with Him.

If I flipped the script, I would be free to do what He is calling me to with open hands and letting Him decide if this program is meant for a lifetime or just a season. I won’t repeat history if I keep my hands open and remember that He made me – and anything He calls me to – with this illness in mind so I will not miss out on what He made me for.

The same goes for you.

The Big Picture (Page 17)

This page sets me up to reset and focus on what I want to be my legacy. Your legacy doesn’t have to be as “monumental” or “permanent” as that word can sometimes sound.

We can’t make what matters happen if we don’t know what matters to us.

Big Picture Vision + Living It Out This Year (Pages 18-19)

For the first time in a long time, I allowed myself to dream again – truly dream. It is hard to dream when you don’t know what is coming your way, but we can be confident because God does know. I am going to hold onto the confidence I have in Him, and do what He asks of me right now in this current body. I am Aldo going to entrust my dreams to Him and remember that I am allowed to dream big because my dreams are safe in His hands. Then on page 19, I wrote one general action step that I can attempt to take this year to live that out, and used the rest of the space as a prayer space to practice opening my hands by leaving these dreams in His hands.

My Cultivated Year – Yes and No List (Page 21)

My body and other circumstances may hinder my ability to reach my goals, but my yes and no list lay the foundation for life I hope to live.

These declarations are not just tied to one specific goal, rather they will help me build the lifestyle and mindset I will need to achieve my goals (even if those goals have to be achieved differently than I planned.) My top yes is His Grace and my top no is assuming anything.

Imagine It: Your Best Year #chronicillnessedition (Page 23)

This year is going to hold some really hard things and tons of uncertainty so rather than imagining “my best year” I wanted to write my future self a reminder for the year ahead.

Here are some highlights:

I’m ready to: stay brave and live with my challenges rather than work in spite of them.

These traits will shine in me: as I trade control for confetti and cultivate an intentional life right in the middle of the mess and the uncertainty.

I want to make what matters happen because: He made me with this illness in mind and I want to see what He has planned for me even when the how to my why changes.

I will live this by saying yes to: one day at a time living.

I will let go of: how I think my goals should be achieved

I will fill my life with more: of His grace and confetti!

Let’s skip ahead to page 30…

My Word of the Year + Vision Board (Pages 30-31)

My word of the year is going to be cultivate! My verse for this year is 1 Timothy 4:12-15 NLT

¹² Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity. ¹³ Until I get there, focus on reading the Scriptures to the church, encouraging the believers, and teaching them. ¹⁴ Do not neglect the spiritual gift you received through the prophecy spoken over you when the elders of the church laid their hands on you. ¹⁵ Give your complete attention to [cultivate – msg] these matters. Throw yourself into your tasks so that everyone will see your progress.

1 Timothy 4:12-15 NLT

Little By Little + Challenges to Opportunities (Page 32-33)

I was not anticipating loving these pages as much as I did! These pages were so helpful before starting the goal action plans. I clearly do not struggle celebrating every tiny victory anymore, so I made that last one into a reminder!

The greatest way I will turn challenges into opportunities in 2022 is by staying faithful to my why and flexible about the how.

Now let’s go back to page 29…

I do not like to write out page 29 until I am done with my action plans because I might change the wording of the goal as I do the action plan. Once I get to page 29, I use sticky notes to write out my rough draft of the goals. Then I do pages 30-49 and once that is done I go back and write in my 2022 goals!

My 2022 Goals (Page 29)

Cultivate a Love for His Word

Cultivate the Grace + Goals Community

Cultivate Consistency

Cultivate Security

Cultivate Joy While Living One Day At A Time

Cultivate Home Rhythms

Well, there you have it, that is my 2022 Powersheets Prep Work 🎉 If you want to see a closer look into all of the presswork pages head to YouTube or watch on Instagram to see the video walk-through!

I truly don’t know what this year ahead will hold, but no matter how crazy this life gets or how many well intended goals I can or can’t complete – I look forward to seeing all God will do in 2022 through you and me!

Now it’s your turn! What are some of your goals for 2021? Bonus Question: what is your favorite page in your Powersheets Prep Work?

In case you didn’t know, here on Living the Chronic Illness Life you now have access to the

🎉 Grace + Goals Resource Library 🎉

which helps you tailor your goal setting and powersheets to seasons of uncertainty. You can find all the info here! We do a free Master Class each quarter and we also do a free Accountability Coaching Call once a quarter as well! Make sure you are on the email list!

P.S. If you order your Powersheets through my link, as a thank you, I will send you a free ebook titled:

3 Grace-filled Goal Setting Mindsets to put the Grace back in Goal Setting in 2022!

Just email me the date and time you ordered along with the total so I can confirm the purchase and then I will send that your way! You can email me here.

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Cassie Nolin is a married spoonie who lives the chronic illness life with EDS + Co. (Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and it’s comorbid conditions.) She challenges others to choose grace over guilt while goal setting, and is in ministry part time serving the online community through Grace + Goals and The Spoonie Study. She loves planting, confetti, hand lettering, and sharing the hope she has found in Jesus. Her blog, Living the Chronic Illness Life, is in the top 100 chronic illness blogs and in 2019 she launched her podcast, Chronically Cultivating, where Cassie encourages women to live authentic and intentional lives through their diagnosis’ not in spite of them. She is on a mission to help other women learn how to trade guilt for God’s grace and control for confetti! You can learn more about her at www.livingthechronicillnesslife.com

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