I saw something on the internet and thought, “I can do that!” Pretty much every hobby and interest I’ve ever pursued started with those four words. My late husband used to roll his eyes whenever I jumped into a new passion, but he was always supportive—even when I destroyed the carpet in our bonus room by spilling and walking through paint.

I love learning new things but don’t enjoy New Year’s resolutions. Tell me I have to do something, and I’ll lose interest immediately. “But everyone does it,” you might say. Well, I’m not everyone! If something is expected or assumed, I’m usually the one doing the opposite. Along those lines, I’m not great at setting traditional goals. It’s not a lack of ambition—I want to try all the things, see all the places, and paint with all the colors. There’s so much I want to experience!

In addition to my slightly rebellious streak, I struggle with recognizing and celebrating my own achievements—big or small. Even writing those words feels self-indulgent. I love celebrating others and their successes, but I tend to overlook my own. My usual mindset is, “Yay, that was cool… Next!” I’m often onto the next thing, quickly forgetting I just accomplished something worth acknowledging. Check the box, move on, out of sight, out of mind.

I’ve read that artists sometimes struggle to keep their art playful, even though play is essential for creativity. It’s easy to get distracted by the tedious, necessary business side of things. I often feel lazy, even when I’m constantly working on projects and achieving quite a bit.

This year, I’m trying to be more intentional. To keep things fun, I created a little game for myself (thank you, internet, for the idea!). I made a bingo card filled with mostly attainable things I’d like to work toward this year. Don’t call them “goals,” though, or I’ll lose interest! My bingo card is like a visual to-do list of things I probably want to accomplish. The fun part? When I get a bingo, I’ll celebrate in some way (though I haven’t figured that part out yet).

The hardest part was actually filling the 24 squares of the bingo grid. I’m a go-with-the-flow person, so setting a rigid progression of tasks never works for me. Life happens in between, and I don’t want to miss out on those hidden blessings by over-scheduling my moments.

I want to stay open to whatever life brings, whether it’s achieving small, seemingly inconsequential tasks or monumental, life-changing ones. Our time on this earth is short and often stressful, so I’m being intentional about celebrating victories—no matter how small.