Word Of The Year

I hate resolutions. I have never been good at them and usually picked the same ones (drink more water, swear less, travel more). I fail pretty quickly (usually by January 2^nd on the swearing less). They are’t for me.

Resolutions are like light goals, but without a plan to succeed. They are outcomes, and I prefer process goals over outcome goals. And, without specifics, numbers, or a plan, how could I expect to succeed?

So, rather than resolutions, I like a focus, or a word of the year.

Why A Word Of The Year?

I like a word of the year because it creates a sense of purpose for the year. It can help guide decisions and time spent. It is something to focus on when setting tasks and schedules. And it is the simplest reminder of what we can do each and every day to continuously create the lives we want and become the people we want to be.

By setting a focus we are setting an intention to how we want our year to unfold and where we want to place our awareness.

This word can also help set daily, weekly, monthly goals.

My words remind me to meditate daily, spend a few hours outside without my phone with my kids a few times a week, and to make sure that each day, I do a little better than I did yesterday (1% is the goal).

My words also remind me to slow down and not let old habits dictate my day.

They dictate how I spend my day, week, and month.

Have You Set a Word Of The Year?

Choosing your own word (call it a focus, a theme, even a goal for the year) is a great way set your intention for the year. It gives guidance to how you want your year to unfold. And it helps keep you on track to make sure your lifestyle reflects your values.

So, have you set a word of the year? If so, what is it? Do you have more than one? I would love to hear about yours.

Mine are patience, presence, and progress (more on those below).

How To Choose Your Word Of The Year

If you haven’t chosen a word of the year in the past, maybe this is the year to do it. You might be surprised what it can do for you, your progress, and your life.

For some, your word of the year may come right to you. You just know what you want to focus on because it something you’ve focused on before or feel is lacking in your life. It is something you think about pretty regularly and know that if you had a little more of it in your life, your life would drastically improve.

For others, it might not be as easy. When you ask yourself about your word, nothing comes to mind (or you have a ton of ideas, none of which especially resonate with you at this time). If a word doesn’t come to you easily, don’t worry. Take your time to reflect on what feels right for you. And, if a few months (or hours) in, it doesn’t feel right, change it! This is for you!

Step 1: Reflect

Spend some time thinking about your life and what you feel you are missing or could use more of. Meditate on it if you think that will help. Ask yourself, “what do I want to focus on for 2020?” and sit with it. Notice what comes up. If you are still struggling, ask yourself a few questions.

Some questions to ask yourself that might help you find your word of the year:

What causes me stress?

What could I focus on to let that go?

What am I searching for at work? At home? With my kids?

What is an area in my life that I struggle with?

Are there characteristics I’d like develop that might make my life a little better or easier?

What is missing from my relationships?

How do I want to feel at the end of the day?

What do I want to be or do this year?

If nothing comes to you upon a short meditation, bring a notebook with you over the course of the week and notice what you need more of.

Step 2: Imagine Your Perfect (or Better) Life

Next, continue sitting with your questions. Ask yourself one more: what does a perfect day look like for me?

How do you feel and what are you doing? Do you notice something about that feeling? What might get you to that feeling?

Sit with that perfect day for a few minutes and notice what you feel.

Step 3: Journal

After you’ve sat in stillness with your questions, spend a few minutes writing down words that come to mind. This is a personal brainstorm, so don’t hold back or edit yourself. Write down everything, even if it doesn’t seem like it fits with what you think your words should be.

Don’t overthink, just let the words come to you.

And, if you struggle to come up with any, here are a few words that I like:

Step 4: Find What Resonates

Now that you have a list, refine that list.

There is likely a theme in your word list, so consider how you can describe that theme. There are also likely a few words that feel especially emotional, exciting, scary or peaceful. These are the words to focus on.

A note on discomfort: When a word makes us feel especially nervous, uncomfortable, or scared, sometimes it is something that we really need to work on or need more in our life. Change is almost always uncomfortable, but necessary. However, for some of us, we want more peace in our lives so words that bring discomfort aren’t the right words for us now. Trust your gut.

Don’t worry if you have more than one (I have three!). Just choose what is right and then make it/them your mantra.

Step 5: Make Sure You “Feel It”

You need to really feel your word. In order to make a theme of it and really embrace it, you have to commit to the word and in order to commit you have to really feel it holistically. Make sure this is something that you can apply to multiple areas of your life and that at the end of the year, if you have more of it, then you will be a better version of yourself.

Also make sure your word is something that you can work on daily or work towards daily. You want it to be a habit that becomes a lifestyle or value.  

Remember, this is not a goal or a resolution, so you aren’t going to have a concrete “outcome,” just a process of self-improvement.

Step 6: Work on it, every single day.

That’s it. Just work on it. You’ve committed, now find a way to add it to your daily life.

Every single day.

—

My Words of the Year

My words of the year are patience, presence, and progress.

Have I mentioned I love alliteration?

This year, my words were came easy. If you’ve read any of my slow motherhood posts, you know that I struggle with patience pretty regularly and that I am constantly working on being more present with my kids and my work.

I want need to focus on one thing at a time, and this is what I want to work on each and every day. I also want to make sure at the end of the year, that I made some progress in all areas of my life, from financial to spiritual, physical and emotional.

I know that if I practice more patience this year, that I will likely end the year with higher self-esteem, a better connection with my children (the reason for this), a better understanding of my clients, and better relationships all around. I can wholeheartedly commit to this as it benefits my life in so many areas.

I also chose presence and progress, but they are secondary to patience. To me, they are complimentary.

I am more patient when I am present. My little ones are much easier kiddos when I am present, resulting in fewer opportunities for me to lose my patience.

Having patience with myself as I work to make progress this year is important. Not expecting the world from myself on January 1, and being a little more forgiving when I don’t make the progress that I want today, knowing that it might take a few more days, weeks, years even.

Being present while I work will add to my progress. And lastly, continually making progress in being present, being patient and being the mom that I know my kiddos deserve.