Your New Year, In One Word

I LOVE New Years Resolutions. Love them. I love making a list and checking back to see how I did. I love seeing progress. I love starting with a completely blank slate on January 1. I love it all. Well, almost. One thing I found troubling in the past is my inability to follow through on the exact resolutions I had been setting. If I wasn’t careful, my inability to follow through could put a real damper on my motivation to start anew. Failure definitely has a freezing effect on me.

So instead of long drawn out and exacting resolution lists, I started picking a focus word for the year to come. Words hold so much power whether you write 5000 or just 1. Focusing on just one makes it easy to get back on track when you are unmotivated, and helps you see things positively rather than focusing on what you aren’t doing right. Being able to recognize if new habits align with your overall goal is extremely helpful as well. So, how do you pick one word, out of all of the words in existence? It takes some intentionality, and if you’re really into the idea, a thesaurus.

Think of the ways you would like to improve and choose an all-encompassing word. If you want to improve on planning and routines, your word can be something like ‘consistency’ or ‘balance’. If you want to focus on developing friendships you can pick ‘friendship’ or ‘communication’. Your word or phrase can be whatever reminds you of the big picture you want to focus on. After you pick your word, look up the definition. If it resonates with you, then you’ve found it! It may be the nerd in me, but that part is really fun. I get more excited about finding my word of the year than I did about finding my wedding dress.  Seriously.

Ok so to give you an example, my word last year was ‘nourish’. Some of my goals included implementing one-on-one quality time with each child, trying out new healthy recipes regularly (which I could have done better with), and nourishing personal friendships by creating opportunities for people to gather.  Also nourishing my own soul by reading regularly, exercising regularly, and finding enjoyable hobbies.

Think about the things you want to do, or what attitude you want to build up, or a word that reminds you of what really matters to you, and see how you can tie that into your goals and everyday life. 

And because I like you all, I’ll let you in on my word for 2019. This year I want to focus on stepping out and trying things that I have always wanted to do, but have allowed fear or anxiety to stop me from doing. I want to audition for a choir and start writing a book and get a tattoo. I want to live every day with meaning and put life back into our routines. So my word for 2019 is: revive. 

Revive: 1. to restore back to life or consciousness. 

2. regain life, consciousness or strength

3. give you strength or energy to

There you have it! What do you think of this idea? Do you have a word or phrase for 2019? Let us know in the comments!