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Happy New Year!

If you’re listening to this the day it is released, it is the very first day of 2022. I’ve always loved celebrating the new year. I love the idea of fresh starts, new beginnings, second chances. However, I’ve also had my fair share of failed New Year’s resolutions. So, today I wanted to share a practice that has been around for a while, but that is relatively new to me; one that I found to be much more achievable and even more impactful than choosing a single goal for the New Year.

That practice is choosing a word – just one word – to focus on throughout the year.

Last year was the first time I had chosen a word of the year. My word was courageous. I’m not going to lie, I thought it was a cool idea but wasn’t sure what kind of results I could really expect from such a simple exercise. But now that the year is over, I feel like having this one word significantly impacted my beliefs about myself and the actions I took, leading to true changes and results in my life. I now feel like a truly courageous woman!

Some courageous things that I did this year (things I never thought I’d actually do) were:

1.       Launching this podcast before I was “ready”

2.       Starting a social media platform complete with reels and live video

3.       Speaking to media about my research

You wouldn’t be listening to this today if it weren’t for this simple exercise of choosing a word to focus on.

All that to say, I think this is a powerful exercise that can help you grow in multiple areas of your life. Typically, when we set New Year’s resolutions, we focus on one thing (i.e., weight loss, career opportunities, finances, spiritual growth). Not only do most of these resolutions fall through by March, but they only help us in one area of our lives. By focusing on courageous this past year, I practiced being courageous in my personal, professional, and spiritual life.

You may already know about this practice – maybe you even do it yourself, but I wanted to do a short episode outlining how to pick and stick to your word for 2022. Stick around until the end of the episode and I will share my word for this new year!

Step 1: REFLECT

The first step in choosing your word is to reflect on what you actually want to accomplish this year. Some questions you could consider are:

·         What are some of your goals for 2022? Lose weight? Spend more time with God? Start a business?

·         Envision your future self – 5, 10, 15 years from now; what is she like? What has she accomplished?

·         What do you want people to say about you when you leave the room?

Now just to be clear, this is not an exercise in beating yourself up. You are already enough just the way God made you. So please, don’t go do this exercise in a mindset of failure. Instead, the idea is to find a word that will help you grow this year; a word that will allow you to work towards your dreams; a word to cultivate the characteristics, behaviors, and thoughts that you want to embody.

Step 2: EXAMINE

The next step is to take a step back and examine your answers to the questions in Step 1. Look at your responses and start listing out words that describe the woman has achieved or embodied those things. For example, maybe your goal was to get a big promotion this year. If so, you might list out words like dedicated, committed, present, diligent, focused, courageous, brave, and hardworking.

Here’s a helpful tip… if you write out words for more than one of your goals, you might find that there are some words that overlap and would move you forward in more than one area of your life.

Also, as you’re working on the list of words it can be helpful to use Google to find synonyms to some of your words. You might find some words that didn’t immediately spring to mind, but that you like better!

Step 3: CHOOSE

Next, you simply choose a word!

Go with your gut on this one. Is there a word that keeps coming up?

It’s okay (and normal) for your word to feel scary. If that’s the case, that means that there’s likely a lot of growth to be found by focusing on that word.

If you’re stuck between a few words, go and read some definitions. This can provide some much-needed clarity.

Once you decide, don’t second-guess yourself. There’s literally no wrong answer to this exercise. The most important decision is not actually choosing the word, it’s deciding to believe that you made the right decision.

Step 4: REMIND

After you’ve chosen your word, I think it’s helpful to set up some reminders for yourself.

·         Post-it notes around the house and office

·         Phone reminders that pop up periodically

·         Phone screen

·         Computer wallpaper

·         I even bought a custom-made coffee mug last year with my word on it!

Get creative with it!

Step 5: EMBODY

Finally, start embodying your word in your daily life. When faced with choices you can stop to ask yourself…

“If I were (insert your word), what would I do?”

and let that guide you!

Another question that you can as is…

“Would a (insert your word) woman do this?”

If the answer is yes, then go for it!

Will it be uncomfortable? Yes. Change and growth is always uncomfortable. Remember having growing pains as a kid? There’s nothing comfortable about it. However, it’s also uncomfortable to stay where you are and not to pursue your dreams.

Now for the big reveal I’m sure you’ve all been waiting for… my word for 2022.

There are so many things I want to pursue this year. Goals related to this podcast, my relationship with God, my health, my research… like I said – so. many. things. They are all doable but will take a great deal of discipline. So that if my word this year. DISCIPLINE - correction or regulation of oneself for the sake of improvement.

Think about New Year’s day next year. What type of woman do you want to be? What word will you focus on this year to become her?

You may already have a word in mind, but if you want some help getting the creative juices flowing I’ve made a free download of over 50 words that I chose to help you create lives full of simplicity, beauty, and joy. I’ve linked it in the show notes or you can find it by clicking here.

I wish each and every one of you that happiest New Year and I can’t wait to hear the words you choose this year. I’d love it if you shared your word with me over on Instagram.

Have a beautiful, joy-filled, week friends!

If you’re interested in creating a work-life balance characterized by simplicity, joy, and beauty, why don’t you start by checking out my Elegant Balance Workbook? In it, I help you define what work-life balance looks like for you and share some tips on creating that balance. I’ve said it before, and I’ll keep saying it – Balance doesn’t happen by accident.

What are you waiting for?

Let’s pursue our Elegant Balance together!

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