At the beginning of a new year, there is all sorts of pressure to make a year-long commitment and aim to stick with it for the next 12 months. With everyone urging each other to make a massive life change, it can become overwhelming. Specific intentions can be difficult to stick to and might make you feel defeated if they don’t turn out exactly as you imagined.
Creating habits can be a great mindset, but it’s okay to not have it all figured out by January. A vow such as “Working out daily”, “Reading 1 book each month”, or “Cutting out alcohol” can be a huge commitment, and who says January 1st has to be the day to start?
This year, rather than creating your traditional New Year’s resolution that can feel like a chore, try choosing a word that embodies your true aspirations for the coming year. A guiding word can help you live more holistically in everything you do and create a sense of accomplishment by sticking true to your goal.
Instead of feeling the pressure to live a brand new lifestyle, try to find a word that combines your intent to succeed and be happy in all aspects of your life. By creating a blanket mantra to motivate you throughout the year, the pressure to stick to a specific habit is gone. Creating a mindset rather than an expectation is a great way to celebrate the small successes while still sticking to your goals.
To choose your word of the year, it’s important to contemplate your aspirations and think of a term that might apply to all facets of your life. By fitting all of your intentions into one bucket, you create a reminder to keep your one word at the center of everything you do.
We have a few steps for how to choose your word of 2023! Grab an old fashioned pen and paper and start brainstorming some ideas with these guiding steps.
Ask yourself what you want out of this year.
Your intentions should be positive, attainable, and inspiring. You want to use this exercise to remind yourself each day of what you are striving for, and why. Try to think of some general desires that might apply to different aspects of your life.
Think about your yearly goals.
You may have decided that your general goals for the new year look something like: Live a healthier lifestyle, Start a side hustle, Pick up new hobbies, or Travel more. Try to think of words you might use to describe these goals. It’s super important to think about what you value most in different aspects of your life to guide you.
Think about what you have accomplished in previous years.
You have absolutely had successes in your life in 2022 or maybe even in years prior that you are extremely proud of. Reflect on what your goals have been in January of previous years and dissect how you feel you have achieved them or fallen short of those goals. How did you accomplish certain things? Why were other things out of reach? Did you put your full effort into accomplishing the things you wanted to?
Start brainstorming words that you find inspiring.
Writing a few values you want to embody, phrases you find uplifting, or goals you have for specific aspects of your life. What ideas tie all of these things together? Don’t limit yourself! Think of words that are dynamic, can mean different things, and can apply to different situations. Be simple, be concise, be open minded!
Condense your brainstorm.
Now try to take the words you’ve written and find the common threads. Narrow your list down to fewer and fewer words as you go. Start at 15, then 10, then 5, then 2, and finally 1. It’s okay to have a few words to keep you on track, but try to find one word that is all encompassing and speaks to you wholly.
Instead of limiting yourself to a few resolutions, try to work your hardest, strengthen your career, nurture a healthy lifestyle, and become the best version of yourself by choosing a word that brings all of your desires together and can apply positively to every aspect of your life.
Here are some words you might choose to live by in 2023:
Alignment
Ambition
Balance
Centered
Creativity
Depth
Discipline
Fearless
Flourish
Inspire
Intention
Limitless
Mindful
Nourish
Purpose
Radiant
Thrive
Unlimited
Vibrant
Wealth
Worthy
Here are a few words that our team has chosen to embody this year!
Amplification – Alessandra (Founder and CEO)
Intention – Lauren (Assistant Account Manager)
Growth – Bianca (Executive Assistant and Account Coordinator)
Abundance – Katie (PR Intern)
Consistency – Taylor (PR Intern)
Peace – Hannah (Magazine Intern)
Wellness – Ryan (Social Media Intern)
