I’m writing this from the patio of my Airbnb in the Cayman Islands. Each year I take a few days to clear my head and do some planning for the next year, both personally and professionally. (usually, I stay stateside, but with a backlog of airline credits from all the covid cancelations, I went a bit further from home)
I create an overarching theme for the year and then distill it into what it might look and feel like. The first quarter is pretty detailed, with tasks and accountability to keep me on track. The following quarters are looser and less detailed…because, well, life is full of surprises. I revisit this each quarter to fill in details and adjust as needed.
My starting point is usually my word for the year. I’ve been using a word to guide my year for more than 25 years; it seems to be a popular thing of late. I can attest to its power of it.
As we start a new year, jumping on the bandwagon of new goals(or old ones) and resolutions can be easy. But the thing is so often, they are not aligned with what you want but what society says you should want. Exploring a theme or word for the year helps to guide you toward what feels right for you and what you want to create.
Last year my word was Explore. Each month I tried something new. It was fun, and I learned a lot of new things. It helped me be more open and curious about life, connection, and opportunity.
Uncovering what my word will be, takes a little time. I take a couple of days and loosely focus on what I want to create in my life, particularly how I want to feel. This results in a few possibilities. Next, I write what each of the words mean to me and what it might look like for me. Usually one jumps out for me, but if it doesn’t, I let it sit for a day or two (or several ).
Last year Explore was born of the feeling that post-pandemic, my world had shrunk, and I was less willing to try new things.
This year I landed on the word vibrant. Here’s an excerpt of what I wrote about it:
…..it’s a sense of aliveness and engagement with all parts of me. An energy that flows freely and fuels creativity, connection, and collaboration. There is an honoring of my body, mind, and spirit as I align with all there is. Creativity feels vital and vibrant energy fuels that.
Share your word in the comments below