It's officially a brand new year.
How?
If you're anything like me, January 1st is more than just a day to nurse a hangover or jot down a few goals (and then stash them away until December).
I seriously... take it seriously.
The beginning of the year symbolizes so much.
You get to create goals, hopes and dreams.
You get to craft vision boards.
You get to start new fitness journeys.
You get to decide EXACTLY how you want your upcoming year to be.
I'm a firm believer in manifestation, the power of your mind and speaking exactly what you want into existence. Don't believe me? Well (not to toot my own horn), my 2023 vision board quite literally became my reality. Everything I put on there, is now part of my life to some degree. It really is WILD how a little bit of mindfulness can go a long way, folks.
So how do I do it? I give a lot of credit to my words of the year. A simple word that I pick out at the beginning of a new year that I allow to be the guiding light for the next 365 days. It sounds so silly even just typing that... how can a WORD really impact your life so much?
I promise it can.
Choose a word and make it meaningful.
With every decision, with every obstacle, with every new goal throughout the year... refer back to that word. As a constant reminder of what you want from your year, it will impact you more than you know!
I haven't always chosen a word of the year. In fact, I can think of the times where my only goal on New Years Eve was the go out with friends, get as drunk as possible and my only goal when January 1st rolled around was to make it through the day without puking up my McDonalds - wish I was kidding. But the second I started choosing a word (and choosing MYSELF) I noticed a significant shift in my life.
2022 - my word was YES.
2023 - my word was TRUST.
and finally...
2024 - my word is JOURNEY.
For me, I realized my biggest fear for this upcoming year was the UNKNOWN. I am turning 30 and while I do seemingly have my life together from afar, when I looked within... I was absolutely terrified for what is to come.
When will I find love? Will my 30's contain marriage and family? Where will I travel? Will I travel?! What about my business? Will it grow or will it fail? Do I continue with my podcast? What if my 30's aren't as great as my 20's? What do I do?!
I kept going back to the word journey as I thought these thoughts. And the mantra that came to my mind was: "Focus on the journey, not the destination"
How many times do we get so caught up in the end goal or the end destination, that we miss out on the beautiful journey we went on in order to get there?
I don't want to live for a crystal ball, trying to predict my future. Instead, I want to live for my own journey. To travel from one chapter of my life and into another one, confident that I am exactly where I am supposed to be. To put it simply, I just want to live for the plot (the good and the bad) and not live for the ending of the story I have in my head.
Because who knows? Maybe if you actually pay attention to your journey, you will have a different ending than you expected.
JOURNEY.
So, how do you choose your own word of the year? Here's my top tips to help you out this year, whether it's your first time picking a word or you just want some help to make yours a bit more impactful.
TIP #1
Visualize. Take a second to pause and THINK about how you want your life to look in this upcoming year. What do you want from it? How do you want it to feel? When December rolls around, what will that look like for you?
TIP #2
Face your fears. This is what really reveals my word to me, if I am being honest. Make a list of everything you are scared of in the upcoming year... I found that the word I choose ends up being the one that combats these fears the most.
Yes, you can choose a word that is simple, happy, positive.. but I have found that if you choose a word that pushes you out of your comfort zone or that directly makes you face your fears, it's more meaningful.
TIP #3
Brainstorm. Write down a list of all the words that instantly come to your mind. Don't think, just write. Here's what my list looked like.
- Release
- Fearless
- Presence
- Love
- Believe
- Journey
- Free
- Growth
To name a few!
TIP #4
Choose your word. From the list you just made, pick the word that stands out the most. It's the word that embodies what you want from the year but, also brings you comfort when thinking about your fears and anxieties.
TIP #5
Create a mantra or saying around that word. I like to choose my word and then write down phrases to go along with it. Just mini mantra's I can repeat in my head throughout the year to help me stay on track.
If you want to go the extra step, you can even type this in your notes, screenshot it and put it as your phone background so you never forget!
I hope this helps you and inspires you to choose your own word of the year. While January 1st technically is just another day on the the calendar... it also represents so much more - if you allow it.
Here's to 2024!
May it challenge us.
May it teach us.
May it take us on the journey of a lifetime!
Xo,
Morgan
