I love the start of a New Year. I feel like I get to put all of the things that did not go well in the past and start fresh. Each New Year I break out my new Bullet Journal, clean out my email inbox, and for years I used to make a list of all the things I wanted to do different or not do that year. Over time I found that this list made me feel bad about myself. Much of the list pointed out the things I did not like about myself or things that I failed at the previous year. Usually I would forget all the things on the list within a month and I didn’t feel that the list helped me grow or move forward.
Several years ago I learned about the Word Approach and tossed out the list routine that I had been in favor of the Word Approach. Basically at the start of the year you pick a word that will shape your thoughts and actions for the year. This word is meant to be a single, powerful, and defining word. To learn more about this approach, check out my blog post from December 2016!
Words Matter.
In 2017 my word was “Believe.” I had just taken on a promotion at my full time job when in reality all I wanted to do was to be able to spend my energy on True North Beauty. But in my heart I knew it was not the right time to leave my career. I needed to believe that my time would come and that I needed to take this time to build a strong foundation. I had to believe in my plan.
My 2018 word was “Courage.” Originally I was considering fearless but I decided that having fear is natural and overcoming one’s fears is important in confidence building. I did not want to be without fear but rather have the courage to go after the things in life that scare me the most! This was the year that I made the decision to leave my full time job and work on TNB full time. I used my word all year long to help remind me that I had the courage and confidence to do this and in November 2017 I took a leap and now run TNB full time.
This year for 2019 I considered words like patience, strive, strong, brave, and healthy. But upon reflecting on 2018 the things that slowed me down or created the most uncertainty revolved about my trust in myself and the plan.
So my word for 2019 is “Trust.” I am going to take this year to trust my decisions and trust that everything will work out in the end as it is supposed to. Using my word this year I hope to gain trust in myself, my instincts, and trust in the people around me and on my team. I will not be upset over challenges presented to me but rather trust that they are designed to make me stronger and I will overcome them. Most importantly I will trust that I am on the right path. When self-doubt creeps in I will use my word to trust myself that success is within me and trust that I will not fail, but rather I will fly!
What is your word for 2019? Share it with me below, I’d love to hear it!
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