Like many people I know, I have a hard time sticking to my New Year’s resolutions. Each year, my resolutions are generally the same: exercise more, eat healthier, lose weight, etc. Every once in a while, I’ll throw in something a little more specific: I’ll challenge myself to write more, worry less, do more yoga, or focus more on whatever hobby I’ve picked up.
Year after year, I find myself falling behind in these endeavors. I’ll be diligent for a few weeks, maybe even a few months, but my interest levels will start to wane and I will focus on other things. My resolutions tend to focus around something physical that I’ve struggled with for years, something that my brain thinks it can self-transform by writing down on a piece of paper and forgetting by February. Half way through the year, I’ll realize that I haven’t run a mile in the last five weeks, and try to pick back up. This cycle leads to me feeling frustrated with myself, and generally creates more stress than goal-setting is meant to cause.
There’s been a trend over the last few years of people forgoing unattainable goals and physical aspirations for an inspirational word or phrase by which to live through the year.
The first time I’d heard about it was in a church service, and the intention behind it really resonated with me. Resolutions are typically based on who we no longer want to be. We make them because we want to break that habit. By changing the way we interact with the idea of resolutions, we can manipulate the way we think about change itself. Rather than placing a specific goal as your trophy for the year, you use the word or phrase as a lens through which you should view any situation you may find yourself in through the year. While resolutions can be broken, the “Word of the Year” trend allows us to focus on a meaningful transformation.
My word last year was “intentional.” I wanted to do everything with intention, to not lose hours on menial tasks that provide no benefit. I wanted to stop spending hours scrolling through social media with no purpose.
The word took on more meaning than I initially anticipated.
Losing my brother last January created a huge tonal shift in my life. Loss forced me to focus intently on small moments, things that might have been insignificant in any other year. I became more aware of my words, the things I let out of my heart and into ears or onto paper. I found myself worrying, trying to do everything, too much sometimes, and trying to really be “in the moment” for so many things. My relationships with friends and family changed significantly, some becoming more meaningful, some less so.
This leads me to the word that I’ve chosen for 2018 – Balance.
Last year I felt so out of balance. I was out of sync with the people around me – friends, family, my husband, and even with God. I fell away from my yoga practice, something that typically brings me both joy and peace. Most of all, I felt at odds with myself, constantly fighting some internal battle that no one was meant to win.
Balance seems like a nice goal, and in keeping with that, I’m going to start balancing this blog better in my own life. I enjoy writing here, and I enjoy talking with my own small community of bloggers about writing. So, hi! Here goes nothing.
With love,
