It’s a little late in the day, but I’m afraid everything is running a little late due to packing and taking ourselves off to America for a few weeks! (There are still Christmas decorations to take down when we get back!) However, better late than never, so here’s my blog post about choosing my word of the year, and how to pick yours…
Is a word of the year helpful?
I thought I would have a little chat about my word of the year. As an alternative to New Year’s resolutions, lots of people are instead, picking a word of the year to guide them. It’s a word to refer to if you’re in doubt about something; it’s a word to remind you how you want to feel or the direction you want your life to head in. I’ve chosen a word of the year for the last couple of years, and I’ve genuinely found it to be helpful. I started this in 2018 and if you’d like to read more, then please take a look at the blog post I wrote then about why I began choosing a word of the year. (There are some more word ideas there too.) My word was ‘Persevere’. I chose it because I’d spent too long in 2017 doubting myself and wondering if it was time to give up on everything. I made the decision to stop going over those doubts, and just get on with it. And it really did help! I really did stop wasting time pondering the same old negative things, and instead that time was put to use producing more content and working on Threads of a Fairytale.
In 2019 my word of the year was ‘Nurture.’ And you can read more about that in last year’s word of the year blog post! I picked it because I thought we’d be in America for a good portion of the year again (it turned out to only be a month) so I thought I wouldn’t really be able to push the business forward very much. So the word ‘nurture’ was about looking after it until I was ready to go full steam ahead.
Again, I kept my wooden pyrographed charm on my desk in front of me all year, and again I found it helpful. I nurtured my clothing business; I made loads of clothes ready to list in the shop, and I kept up with the marketing. When the business wasn’t a massive roaring success, I reminded myself it was ok; I was only nurturing it this year, that would come later. Having the word there to see every day gave me guidance.
My word of the year for 2020
It’s ‘Change.’ I’ll be honest, I didn’t really want to head into the new decade doing the same old things that I’ve been doing for the last few years. I work really long hours and often get stressed about work. Even though I haven’t been striving to forge way ahead, I had hoped to move things forward more than I have. So this year, I’m changing things up and trying some things differently. I’ll be honest, I’m not exactly sure how yet! I didn’t pick this word as my Word Of The Year until recently, so I haven’t had chance to fully think things through. However, now I’m back in America for a few weeks, without the distractions of all the things that need doing round the house, hopefully I’ll have time to figure it all out and make some tangible goals for this year.
I have already had some ideas for slightly different style YouTube videos, which I’m quite excited to make, so I hope you like them! I’ve also already changed things on Instagram, and I wrote about that last week.
So I’ll keep my word of the year charm on my desk in front of me, like I always do. If I find myself slipping back into old unproductive habits, hopefully I’ll see my word and it will remind me to stop!
How to choose your word of the year
Hopefully my examples have explained what having a word of the year is all about. I’ve talked mainly about work-related guidance, but my words have also had personal references as well. And there are no hard and fast rules here; there’s no reason why you couldn’t have two words – one for work, and perhaps one for home life if the word doesn’t match both those things. My word ‘Nurture’ also related to my health – both mental and physical as I wanted to look after that as well. I also wanted to nurture and enjoy my family life and spending quality time with Chris and the kids.
Just spend a couple of days mulling it over whenever you’re waiting in a queue for something; sitting at traffic lights or waiting to fall asleep. The word might simply come to you like that. If not, it’s time to get journalling! Reflect on last year – would you like more of the same in your life or do you want to change things? Think about what is important to you right now and the goals you want to achieve. How do you want to feel? What would you like to focus on this year? If you think of a word, but it isn’t quite right, get the thesaurus open and see if any of the results hit the right chord.
There’s no need to rush
Choosing a word of the year is a good opportunity to stop and think about what you really want. Look inwards – don’t think about what is expected of you, or what you think you’re meant to want. Don’t worry if a word doesn’t come to you straight away, but when it does, you’ll probably know instinctively that it’s the right one.
Do you pick a word of the year? Do you find it helpful? Will this be the first year of trying one?
Linking withNot Dressed as Lamb for #sharealllinkup
