Choose your Word of the Year
As an alternative to New Year's Resolutions - we've got a new suggestion for you. Choose a word of the year and let that be the guidance you live by through 2023. Think of it as an expansion of what our Mantra Collection can do for you.
The end of the year often leaves us thinking about what we've achieved in the last 365 days and the ways we want to grow and expand moving forward. This self-reflection can feel like a lot of pressure to create and stick to resolutions. Well, forget about it. Lasting and impactful mindset changes take time: take a holistic and inspired approach to the start of the new year. Why not try a guiding word of the year instead?
Defining your personal guiding word is a positive way to anchor your intentions, for life. The word you choose aims to flow and empower your goals in a more holistic way than any big and overzealous New Year's resolutions. This gives you space to focus on how you feel instead of focusing on overly large goals. This gives space to acknowledge that how you feel isn't tied to the success rate of any one goal.
How to Choose a Word of the Year
Focusing on your feelings and the strength and empowerment you want to experience and give through the year can help you set your intentions for 2023 and beyond. But how do you go about choosing your word of the year? Here are our five steps, below.
1. Reflect on the Past Year
To start, find a notebook or journal. Next, find a calm, quiet ambience where you won’t be interrupted. Like many things, this exercise should be unhurried for you to gain the most from it. We like to light a candle and take our time.
When you’re ready, reflect on the year that’s just passed by answering the following questions and noting what comes to mind first:
- What are the first five highlights that come to mind from this past year?
- What are the first three words that come to mind when you think about this year?
- What made you feel supported this year?
- What habits do you want to improve?
- What accomplishments did you achieve this year?
- What experience(s) did you have where you felt completely at ease?
2. Think about your values, intentions, and goals for 2023
There’s a difference between values, intentions, and goals.
Your values are what is important to you, what you believe in.
Your intentions or what you want to achieve are influenced by your values and your goals are external proof of, or steps towards, an achievement. For example, you may believe in a harmonious work:life integration. Your intention could then be to enjoy more time for self-care. Your goal might be to get up an hour earlier to create more time for doing the things you enjoy before you start work.
Now looking forward, think about your values and intentions in each of the following areas for 2023. You don’t need to set any rigid goals, rather start comparing where you are against where you want to be in these areas.
Reflect on your:
- Relationships
- Work
- Wellness and Mental Health
- Physical Health
- Lifestyle and Hobbies
- Milestones
3. Brainstorm
At this stage, look back through your notes. There may already be some clues to the direction for your word of the year. Start listing words that come to mind when reflecting on what you’ve written. Use a thesaurus to expand on the terms you discover.
4. Make a Vision Board
A vision board is different to a mood board in that it’s a visual display of what inspires you, rather than a practical planning tool for an interiors scheme or project.
Think about the areas in step two you might want to focus on in the next year and flick through magazines to find images with which you connect around these areas. You may find a theme or colour starts to appear in the pictures you select.
Let this be your invitation to join us and follow along on Pinterest.
5. Live your Word
It may be a word of the year and there is certainly no pressure to settle on one by January 1st. Create a shortlist of words and select the one that resonates the most. Try it out and tweak if it doesn’t fit.
Once you’ve selected your word, try to ‘live’ it for full impact by:
- Visibly displaying your guiding word and vision board so you can be reminded of it each day.
- Finding quotes around your word or topic to re-read for inspiration.
- Incorporating your guiding word into questions when making decisions or considering old habits. For example, if your word was ‘thrive’, you might ask yourself ‘is spending three hours on social media each day helping me thrive?’
- Set a reminder on your phone for a couple of months’ time to check in with your word of the year and if it still resonates with you
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And while you're thinking of words to live your best 2023, think of our Mantra Collection - where you can carry these words of empowerment and motivation with you wherever you go. They're private, just for you, where you can set your intention and carry them with you through your day.
