I don’t make resolutions for the New Year – I choose a theme.
Resolutions haven’t really worked for me. I don’t remember any I’ve made and kept. A few years ago, I stumbled upon this idea of choosing a theme or word for the year instead. This has given me the freedom to adapt my goals as the year goes on while still growing in the direction I wanted.
Origin Story
It started at the end of 2015 when I found myself being asked about resolutions for the next year. And late 2015 me was not a happy woman. To
Privately, I thought, “I just want to survive.”
Out loud, I said, “I just don’t want to be in the same place I am right now.”
And that became my mantra for the year; whichever direction my life turned I didn’t want to find myself standing still.
It worked. I moved (literally and figurately) and my whole life changed.
The last few years I’ve followed that example in choosing a theme or word for the year. 2017: Moving Forward. 2018: Rhythm.
Since then I realized this is becoming a more common approach to the New Year. Stasia Savasuk, a body-positive style coach I follow on Instagram, does the same thing. And on the podcast Happier with Gretchen Rubin (which I also recommend), the hosts also choose a word for the year. I’m sure there are countless others.
Choosing My Word
I’ve spent more time than usual thinking through my word for this year. I’m thankfully beyond the survival mode of 2016-me and well into the contentment and possibility that Rhythm (my 2018 word) opened up this last year. So what’s next?
The answer is embedded within this new project. I ruminated upon a potential word for a couple weeks – the word Create came up early, but so did Enriching, Courage, Experience, Adventure, and a handful of others.
I couldn’t shake Create. It was speaking to something I wanted – I just had to articulate what. I wrote in my notebook: Create 2019 – what does this mean? And got to work brain dumping on the page. Here are some of the things I wrote down:
- I want to feel creative.
- I want to open up stories.
- I don’t want to be afraid to share my own story.
- I want to live with intention; I want to have agency in my life.
- I want to be brave.
- I want to be me.
- I want to have fun.
- I want to read, write, & collaborate.
Okay, I thought. That sounds pretty good. In an abstract kind of way. But then again, that’s the point for me. To have a direction and a feeling that I can work towards in my life rather than a set of hard and fast goals. I like accomplishing goals and do believe in setting them, but I’ve learned to be careful in the promises I make to myself. I don’t let myself off the hook easily . . . but if I didn’t have anything concrete how would I know where to start?
I made another list: What do I want to create? This came easily. Here’s a smattering of the ideas I had from the spiritual to material:
- A blog
- More stories – start a writing group? work on a script with my brother?
- Mindfulness & Gratitude
- A murder mystery party
- A trip to New Zealand
- Deeper friendships
- Time for myself in the mornings
- A strong & healthy body
- An amazing wedding ceremony for my brother and his fiancé
- An open heart
This list will change – hopefully, more additions than subtractions – but I’m feeling energized (Energy also would have been a good word for the year).
This blog – as I imagine it at its conception – is the cornerstone of my year of Create. I named it after one of my favorite quotes (printed on the notebook where these ideas manifested):
“Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.”
-George Bernard Shaw
With energy and bravery and heart and intention, I want to keep creating myself.
With Love,
Natalie