Well, it’s the middle of February and according to statistics, the majority of resolution setters have quit by now, especially for avoidance-related (diet, smoking, alcohol, etc.) types of resolutions.
I learned a long time ago that I am in that majority so I avoid resolutions like the plague. I have willpower for lots of things but some arbitrary New Year’s tradition isn’t on that list. Why set myself up for instant failure? I have enough daily anxiety to manage and I certainly don’t need to add more to my already heaping plate. HARD PASS.
While I certainly understand the illusion concept of starting a new calendar year with a “clean slate,” why not set achievable goals for yourself throughout the entire year instead? One of the main reasons why people fail at New Year’s resolutions is because they set HUGE goals in January instead of breaking those large goals into manageable, bite-sized pieces each month.
However, even this method can cause you to feel like a colossal failure when you’re not able to check those smaller items off your list. So why even begin to torture yourself with that masochistic nonsense? You’re not some superhero so stop pretending that you are and show yourself some well-deserved compassion.
For example, instead of tormenting myself with goofy annual rituals (which I stopped doing many years ago), I experimented with an entirely different method in January of 2023 to keep me goal-motivated, and let me tell you, it served me VERY WELL throughout the entire year!
This new method got me through some trying times in 2023 when I felt like throwing my hands in the air (but not waving them around like I just don’t care …) and was the main force that kept me forging ahead which also helped me feel accomplished and confident as a result.
I shared this method with a few of my close friends in December of last year and they loved it so much, they put it into action this January and now I want to share it with you with the hopes it will serve you just as well.
What exactly is this “magical” method?
I first heard about this method in late 2022 while listening to a podcast (unfortunately, I can’t remember which one) where the guest shared her own method of achieving goals instead of setting resolutions. I was quite intrigued to learn about her “magical” method but continued to listen with a healthy dose of skepticism nonetheless.
Her method turned out to be incredibly simple and logical so I decided to kick off 2023 by putting her method into play and I’m grateful I took that leap of faith. I was SO excited that it ended up working for me the entire year, I couldn’t wait to break in 2024 with my newfound goal-setting method. Thank you to that mystery guest on that mystery podcast: you changed my life and my sanity!
So here is her simple method: Choose a “Word of the Year.” That’s it. Nothing earth-shattering. It doesn’t cost a thing (in money or humility), and it’s so easy to do.
I knew 2023 was going to be a challenging year for me. The Hubs and I planned on selling our house in Naples and moving 4 hours away to central Florida. We’d planned on doing that since late 2021 but issues kept coming up and we had to keep kicking our goal further away. However, I’m grateful that happened because a lot changed in the local real estate market and we ended up making more money on our house which was such a blessing.
In 2023, I was facing: winding down two large client projects, designing & planning our fixer-upper’s extensive remodel, a house with a ton of projects to do before putting it on the market, packing up all of our belongings, figuring out how to safely transport our pond goldfish and turtles long distance, photographing every room of the house for my portfolio, and finally moving to our new hometown in mid-December.
Every time I felt like it was way too much for me and my general anxiety disorder to handle and was ready to submit to Defeat, I would refer back to my Word of the Year and like a shot of adrenaline, it would instantly kick my motivation back into gear and get me right back on track. AMAZING!
So what was my 2023 “Word of the Year?”
The 2023 Word of the Year I came up with? “PERSEVERANCE.”
I documented this word on my iPhone’s Notes app, my daily planner, and my wipe-off wall calendar. Any time I felt like giving up, I simply looked at that word and instantly felt SO. MUCH. BETTER. I can’t even begin to describe the comforting feeling that modest word elicited, but I can honestly attest that it got me through EVERYTHING on my 2023 task list and I’m incredibly thankful. I don’t think I could have picked a more appropriate word!
I was so thrilled that this method worked for me that I couldn’t wait to pick out my new Word of the Year for 2024. But this time, I decided to add my own twist and included a “Phrase of the Year” as supplemental motivation.
I knew 2024 was going to be an equally-demanding year dealing with a move to a new hometown 4 hours away from where I had lived for half of my life, starting my fledgling design business all over again, and renovating two old houses while assuming the role of general contractor (not by choice). I needed to figure out THE perfect word and phrase to help keep me on track while navigating through countless distractions and obstacles, and was beyond excited when those magical words popped into my brain in early December.
My 2024 Word of the Year? “FOCUS.” And my new Phrase of the Year? “ENJOY THE PROCESS.”
I wrote these words down in the same places as last year and have referred to them several times already and they instantly got me right back on track. It’s like a dopamine hit whenever that happens!
I hope this method will be as life-changing for you as it was for me and I’d love for you to comment below if you’ve ever tried this method, if you’re planning on giving it a try, or if you have your own tried-and-true method you’d like to share.
Wishing you the very best for 2024 and beyond!
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