For the past few years, rather than make specific new year resolutions, I have taken Susannah Conway’s lead and chosen a word to guide me through the year. A word that reminds me what it is I want to pay particular attention to. I have found it so much more helpful than setting specific resolutions as I had a tendency to set the bar too high and it often felt as though I’d failed before I’d even begun. I have found choosing a word much more fun and effective, and I love that there are lots of creative ways of keeping it in mind throughout the year (I have listed a few ideas below).
My word for 2016 was ‘focus’ which I chose based on the fact that I was returning to full-time study to embark on a two-year Masters in Clinical Psychology. I drew on it a lot. It helped me accept the necessity of doing less Wellbeing Corner work and being unable to implement exciting new plans (they are waiting patiently until next year!); it helped me narrow my focus and take things one step at a time when I was feeling overwhelmed; and it also helped me focus on the bigger picture when it all felt too hard.
Having road tested a few different words over the Christmas / New Year break I have settled on ENJOY to guide me through 2017. Although this year will be no less intense, and will require just as much focus, I also want to enjoy it. My intention is that when I sit down to study my word will remind me to lighten up a little. I also want my word to remind me to make time for the other things I love outside of study – spending time in nature taking small groups of lovely women on Mindful Hiking Days being one of them!
Have you a chosen a word (or maybe a few words) to guide you through 2017? If, not why not give it a go? Try a few words on, play around with them for a few days. You’ll know when you’ve found it (or them!). It will feel right.
Once you’ve chosen your word(s) you might like to try the following to help keep your word(s) at the forefront of your mind:
- change your passwords and incorporate your word(s);
- cut out letters from a magazine to spell your word(s) and stick them on your fridge or on the cover of your diary (if you’re old school and still use a paper diary like me that is!);
- find old scrabble, or other, letters in a second-hand shop and use them to display your word on your desk, or put them somewhere where you will see them often;
- create your own mindful colouring book using the letters of your word(s) – there are so many amazing (free) templates on the internet that you can print out (check out this letter ‘N’!);
- make a vision board using images that represent your word(s).
