Happy New Year!

As we are powering through the beginning of 2018 (some of us plowing through snow), I'm seeing signs of that new years energy all around! It seems like almost everyone is making resolutions, setting goals, and deciding on projects to pursue during 2018. Filled with hopefulness for the possibilities the new year holds, many of us are starting new dietary or exercise initiatives, taking deep dives into The Whole30 (or other nutritional change based programs), signing up for gym memberships, or buying home exercise equipment. How sustainable these resolutions will be for us remains to be seen, and I admit that I sometimes sigh when I see a fellow human being announce that they will be changing their entire selves during the year of 2018 with no help whatsoever, sheerly through their grit and willpower! 

Don't get me wrong, New Years Resolutions, nutritional resets, and exercise initiatives are all worthy endeavors, and the new year can be a great motivator for pursuing new things. However, last year I found myself rethinking the concept of a New Years Resolution. In the past I definitely used my New Years Resolutions as self-punishing tools. Through my resolutions I tried to force myself into changes that actually didn't make much sense or were unsustainable in the long-term. In short, my resolutions were based on a sense of how I thought I should be. They were also based around a conviction that the only way to change my life was to do a complete overhaul of my life, rather than to look for what changes would likely lead to the most sustainable and meaningful change for me.

In making my resolutions I also sometimes (often!) ignored the signals of the natural world. January, while it has the advantage of being widely acknowledged as the start of the year, has the disadvantage (at least up here in the northeast) of being bitterly cold, almost unbearably bleak, dark, and reliably snowy. So while I might feel the pressure to begin a new exercise regimen during this time, the signals from the natural world will inevitably be telling me to get inside and bundle up by the fire with some hearty chili or rich hot chocolate with homemade marshmallows. Even though thousands of people might be hopping on the latest raw food cleanse, the idea of eating long-braising stews and soups seems much more appealing to me during these cold times. I wondered if it's more worthwhile for me to tune in to those signals of winter and view January as a more contemplative time. This wondering led me to a new years practice that I really enjoyed in 2017!

Last year I finally found a way to marry the concept of a New Years Resolution with my introvert's never-ending quest for inward reflecting, pondering and self-evaluation -

I discovered the practice of choosing a "word of the year." 

Just to be clear, I did not invent this concept myself! I'm pretty sure I first encountered it while listening to Gretchen Rubin's podcast (here's the episode for those interested). 

Choosing a word for the year is exactly what it sounds like - you choose a word for your year! This word encapsulates a kind of energy, spirit, or intention with which you want to go through the year. It brings your attention to something that you want to be mindful of through the coming 12 months.

Last year my word was connect. I wanted to go through my year with the value of connection at the heart of my actions. I loved the word "connect" because it could apply both outwardly (to connecting with other people) and inwardly (to connecting with my own inner needs and purpose). When I chose my word I wrote some general intentions inspired by my word, and I posted those intentions on my wall so that I could refer back to them throughout the year. As a result, 2017 truly did feel like a year of connection! The word guided my actions, and whenever I was feeling down or directionless or unsure, I referred to my word and asked myself "Which action is in the spirit of connection?" 

Rather than being a rigid set of rules that I either had to adhere to / succeed or completely abandon / fail, my word served as a gentle guide and reference point, almost like an internal compass that helped me to steer myself in the direction I wanted to go. I wasn't always the perfect connector, but my word helped move me in the right direction.

I loved this practice so much that I've chosen a new word for 2018: Sustainability.

This word started to come bubbling up to the surface even as early as November. As I kept tossing around possible words for 2018, I couldn't get it out of my head. Sustainability is challenging, and that's exactly why I've chosen it. It's challenging in the sense that it's less active than "connect" (it's a concept rather than a verb), and it's challenging in the sense that one cannot look at sustainability without also looking at uncomfortable factors like time, resources, energy, and money. Sustainability also challenges that part of me that still somehow believes that in order to change my life I have to take drastic action and change everything. That part of me believes that the only way I can accomplish anything is to set unattainable goals and work myself until I'm tired beyond tired in the attempt of achieving them. That part of me needs some help! That part of me needs to learn the lessons of sustainability.

If you'd like to join me in choosing Sustainability for your word of the year please let me know! It would be wonderful to be pondering this among friends. If this word doesn't feel quite right to you, choose what resonates with you. The sky is the limit. 

Tune into your intentions. What is the way you want to go through your year? What do you want to focus on? How do you want to be spending your time and energy? Which inner values do you want to guide you through this year? What word comes to mind when you imagine yourself going through your year in a way that resonates with your values?

Whatever emerges for you is what is right for you.  Maybe it's a word or maybe it's 5 words. Maybe it's a phrase or maybe it's a list of intentions. Maybe resolutions do work for you and you're already energized about them! Maybe you're perfectly content with where you are right now and don't feel the need to change anything. What a beautiful place to be! 

Have you chosen a word for the year? Or have you found something different that helps motivate you to make changes during this new years time? Please share with me in the comments. I'd love to know what you find helpful!