Repost from: Graceful Writer (A Writing Journey Blog by d. d. Boone)
I do not use New Year’s Resolutions. I stopped using them somewhere in the 1990s. They did not seem to work for me. But, I have always used goals as a way to measure successes in my life. So, in leu of resolutions, I began to create goals for the new year. In 2018, I learned about using a Word of the Year. After I heard about it from the group and read more about it on my own, it made sense for me to incorporate it into my arsenal. I believe life is all about growing, so if it will help me grow, then I am going to use it.
Using a WOTY is a good way to end the previous year and
start a new year. At the end of the
year, you can look back and see how you progressed over the year with a
specific goal – being intentional about how you wanted your year to go. You can see how things went and how well your
year was. At the beginning of the year,
you can make an intentional plan to set a tone for your year. That is what a WOTY does for a new year, set
the tone. And with this tone, you will
have intentionality and purpose for your year.
Read about my journey with A
Word of the Year.
WHAT IS A WORD OF THE
YEAR?
Taken from my Word of the Year Manual (get it here… https://tinyurl.com/wotymanual )
A word of the year is a word that “sets an intention, a
theme per se, for how you want your year to flow.” (Elizabeth Rider)
A word of the year is “a practice that helps you to set
intentions for the upcoming year with just one word.” (Masha Plans)
WHY CHOOSE A WORD OF
THE YEAR?
Using a Word of the Year can help you stay on track. It will
help keep you focused and moving forward, even in moments of tough times.
“Your yearly goals and resolutions can change, become
irrelevant or simply be forgotten after the first month. The word of the year, however,
is a more flexible practice that will stay with you throughout the whole year
as a gentle reminder of your focus.” (Masha Plans)
“Whenever you’re in doubt or struggling (for example when
you feel like your goals don’t work anymore and you are thinking about changing
them), your word of the year will be your compass and it’ll show you the right
direction.” (Masha Plans)
I recommend you try using a word of the month (the same principle
as a word of the year, but shorter in time) to see how it will work for
you. I believe it will be helpful for
you.
If you want a resource about how to find and use a word of
the year, check out my resource and the companion workbook by clicking
here…