Once upon a time I'd draw up new year resolutions.
I did them as detailed as I could. Grand plans for a brand new year on how I should live my life more productively. Big goals along with concrete steps I could take to get there; read more, eat well, exercise regularly, be a better friend, watch less shows, visit my grandparents more, etc.
It was great! That is, for the first two, three weeks. A month if I was really on fire. Then the momentum would take a steep dive thereafter. And when year end rolls around, I'd be wondering what happened that whole year. Another year's worth of time gone.
It wasn't sustainable.
I wasn't going to go to bed and wake up a brand new ideal me on 1st January.
What I needed a broad guiding principal that I could live by and base decisions on. Not 67 different actionable items that I try to fulfill like a to-do list. It ended up feeling more like a chore than an inspirational process of edification.
So I started having a phrase a year.
It simplified my life.
- 2013 was the year of 'No Regrets', and I lived, truly, with a newfound sense of satisfaction I didn't know I was capable of experiencing.
- 2014 was the year I 'Say Yes' and found myself consciously taking opportunities that were presented. This was especially fulfilling since it was also the year I started working.
- 2015 was the year I 'Choose Health'. I realised I had to prioritise my mental, physical, and emotional health. This was the year I successfully did regular exercise and reflection.
- 2016 was where 'Progress is better than perfect' guided my hand. I JDI-ed and Got Things Done instead of falling into my tendency to attempt perfection by over-planning.
2017 - Be Bold.
As the sun sets on a turbulent year, my phrase for 2017 is to Be Bold. To be confident in my strides, to become more comfortable with uncertainty and being a little scared because it will be exciting at the same time, to run with my ideas, to be on the edge of my comfort zone because that's where I will discover better versions of myself. 2017, bring it.
What's your phrase for 2017?
I hope this post encouraged you in some small way. I'd love to hear what words or phrases inspire and motivate you (: Let me know in the comments below!
