TORONTO, ONTARIO
Hello my friends and Happy New Year! I am so glad to be back- full of excitement and hope and ready to tackle 2021. Today I am sharing with you something I have been doing for three years in a row that has completely changed every aspect of my life: I ditched the famous New Year’s Resolutions List in favour of a single word – a guiding word. This has worked so well for me that I wish to share it with you… to offer you a different approach to living a positive and intentional life.
WHAT IS A GUIDING WORD AND WHY CHOOSE ONE?*
Instead of the typical resolutions list or goal list, you start the year by choosing a single word – one that will be your “guiding light” and lead your way through 2021. This guiding word will serve to inspire and influence each aspect of your life you wish to change.
In the past, with each New Year I would start super motivated, happy and ready to accomplish the goals and resolutions I had so eagerly scribbled in my notebook. By the month of March I found myself losing interest yet still on the right path. But by September, I lacked clarity, mental strength and discipline… eventually giving up on my precious list. I felt like a failure- awful and guilty because I did not accomplish some if not all of my goals. Not very good for morale, if you ask me. And definitely not good for self-confidence.
So in my quest for a better and meaningful life I stumbled upon ONE WORD THAT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE written by Dan Britton, Jimmy Page and Jon Gordon. The take-aways from this book have been priceless.
I have found that my outlook, my decisions and my well-being have been influenced by this one chosen guiding word. Following this method has given me control and a different perspective on the things that happen in my life. Needless to say, I am super happy and at peace with the decisions I have made in my life since switching to this method.
HOW TO CHOOSE A GUIDING WORD
STEP 1: REFLECT ON YOUR PAST YEAR
We are living in unprecedented times. 2020 has been a rough one for many- if not most of us. But really, how did you do? Did you accomplish any of your goals/wishes? Anything amazing to be grateful for? What challenges did you face? Any mistakes? How could you have made 2020 even better? Was there anything missing in your life?
STEP 2: ENVISION THE COMING YEAR
As humans, we have many dimensions to our life: physical, mental, emotional, relational, spiritual and financial. What changes in those areas do you wish to implement for 2021? What are you looking forward to in your life?
STEP 3: BRAIN DUMP
Take out a piece of paper and write (dump) all the single words that come to mind. Don’t hold back … just go for it! There is no limit. Once the list is complete, proceed to reflect on each one.
STEP 4: PICK YOUR WORD AND LIVE IT
Commit to one guiding word and focus on it for the entire year. When faced with decisions -mundane or important ones- incorporate your chosen word into the decision making process. Call it a focused approach to your life in order to create positive change.
MY GUIDING WORDS
In my first year, I chose COURAGE. The year after, I chose PATIENCE. Last year, it was FLEXIBILITY (which believe me, it came in quite handy with the Pandemic and the somewhat chaotic world that life has thrown at us).
But this year I am ready for an upgrade. I am trying something new! Instead of choosing one guiding word, I have chosen three. Yup, three! I am excited to see how this approach will work in my life.
My chosen words are:
CREATION
CONNECTION
SELF-CARE
Next year, around this time, I will let you know how it went. In the meantime, I invite you to choose your guiding word for the year, live with purpose and create positive changes in your life.
Share it with us in the comments below. Don’t be shy!
If you are interested in the book mentioned above, click HERE.
If you are into gratitude journaling check my post HERE.
And before I let you go, I want to thank you for your readership, your comments, your support. It means so much to me. XO, LALA
*This post contains Amazon affiliate links for your shopping convenience. This simply means that if you click on one of those links and then make a purchase, I may make a small commission from the sale. This does not result in extra charges to you- or cost you anything additional. As always, I only recommend products I know and love.
I think having a guiding word is an excellent idea! Well said 🌱
Thank you so much!