Just. One. Word.

I started making New Years Resolutions in my teens.  I thought of them as goals I'd like to achieve, more than changes that I needed to make.  That might sound the same but ... it's different to me.  Needing "changes" somehow suggested that I wasn't good enough, and let's face it, who the hell wants to start out in a brand new year, feeling like shit?

As an alternative, I started out by setting goals that I'd like to achieve and choosing steps to help me get there.  It was goal setting 30 years ago, when Vision Boards and Goal Setting weren't "the thing to do".

I'd love to tell you that I achieved all of those Resolutions.  Truth?  Most years I couldn't even tell you what those goals WERE by the time March rolled around.  I didn't write them down and didn't revisit them over time.  It was an exciting FUN thing that I did every New Years Eve, when I was filled with ambition and hope ... but it was a process that didn't work for me. 

I started reading posts and articles, that said New Years Resolutions were ineffective for the majority of people (one article said that 92% of people never keep them but lets face it ... who knows if that's a FB stat or a statistically significant research paper).  Since I had seen my own failure-to-achieve, I decided the FB stat might be correct and for one year, I didn't set any resolutions that year.    What I learned?

It wasn't fun.

I realized that I'm a person who loves to plan for the future, who actually LIKES challenges and who believes that there is ALWAYS something to reach for.  That doesn't mean I'm not happy with who I am today ... it just means that I thrive on achievement and setting goals and dreaming about new exciting options for the future, is what focuses me in that direction.  I just needed to find a new method that worked for me.

And just like that ... another option appeared.

I had started reading about people who declared just one word for their new year tradition.  

No more resolutions.  
No more goals.  
No more action steps.  

Just.  One.  Word.

For a "thinker" like me, that seemed:

a) too easy, and
b) maybe not effective ... I mean if I only have one word and therefore, not a ton of "work" put into it, would this work?

But then I realized two things:

1) 30 years of resolutions also didn't fucken work, 
2) I like the process of goals on New Years Eve so I needed to find another option other than "to not" and this one had just dropped into my lap

So screw it ...I decided that I owed it to myself, to try the One-Word Resolution process that others had started to adopt.  

What was surprising is that finding just ONE word isn't as simple as it sounds.   I thought about (and subsequently discarded) so many words as I didn't think they were a perfect fit to represent ALL that I wanted to do, be and have, in 2018.  

- Surrender
- Relax
- Fun
- Joy
- Balance
- Flow
- Release
- Embrace
- Finish (as someone who can kick some serious ass under pressure ... also known as procrastination to many others, this one was an enticing option)
- Be
- Achieve
- Inspire
- Grow
- Trust
- Expansion
- intentional
- Balance ...

Wait.  There is it again.  

BALANCE.  

As I sat with it for a while, I realized that this was a word that I continually saw pop up in my life (and as a Libra, the scales are my SIGN so I mean ... why would I be shocked that Balance is something that I need?).  I had a doctor tell me I didn't have it.  I had intuitive healers tell me that I needed to find it.  I had biz coaches suggest it.  It was everywhere in everything that I had read.

Needing balance was a common thread (though unattained) for me in 2017 and so voila ... it was the perfect word for me to strive toward in 2018.

What happened next I didn't expect.

I set my intention for BALANCE and I felt pretty danged good about myself going into 2018 this way.  I felt calm and centred and ready to step into the "new me".   The first few months were full of new thoughts and ideas and initiatives as well as old thoughts, ideas and plans that I released (because they no longer served me).  

DANG!!  I was a rockstar at this one-word resolution process!!!!

Or so I thought ...

As if testing me, the Universe said "You think you got it hey?  Let's.  Just.  See" and by Spring, I had taken on SO MUCH MORE in terms of self-imposed obligations, than I ever thought possible.  Between family and work obligations, I was stretched too thin.  In addition, I had two businesses that I was "half-assing" and had begun gaining unexplained weight.  

I started to think I needed to take on more, do more, be more.  I felt guilty for not performing like I THOUGHT others expected of me.  I felt disappointed in myself for not achieving what I had envisioned for myself.   I started to crack under the pressure I had placed on myself.  

Fortunately, that one word kept showing up in the most unexpected places ...

BALANCE

... and I listened.  I took a step back for the whole latter part of 2018.  A full six months where I said "no" more than "yes", stopped doing tasks out of obligation, and rested when I felt I needed it.  That step back, brought me the balance that I was seeking.   

What's even better, is that in seeking to achieve BALANCE, I gained the biggest personal growth possible.  Honouring just one word allowed me time, space and energy to gain the clarity that I needed.  Balance, helped me to step into the next best version of myself and I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt that pushing myself would have NEVER gotten me to this place where I am now.  

Who would have guessed that JUST ONE WORD would be so much more effective than the years of carefully thought out, detailed New Years Resolution lists, goals and action steps, that I forgotten within a few months?

One word created this huge shift for me.  

Just. One. Word.

So, after 30 years of unachieved New Years Resolutions, I have FINALLY "kept" one for the full twelve months.  "Keeping" it doesn't mean that I was perfect (the pendulum swung a LOT during this past year), but I never once forgot it and I always sought to achieve it, which is significantly different than before!  That one word has created a powerful shift for me and from now on, I will choose just one word to represent my new year.  So what have I chosen for 2019?

My 2019 word was an easy one to pick as it stands out to me and feels effortless to find ...

ALIGNED

To me, "aligned" means that I'm going with the flow, listening to my gut (not the rabid squirrels in my brain and not what someone "else" thinks I should do).  It means stepping into my zone of brilliance, the gifts I have and being boldly me.  It means abundance through ease.  It means setting down to create something so beautiful because my soul is writing it.  It means allowance ... and trust that the Universe always has my back.  

Ahhhhh it feels like a wonderful energy to carry me through 2019 and I cannot WAIT to see what things are in store for me as a result.  If you too would like to choose YOUR one word for the year, I've got a few tips to help you out!!!

1)   Grab a journal, a notepad, your iPhone or a computer.  Just start writing.  You can use prompts like:  "what would I like to achieve in 2019?" or "what energy would I like to surround myself with in 2019 and why?" or "who do I need to be, what do I need to do or what do I need to have, in order to step into the best version of myself?"  Or, you can just start writing out the things that are important to you, the goals that you'd like to achieve, the FEELING that you will have when you know you're on the right path.  The important thing here is to just start writing from your soul ... don't THINK ... just let the pen flow.  It's AMAZING the kind of shit that flows out of your pen when you do this.  It's like a conversation with your subconscious.  Crazy stuff and SOOO much more insightful than you might think!

2) notice the words that stand out to you.    Whether in my journal entries or in my daily life, when I paid particular attention, I noticed that the same words keep showing up in my conscious world.  Last year it was BALANCE (it was EV-ER-Y-WHERE).  This year I notice "align" "Aligned" and "Alignment" in book reviews, trainings, blog posts and videos.  It's clearly my word.  

3) Choose your top three words and kinda mull them over for a bit.  Determine what that word means to YOU.  Consider what energy those words bring with them and then decide if that's the energy you wanna hang out with for a year.

4) Choose your word and OWN it.  For the next 365 days.  

BONUS:  I have a really cool free facebook community for female entrepreneurs who want to light the freakin world on fire and I'd love to have you join us!!  Click here:   UNSTUCK with Sandra Priestley    Once approved, share YOUR word of the year on the "Just. One. Word" Announcement post!   I'm excited to see them all!