The word of the year

As the crowd counted down to 2018, and we all looked to the sky for a fireworks spectacular, I thought about what my “word” would be for the new year. My word needed to be something that would capture what I wanted to happen. One word that would describe my goals and aspiration. One word that would push me to be better.

And in that moment – as the neon sparks illuminated the sky and friends sang along to choreographed songs they kinda knew –  I shivered and smiled and sang right back. Song after song brought back memories of 2017. I reminisced about all the changes I’d had over the year, the goals I had accomplished, and the bucket list items I still wanted. In that moment, I decided what my word would be.

This year’s word is growth.

I worked on my 2018 goals by working through the Year Compass. If you’ve never heard of it, I highly recommend it. It certainly takes time if you do it correctly, but why wouldn’t you? It’s your life after all. And most certainly your year.

After a full morning spent thinking through 2017, followed by a full afternoon drinking tea and dreaming about 2018, I completed the challenge. I’m sure I will adjust a few things as the weeks and months progress, but it certainly has given me a great layout for the year to come.

I’ve divided my 2018 goals into these categories:

I’ve broken down these categories into goals – sectioned out into 90 days – on a massive Trello board, with deadlines. All of my goals (now that they have been broken down) are absolutely obtainable. Well, most of them. I may still have “be a movie star” on this list, but I’m a dreamer. And I like to dream big. 

And, all of my 2018 goals will help me grow into the person I want to be. A better person. A positive person. A person with hope and dreams. A person that is grounded in her faith and spends time with the people she loves. A person who uses her creative talents on projects for her house, projects for her job, projects for her community.

This time next year, I hope that I can say I’ve grown.

What about you? How will you grow in the new year? Or better yet, what’s your word for 2018?

“The important thing is somehow to begin.” — Henry Moore