2023 Words of the Year

I hate resolutions. They set us up for failure, and they’re just not helpful. (I must be bitter or something.) Words of the year, on the other hand, is something I’m very into.

In 2020, I started choosing words as a way to set my intentions for the new year. Granted, 2020 was absolute chaos. But those words still stuck with me throughout the year — maybe not in the way that I had originally planned, but they were always in the back of my mind. In 2021, I had zero expectations – a weird relationship fizzled out, I unexpectedly met Rob, I lost my grandma, I moved into an apartment all by myself, and I started therapy. At the start of 2022, I had a bit of a negative attitude towards this space. I didn’t say that out loud in this post, but I can tell I was fed up.

Now it’s 2023, and I have a completely different approach to life. I’m not going to get into much about 2022, but it was not the easiest year for me. I’m very thankful for a great support system and therapy — without those things, I never would have made it through some really tough times.

When I sat down to write this post, I had the mindset of choosing ONE word for the year. I thought if I had too many words, I wouldn’t be able to focus. So I did a brain dump of some words that came to mind. Naturally, I ended up loving them all. I didn’t want to limit myself, that felt like a weird approach to the new year, so I decided to keep ’em all.

MY6 WORDS FOR THE NEW YEAR

Intentional | Living intentionally has been on my mind since last year. This year, I want to focus on being intentional with actions that 1. Affect myself (i.e. Why am I choosing a specific meditation today?) and 2. Affect others (i.e. Will what I’m about to say benefit someone or hurt them?) Choosing to be intentional has always helped my perspective and it’s something I really want to continue to do in 2023.

Embrace | When life throws a curveball at you, the hardest thing to do is simply EMBRACE IT. I was thrown a few curveballs in 2022, and with the help of therapy, I learned to lean into those moments. I learned to sit with the uncomfortable situations and feelings. I learned how to use those curveballs to my benefit, even though they were never ideal situations to begin with.

Consistency | One of my biggest disappointments of 2022 was stepping back from the “blogger/influencer” cadence of consistent posts and partnerships. I had a couple of blog posts and a couple of partnerships. I’m actually not that upset over this because I ended up realizing this is still something I want to do. The step back was necessary. I was burnt out and was really comparing my “lack” of success to other people’s “major” success. What I really need to do is hold myself accountable for weekly blog posts, social posts, keeping in touch with my manager for partnerships, and writing my newsletter. Staying in my lane and focusing on what I truly enjoy about this space is going to majorly benefit me.

Fearless | I’m honestly not quite sure why I wrote “fearless” down in my notebook, but I’m rolling with it. You know I have “fearless” tattooed on my ribcage, right? So it’s kind of always a word for me, ya know? I’m not sure many people know this, but I’m actually a very fearful person – especially when it comes to fear of the “what ifs”. I’m also trying to embrace this fear, and it’s something I speak about in therapy almost weekly. I know I’ll never be completely fearless, but learning how to jump into situations head first, not knowing what will happen is a good start.

Heal | I’m someone who loves to hold a grudge. I hold onto feelings, specifically negative ones, a little too long. And it’s never been beneficial for me. But for some reason, I allow myself to harbor these feelings. That’s something I really want to work on this year — healing from anything in the past that has hurt me.

Fulfill | Social media often leads us to believe we’re not living fulfilling lives. I’ve learned that a fulfilling life is WHATEVER you want it to be, not what someone else tells you it needs to be. For me a fulfilling life is to have my career, to continue living in New York, to create meaningful memories with Rob, to spend quality time with my family, to check in on my friends. That’s fulfilling to me. When I post on social media, I try to post the real things – a morning coffee walk with Rob, lazy days with my niece, a day riddled with anxiety, a good product I genuinely recommend. And even when I’m posting those real moments…someone may not believe in that authenticity. And that’s okay. What really matters is that I’m being true to myself, and continue to do the things that lead me to live that fulfilling life…on my own terms.

As we begin 2023, I hope that you take the time to take a step back and think about what you want for yourself in the new year. We can only control our behaviorand our mentality, so why not think about them in a positive way and action on that?

What are your words for the new year?