“When you have clarity of intention, the universe conspires with you to make it happen.”- Fabienne Fredrickson

I love the start of a new year. There is an energy of hope and anticipation that I find infectious. For me the New Year presents an opportunity to set a new intention, which I use to help guide me throughout the year.

I don’t remember anymore who it was that introduced me to the concept of finding a word for the year, but I am forever grateful to that person. I have been following this practice of finding my Word for the past several years now. The idea is to set a word of intention instead of making New Year’s resolutions. I really love this concept because I am horrible at keeping resolutions and I know I’m not alone. We’ve all done it. Making promises to ourselves to go the the gym five times a week and only eat vegetables. But by the end of the first week (or maybe the second if I’m lucky), I’ve ordered a pizza and am curled-up in bed watching a movie on Netflix! Resolutions are always a nice idea, but they never stick.

I love setting a word of intention, specifically a gentle intention, because it acts as a guide to keep me centered and grounded. When I come back to my word it also reminds me of what I want to create more of in my year.

In 2016 my word for the year was “Slow“. At the time I felt like I was moving too fast in general. My energy was spread in many different directions and I wasn’t managing my time effectively. As a result I was making mistakes and felt overwhelmed much of the time. Slow was a reminder to slow down and move more thoughtfully through my days.

In 2017 my word for the year was “Simplicity”. At the time I found this word, I was coming out of an incredibly stressful period of my life and had a deep desire for less. Less clutter, less overwhelm, less movement. With Simplicity I would ask myself the question “Can I make this simpler?” and use the answer as a guide.

This year in 2018, my word is “Restore”. I had been feeling separate from and scattered within my self and this was reflected in how I was moving in my life and business. For me Restore is about coming back fully into myself and into my life. It’s about being aligned and connected with my passion, purpose, and my God.

This brings us back to the quote I shared at the beginning of this article. Specifically, the first part of that quote which reads, “when you have clarity of intention…” I have been learning that this part is the key.

For the first time in a very long time, I am experiencing clarity of intention. The result of this clarity includes:

  • Improved focus
  • I’m better able to say no to things that don’t serve me
  • I’m not spinning (as much!)
  • I’m able to make decisions more quickly, and
  • I just feel lighter!

Restore will act as a touchstone and reminder for me to stay grounded and connected within myself and rooted in God. It will help me remember that “all of my parts are me”.

One of the important lessons I’ve learned over the past several years is that in order to grow, we must learn to accept ourselves exactly where we are and as we are. Acceptance doesn’t mean we have to like our circumstances. It’s simply saying that we see and acknowledge the reality that is in front of us instead of looking at ourselves from a lens of what (and where) we are not.

“Acceptance is about saying that we see and acknowledge the reality in front of us instead of focusing on what (and where) we are not.”

If you refuse to start another year full of broken resolutions, then I invite you to keep reading and learn how you can find your Word for this year!

Questions to Help You Find Your Word

I want to offer you some gentle guidance and questions to help you find your word for this year. Before you jump into this activity however, I encourage you to block out a little time, maybe 10-15 minutes, so that you can focus.

Gentle Guidance

#1- Let Your Word Find You

I know I said I would help you find your word yet here I am telling you to let your word find you! What gives right? Okay so here’s the thing, in my experience when my word has found me it was always the right word. What I mean is that you cannot “force” a word to manifest in your life. If you try to, things just won’t work out that well (believe me I’ve done it so I know!). Instead it works better if you practicing “allowing”. In other words, make space for your word to show-up and position yourself to recognize it when it comes.

“Make space for your word to show-up and position yourself to recognize it when it comes.”

#2- Suspend Judgement & Self-Criticism

Most of us struggle with being critical or downright mean to ourselves at times. I want to encourage you to suspend judgement if any pops-up as you work through this exercise. This is a practice of simply noticing and accepting what gets revealed in the process, not judging!

The Questions

Please write down your answers to the following questions:

  • What do I want more of in my life this year?
  • What needs to get out of the way in order for me to have more of that?
  • What do I want less of in my life this year?
  • What needs to change in order for me to have less of that?
  • What words are resonating with me right now?

After you’ve done this, I want you walk away from the list and go do something else.

If it’s late when you’re doing this exercise then go to bed!😉  Sleep is so healing for our minds and bodies.   Over the next few days you can periodically glance back at your list, but more than anything I invite you to simply notice.

Is there a word or words that keep coming-up again and again? Each time the word comes up do you feel a sense of “yup that’s it!” If so, congratulations you’ve just found your word!

If not that’s okay too; just keep noticing and allowing. When it’s ready your word will come and find you!

“When it’s ready, your word will come and find you!”

Now that you have found your word you might be wondering what to do with it! If so, don’t worry, I’ll be back in a future post to share some of the different ways I’m using my word to help me navigate this year with intention.

Have you found your word of the year yet? If so I’d love to hear about it and what it means to you in the comments section below.

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Wishing you more peace & joy than your heart can hold.

Creatively,