My Word for This Year

Before I share my word for this year, let me just be real with you for a minute. I don’t know that I have ever actually made a New Year’s Resolution. To be honest, I always kind of thought they were stupid. But then as all the chatter around resolutions has shifted to this “word for the year” thing, I was intrigued.  I figured, well everyone else is doing it, why not me? No, I’m kidding. Y’all know me well enough to know that I didn’t do it because it was popular. I just decided a word for the year was something I could benefit from doing! It is good to set a “theme” for your year to give you something to reference and see how you’re doing, just like it is good to set goals so you can measure how well you’re doing on something you want to accomplish.

My word for 2017 was NO.

It actually played out very differently than I thought it would. I chose this word because I thought it would help me say no to what everyone else was doing and say yes to what was best for my family. Instead of saying yes to everything I was asked to do, I would make the choice that was best for my family. But I learned to say no to a whole lot of things, focusing my time, energy and attention on the things that mattered most instead. It isn’t easy – because I hate feeling like I am letting people down! But I’m still learning this practice and definitely thankful I chose the word NO.

My word for 2018 kind of happened almost by accident.

In 2017, I created a vision board to help me focus on the dreams and goals I set for my businesses. Throughout 2017, that vision board served as a reminder of what I was striving for. When December 2017 came around, I realized that my word for the new year had been in the center of my vision board all along!

BELIEVE

There are several reasons why I chose believe as my word for 2018. The first is because of one of my favorite new testament passages, “Lord, I believe; help thou my unbelief.” In 2018, I want to work more on my spiritual walk. A lot of times, my doubt is bigger than my belief. It’s part of our sinful nature. I want to remind myself daily that Jesus loves me, has big plans for me, and that I am enough because He loves me.

Another reason I chose this word is because I have a hard time dreaming.

Not the “while you’re sleeping” kind…I’m good at that. I struggle thinking about something that seems too good to be true or a goal that is too lofty – that’s something I’m trying to be better about! I’m a very literal person and tend to be glass half-empty instead of glass half-full. In order to keep myself from being disappointed, I try to keep myself from dreaming at all. But I’ve gotta work on that. I need to believe.

In 2018, I want to BELIEVE that good things can – and will – happen.

I believe that my team and I can have dreams and work towards them. I believe that 2018 will be an even better year than 2017. I believe that I will be a better person in 2018 because of my prayers asking God to help my unbelief. Despite my failings already this year, this week, and even today – I still believe all these things.

I journaled Mark 9:24 in my Bible Journal and I look back and reflect on it regularly. I have my vision board in a place I can see it OFTEN. You need to make your word and your goals visible! If your goals are something you get reminded of often, you can be more intentional! And this year, I’m going to be more intention about daily putting effort into believing.