If you struggle with keeping and making New Year's resolutions, consider choosing a word to focus on rather than making a bunch of resolutions.
A few years ago, an author friend of mine posted on her blog about choosing a word to focus on for the year rather than making New Year's resolutions. Intrigued, I kept reading. She said although she had all the best intentions of following through on her New Year's resolutions, she often found within a month or two she had failed to complete the goals she had set for herself. However, she prayed that God would give her one word to guide her life for the coming year.
Similarly, I've prayed and asked the Lord to give me a word. This past year, it was the word “simplify;” whenever this word came to mind, I did something to simplify my life. I cleaned out my inbox and kept the number of emails from getting out of control. I cleaned out all my closets and kept my possessions to a bare minimum. I can say with certainty that I did simplify my life over this past year. As I have prayed and asked the Lord to give me a new word, the new word I have is “change.”
Although I don't know what that word will look like for me yet, every time I think of that word, I will do something to make a change in my life for the better.
Although I'm the goal-oriented person, I find choosing a word rather than making New Year's resolutions just as satisfying. If you struggle with keeping and making New Year's resolutions, consider choosing a word to focus on rather than making a bunch of resolutions.
Here are five reasons why choosing one word is better than making a list of resolutions:
1. You Don’t Feel Like a Failure
Although New Year's resolutions were made to make our lives better and more productive, people who don't meet their New Year's resolutions can often feel like a failure, especially perfectionists and those who have experienced legalism within the church. Choosing one word, however, means you can invest a little or a lot and still meet your goal. For example, if my word is “change,” and I simply change one area of my life, I will have succeeded. However, if New Year’s resolutions are not met by their deadlines, they are considered failed attempts. It's never a good idea to start off the new year feeling like you've already failed. By choosing one word, you set yourself up for success.
Choose a word with great meaning that reflects your values, intentions, and goals for the new year. For example, don't choose a word that's super spiritual simply because others might think less of you. If it's not going to help you move forward in your life, don't choose it. Choose a word that you know you can incorporate even in the smallest of ways. For me, “change” is a big word that can be incorporated in all different types of ways. Since I could use change in various areas of my life, choosing this word will be beneficial to me as I will be able to take the necessary steps to change several areas of my life and still feel like I've been productive in various aspects.
2. It Can Last All Year
For example, if you want to lose ten pounds, the best way to set a New Year's resolution is to set a deadline. You may want to set the deadline to March 1st or April 1st, or any other date that seems realistic to you. However, change can encompass a year-round commitment. I can change my attitude every time it's selfishly focused rather than focused on God. I can still change things on December 31st rather than just a few months of the year. How you choose to incorporate the word, the frequency with which you use it, and the steps you use to incorporate it are all up to you. That's the beauty of choosing a word: there is no deadline associated with it. But it can still help you make progress in areas where you need improvement and still give a boost to your self-esteem.
3. It Can Take on Various Forms
Your word may take on many forms and connotations. For example, “simplify” may mean decluttering your home, or it could mean removing toxic relationships from your life. How you choose to view the word can be deemed a success.
The most important part about choosing the word for the year is to take baby steps. There is no reason to make huge changes in your life based on one word. Even the smallest tweaks to your life can help you progress in the areas where you are lacking and help you move forward.
4. It Can Help You Stay Focused
Incorporating one word into your daily life all year will take a lot of planning and guidance from the Lord. In some ways, it will take more intentionality to complete because you will constantly be trying to find a way to incorporate that word all the time. Intentionality is a good thing if you want to be successful at it. Many resolutions fail because a person makes the resolution and then forgets about it, as there's no real incentive to complete it. However, if you choose to use the word in ways that will help you grow spiritually and keep yourself close to the Lord, anything you do in that arena will give God glory and give meaning and purpose in your life.
5. One Word Can Make a Difference
Just as choosing the right word will mean success or failure in terms of completing it this year, it will help you focus on all the words that you use, whether written or verbal. In the same way, Twitter helps us write and speak succinctly because we only have a certain amount of characters to use, the choice of one word may help you achieve goals you always dreamed of achieving but never believed were possible. Since we have just come out of a global pandemic, it may have felt like your life was never going to move forward. If we can make it through the global pandemic, we can choose one word and incorporate it into our lives.
If you are having trouble choosing your word, don't stress! Seek the Lord and ask his wisdom on the matter. Don't force the issue if you find nothing is coming to mind. You can always start with a word and change it later if you find the word is not in alignment with your life goals. There are also some websites that can help:
https://slowlivingldn.com/journal/pause-dwell/choosing-a-word-of-the-year/
https://www.fillingthejars.com/word-for-the-year/
https://mountainmodernlife.com/word-of-the-year/
While choosing one word rather than making New Year's resolutions may be new for you, it's not for everyone. Consider the likelihood you will be able to focus on one word for the year. For some, it may be difficult, and might be best to go back to making deadline-oriented goals. But for those who have always felt stuck and failed to complete New Year's resolutions, choosing one word may be the breath of fresh air you need to get your life back on track and move forward in the new year.
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