What if planning for 2020 felt thrilling? Exciting? Fun and invigorating? (Pssst… If you’ve been around here for a while, you know what’s coming next!)

With the new year (and new decade!) just a champagne toast away, most of us are busy thinking about our resolutions: get healthy, exercise more, eliminate sugar, quit carbs (for good!) But trying to make big changes all at once can be daunting. Not surprising, this rarely works. We burn out – or pull a muscle, or unhappily binge-eat a batch of chewy chocolate chip cookies over the sink.

For me, New Year’s promises became an exercise in shame and disappointment, rather than hope and excitement; they highlighted all the ways that my previous year didn’t quite measure up, instead of filling me up with visions of the future.

But at the end of 2013, I shifted the way I thought about my coming year, and instantly, everything felt different: lighter, easier, and sustainable.

What did I do? I chose a word of the year. (My favorite annual ritual, and I LOVE when you join in, too!)

In 2019, I picked the word evolve. From my big rebrand to my podcast launch to sharing my food story message far and wide, it was my year to evolve. None of it would be possible without YOU! (And to show my gratitude, I have a MAJOR giveaway. Keep reading!!)

Through the years, I’ve chosen, trust, simplify, ease, spaciousness, simplify, and savor kicked the whole tradition off!

My “word of the year” anchors my daily life. It guides the work that I do, the choices that I make, and the way that I navigate my days. When I feel adrift, I remember my word of the year and come back to myself – and my goals for coming months.

My word for 2020? Believe.

(Sounds intriguing, doesn’t it?)

Believe means not questioning myself or my actions, but learning to have that inner trust and faith. It means not overthinking – and moving through each day, each month, and each season open to the idea that things are unfolding in just the right way, even when life feels unsteady.

Choosing to believe is about having confidence in this very moment and staying present, rather than being fearful of on an imagined, uncertain future.

To really believe, I’ll ditch self-doubt and fully commit to following my intuition and my heart.

But my word of 2020 may not be your word. Perhaps you’d like the next year to feel calm or connected or creative. Maybe you seek simplicity, or to feel more grateful.

Choosing a word of the year has grounded me and changed the course of my next trip around the sun –and I know it can do the same for you!

Here are three steps to get you started:

Think … about how you want to feel.

In order to keep traditional resolutions, we track numbers: calories, dollars, social media followers. But with a single word as your beacon, 2020 becomes easier and sweeter. A “successful” year becomes a year that feels the way you want it to feel.

Dig deep. Peer through the window of your Future Dream Life. Really imagine the specifics: how do you want your life to feel? Free? Supported? Confident? Imagine your heart and mind feeling that way, every single day, then choose your word accordingly.

Trust … your intuition.

Choosing your word of the year is a lot easier than you might expect. You don’t necessarily have to labor over this decision; just reflect. In 2019, what worked? What didn’t? If you’re honest with yourself, you probably already know how you’d like next year to be different. When a word springs to mind and feels right in your gut, you’ve got it!

Apply … your word to your whole life.

Supported at home means something different than supported in your professional life. And connected to your body is different than being connected to your partner.

How does your word apply at work? At home? In your thoughts? Does it affect the way you move your body, or the food choices you make? Will it change the way you use technology, or the ideas that fill your mind? When you apply your word to all the areas of your life, you’re ready to make it happen everywhere.

Cheers to a year filled with health, happiness, and just the right word!

[The Giveaway is now closed. Thank you to everyone who participated and inspired us here with your word. Congratulations to Camila.]