What if planning for 2019 felt thrilling? Exciting? Fun and invigorating?

With the new year 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 baby fudgey bars 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!)

In 2018, I picked the word celebrate. In 2017, ease was what I needed most. For 2016, it was spaciousness. 2015 was guided by trust. The year before that, I strived to simplify. And savor kicked the whole tradition off exactly seven years ago.

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 2019? Evolve.

(Sounds fun and exciting, doesn't it?)

Evolve means not fighting for things to stay as I think they should be, but learning to go with the flow. It means not staying stuck – and moving through each day, each season, and this life open to change that allows me to grow. It’s about doing things differently and getting to know new versions of myself, again and again.

Choosing to evolve is about making space for spontaneity, curiosity, and flexibility. It puts me firmly in the present, rather than focused on the past or an imagined, uncertain future.

• When I go on autopilot, I will remind myself to mix it up and welcome last-minute change of schedule, giving myself permission to bend and evolve instead of feeling guilty for not sticking with the “plan.”
• When a client tells me about wanting to release an old food story of stress and anxiety that she has lived with for so long, I will remind her that her body is not static, and she can evolve– and write a new story – at any point in time.
• When my big projects take three times as long to launch (looking at you podcast!) but end up feeling so much more aligned with the message I want to share, I’ll remember how grateful I am for the extra time to evolve.

To really evolve, I’ll ditch rigidity and commit myself to growth in all areas of my life. That means shedding layers (even those that I have clung to for ages) and in the process become the person that I am meant to be!

But my word of 2019 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, 2019 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 2018, 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.