What if planning for 2023 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 just a champagne toast away, most of us are busy thinking about our goals and resolutions: get healthy, exercise more, eliminate sugar, quit carbs (for good!) But trying to make massive changes all at once rarely works. We burn out – or pull a muscle, or unhappily binge-eat a batch of chocolate chip cookies.

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!)

For 2022, I picked the word reconnect. With the uncertainty and changes we all went through, I wanted to reconnect with people, places, and myself in a brand new way. Plus, having this community (that's YOU) absolutely helped me feel reconnected to my mission, no matter what was happening in the world.

And to show my gratitude, I have an AWESOME giveaway to celebrate the coming new year, so keep reading!!

Through the years, I’ve chosen bold, believe, evolve, trust, 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 and come back to myself – and my goals for the coming months.

My word for 2023? Magic. (Sounds intriguing, doesn’t it?)

Magic means noticing all the little things that light up your life. Magic is everywhere and found in the mundane: the early morning sun, the first sip of matcha, long walks in nature with my pup, the smell of homemade soup on the stove, arranging bright flowers on a gloomy day,  sinking into a bed with crisp clean sheets…

I know for certain that when we invite magic into your days, it appears! I plan to stop and appreciate the magical moments for the next 12 months – giving me so many opportunities to find magic in fresh new ways.

To really embrace the magic, I need to slow down… something I know I can use more of right now.

What would you like to invite in for 2023? Perhaps you’d like the next year to feel calm or connected or creative. Maybe you seek simplicity, or to feel like it's your time to reinvent.

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, 2023 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 2022, 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 aligned in your body is different from being aligned with 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? When you apply your word to all the areas of your life, you’re ready to make it happen everywhere.

Now it’s your turn:

To encourage you to find your word for 2023, I’m giving away my new fave kitchen appliance (The Beast Blender!!!) AND a copy of my book Food Story to help bring health and joy into your life every single day. 

To enter, share your word in the comments, and I’ll pick a random winner on December 31st. Good luck! Cheers to a year filled with health, happiness, and just the right word,

GIVEAWAY CLOSED: Congratulations Salma. Thank you to everyone who entered. Wishing you all the best in the new year!