“Don’t fear failure. Fear being in the exact same place next year as you are today.”
Unknown
Naming Your Year, an annual tradition which, although provides you with a clear direction, allows flexibility along the way.
Yes it’s the New Year and resolutions are on everyone’s minds BUT, before you commit to something you might just break before the month is out, allow me to propose a new conversation – a fun and flexible way to focus!
Let’s do it together right now!
WHY Naming Your Year is so Effective?
You can’t finish a race without knowing where the finishing line is or even set out on an adventure without knowing which direction to take – and life really is an adventure right?
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Naming Your Year sets a focus and right now is the time to commit before you get swept away in the everyday distractions of life for another year. As a Wife, Mother of two young children and a full-time university student I know all about distractions!
What if we could take a moment to make a conscious decision to simplify all those new year thoughts we are having around expectations, goals, achievements and lifestyle choices and decide on just one word, or phrase, which will guide us closer to who, or where, we want to be? For me, Naming Your Year feels like the annual minimalism ‘treat’ for our minds.
“Minimalism is a tool to rid yourself of life’s excess in favor of focusing on what’s important—so you can find happiness, fulfillment, and freedom”.
The Minimalists
HOW To Start Naming Your Year?
Spend some reflection time thinking about an area of your life that poses a challenge. Do you struggle with being organised, have you ever stepped out of your comfort zone, is motivation an area you wish to improve on, when was the last time you had some real fun, would you love to read more books – the list goes on!
Ask yourself just one question:
“What is the most important action I would like to improve on or achieve this year?”
Now you need to phone a friend, organise a dinner party or meet your bestie for coffee. Many terrific ideas begin during a great conversation and Naming Your Year is no exception.
This is definitely one of those times when having the conversation and getting some feedback is definitely recommended. Pick someone who knows you well and will challenge you to think a little bigger to help broaden your original idea. It is one thing to commit in the privacy of your own thoughts however, there is something powerful about sharing this with others. It helps with holding yourself accountable.
And if Naming Your Year Goes All ‘Wrong’?
This is an interesting one because I truly believe there is no ‘wrong’ – the challenge simply becomes a little trickier.
Let’s take a look back at 2017 – the year I named To Just Be.
“This year I intend to focus on reminding myself to slow down a bit. Be grounded. Make time for the little things. My grand plan is to take the time ‘To Just Be’ and enjoy the lifestyle we have created during this UAEExpatChapter of our life. Something which seems simple, is not always easy…”
This is how the year unfolded:
- My Husband started the year recovering from Dengue Fever
- I was admitted into the hospital for an unexpected operation in my tummy
- During my recovery, I had food poisoning (Husband was out of the country)
- Our little girl caught a savage infection (Husband was out of the country)
- I was involved in a 3 car pile-up on the motorway (Husband was out of the country)
- One of our besties moved home to the UK
- We were unexpectedly told our time in the UAE was up
- Holding onto our home became a daily challenge
- My Husband had knee surgery and was on crutches for our entire relocation back to Australia
Not quite the ‘To Just Be’ I had in mind however, it remained my mantra throughout all of this and I believe, although 2017 was nothing like we planned (is it ever!!!), remembering ‘To Just Be’ certainly gave me the strength to ride the turbulent waves. It also led me directly into #2018 – Rediscover, which really has been loads of fun!
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Another example of how Naming Your Year can help in challenging times is how a special friend of mine chose the word ‘togetherness’ when her family spent a year being separated due to work commitments. Creating opportunities for ‘togetherness’ was the perfect theme to focus their energy on during a period when they understood the value of spending quality time together as a family.
The purpose of Naming Your Year is to help you rise to challenges after all and the end goal is being able to look back proudly at the lessons you have learnt and acknowledge how they have helped you grow over a 12-month period.
If you are still looking for more inspiration you can find a recap of our themes for the last 10 years here.
Naming your year certainly gives you a direction and provides a broad focus which allows room for flexibility as you progress through the year. Think ‘2019 – the year of making healthier choices’, rather than a resolution to ‘lose weight’. It gives you a positive mantra you can remind yourself of when you are feeling a bit stuck. For example, if you find yourself staring into a mirror and beating yourself up about how you look, simply remind yourself of your focus of ‘healthier choices’ and head outside in the fresh air for a walk – a much more constructive action.
These actions aren’t something which just stop at the end of the year, in fact they become new habits which you take into the following year and built into new routines. So, with no further ado, this year I am telling myself:
‘2019 – You’ve Got This!’
I’m thinking of it a bit like my superpower. Graduate from UNI and qualify for a role which is going to help me on my mission to save the world – all while being there for the people I love.
Now it is your turn and please, let me know if I can help in any way.
I am loving being tagged in all your social media posts and hearing all the incredible challenges people are setting themselves this year. We’d love to have you join in the conversation either here, in the comments below, or over on our social media pages:
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So please, pop in and say hi, have a read of what other people are naming their year and leave us a message. We’d love to hear from you…
X Shea
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