I don’t set resolutions…. for two reasons.
First, I’m kind of an “Every Day is Day One” sort of gal.
It’s Jan 1? Start. It’s Wednesday, July 12? Start. It’s 2pm? Start. You are the star when you decide to start. Every day, any day… it’s Day One.
Second, for all things there is a right time and place.
You can’t resolve on January 1 to spend more time outdoors hiking if you live in the frozen tundra. (Well, you can, but Mother Nature always wins.)
And, you can’t resolve to be a better boss at your accounting firm starting late March and early April. (Well, you can do that too, but Human Nature always wins.)
Instead, I like to set intentions for the year. If I want to end the year by spending more time outdoors hiking, I might spend the snowier winter months indoors training at a new gym, so I’m ready to go come spring. Or, if I want to be that better boss during crunch time, I might get some executive coaching in the summer when things are quieter, so I’m ready come next year’s tax season.
What I’m saying is that instead of setting a New Year’s resolution you should set a new year’s intention. In the case, above, that intention — your word for the year — might be “READY.”
My Word of the Year
In 2023, my word was ELEVATION. I wanted to bring a lens of elevation to everything I did. And, I did. And, I knew I would. So my word, already chosen at the start of 2023 for 2024 was EASE. But a run-in with a sun dappled, bougainvillea-topped, Aperol spritz filled French weekend set me straight on that front and sent me on a path towards DELIGHT.)
I spent 2024 living in the moment, seeking limitless joy in unexpected places, savoring the wins big and small, and leaning into the moments that make life shine a little brighter. From standing on some of the world’s most exciting stages to connecting deeply with people who inspire me, DELIGHT became not just a word, but a lens through which I saw the year unfold. I did big things, but I also enjoyed big things, something I’d never really let myself do before. (By the way, enough of you asked from last week’s newsletter, so fine. Here are my top professional moments of 2024. Double barf.)
For 2025, I’m choosing a path that is somewhat similar, leaning into the unknown, and not setting ceilings or expectations on what should and could be possible. I realized during my year of delight that, in my pursuit of the vision boarded dream, the socially acceptable reach, and the just-enough-not-to-be-too-much goal, I was unintentionally shackling myself to other people’s lesser imaginations, and drowning in their insecurities.
This year will be a year of curiosity, a year of uncertainty, a year where anything is possible. It’s a year where I’ll never see a finish line, not because I’ll keep striving and driving, but because I’ll simply choose to step off each path when I’ve deemed I’ve had my fill. The difference is that, this year, that fill maybe be long before the finish line I can already see, or long past the one I didn’t even know was out there to claim.
A few years ago, I was asked by a deeply overbearing bore of a professional cocktail party guest, “What are your goals for this event?”
I responded, “I don’t have any goals for this event.”
He chided me, “Well, if NASA didn’t have a goal to put a man on the moon, they mightn’t ever had. Tsk tsk.” (Seriously, he “tsk tsked” me.)
I responded, “And, just think. If they didn’t limit themselves to the moon, where else might they have also learned they could land?”
So, with that, I share that my word for this year is: ADVENTURE
What I know to be true is this: Adventure lies around every corner if we just look hard enough. So, let’s stop letting our ambitions be held back by other people’s lack of imagination, shall we? Galaxies await, and you are a star.
