Once upon a time, I used to make New Years resolutions and every year, without fail, they would end up making me feel disappointed with myself. I never achieved my years resolutions and they were always vague shit like “exercise more” or “lose weight” and those pie in the sky type goals are destined for failure. I mean, let’s be honest, resolutions are really just goals and in order for goals to be successful we need PLANS and if you’re just throwing out some generic goal then you’re never going to achieve that goal.
So instead, I started choosing a word for the year ahead. A year to inspire my life on a day to day basis. A year that meant moving towards something and living in a way that enabled me to sustainably work my goals into my daily planning. In to my every single day.
Picking a word for the year!
The word has to inspire you, it has to feel right! It has to make you want to live with it on a daily basis. Of course you can choose any word you want to – you could be strategic if you want to or flippant or whatever works for you. My word is about what FEELS right in my heart for what I want for myself during the year ahead! I chose my word this year because last year was all about embracing change but this year is about setting roots!
Roots!
2019 (gees can anyone believe it’s 2019 already?) is about settling in. Making friends, building a life, making this home, working on my career – which is a lot different to what I thought it would be, honestly. I had never imagined that I’d be living in New Zealand and working for the New Zealand Government. But here I am! The year ahead is going to be about focussing on what needs to be done to make this new life work for us because no matter what, there is no going back!
A tree stands strong not by its fruits or branches, but by the depth of its roots.
― Anthony Liccione
And this year is going to be filled with more more growing – more working on myself – more settling in – more more more of making this new life work.
It isn’t easy living so far away from everyone you love and the place you are so familiar with as home. It gets lonely, it gets hard and so often I find myself questioning the choice to move away. I always find myself coming back to this point where I KNOW it was definitely the right choice for us. Even though people thought we were crazy, or dramatic – we knew.
And here we are! Building this life from scratch!
So 2019 is going to be ALL about setting those roots deep! Building a new life in our new home!
A plant needs to do more than stretch its leaves toward the sun. It also needs to send down roots deep into the ground. They hold on tightly in the dark, out of sight where it is easy to forget about them. But it is the fact that a plant can do these two things at once, anchoring itself to the earth even as it reaches for the sky, that makes it strong.
― Cameron Dokey, Kissed: Once Upon A Time Omnibus Belle/Sunlight and Shadow/Winter’s Child
Happy 2019! May your word of the year inspire…