At the start of a new year many people reflect on the past year and make plans for the upcoming year. I have tried it all: resolutions, goal setting, word or the year, bullet journaling, etc. I am eager about experimenting with new systems and exploring things I am interested in learning more about this year.

This year I am creating a system of all the different things I have tried that have worked for me in the past. The last 6 months I have been on a journey of dealing with my mental health and learning to be more intentional and mindful of my needs. This is also great timing since this year I will be celebrating my 40th birthday.

So to start off I wanted to anchor my year with a word for the year. This has been something that I have done successfully several times and it has had a huge impact on the year and how I would approach and view challenges that would come up.

This year I have decided to go with the word reduce. 

I can apply this word to several aspects of my life.

• Reduce stress
• Reduce negative thinking
• Reduce spending
• Reduce belongings
• Reduce distractions
• Reduce digital clutter
• Reduce soda intake

Part of this journey is being flexible with myself and my expectations. One mistake does not mean you failed, it means you just need to try again. Exercises like this are for self exploration and self improvement. We want to avoid self-criticism when we fall short of the unrealistic expectations we may set for ourselves

New Year’s resolutions, words of the year, goal setting are all ways we try to improve ourselves and our circumstances. What will make you happier and is attainable? I am using the word of the year because it gives me something to refer to throughout the year. What am I trying to do in all aspects of my life? Any progress is worth the work. So I am excited to see where this year takes me and I know it will be my best year yet.