Choosing Your Guiding Word

The beginning of a new year is often refreshing for some people. It’s the start of a new calendar, a clean slate. Like I’ve mentioned in past blog entries, I’ve never been huge into new year resolutions. I like to create specific goals for myself throughout the year to achieve rather than a vague one at the beginning of the year. For tips on creating SMART goals, click here to view my blog about it. This entry isn’t about goal setting, per se. It’s more of a spin-off from a blog I saw on Pinterest a couple of weeks ago.

                This particular blog  talked about deciding on a “guiding word” for the year. I think that there are different definitions of what “guiding word” can be, many of them containing religious connotations, but to me, a “guiding word” is a word that is used to motivate someone to stay on the appropriate life course, a word used for inspiration in reaching one’s goals and dreams. Having a guiding word is a way to challenge yourself, a way to push yourself, it gives you strength and reflects your morals and beliefs. A guiding word is a word that reminds you where you want to be when life’s other plans get in the way.

The word that I chose to be my guiding word in 2013 is simple. It’s CHANGES. I chose changes because I believe that this year will be a huge year of changes for myself and my family. I chose changes because when I’m having a bad day or bad week, I want to be able to remind myself that changes are coming and if I continue to work hard in making these changes, I will be able to build the life I’ve always dreamed. Don’t get me wrong, I have absolutely no complaints about my life, I know I’m a very lucky girl, but there’s always room for improvement. 

What word do you want to be your defining word for 2013? The possibilities are literally endless. Think of what you want most out of your life this coming year. When January 1^st, 2014 rolls around, what do you want to see when you think back to the past year? Don’t be afraid to think and dream big. Your defining word should scare you a little. Here are some guiding word ideas to get your creative juices flowing:

Clarity

Hope

Dream

Fly

Faith

Bold

Family

Freedom

Confidence

Infinite

Positivity

Inspired

Organize

Strong

Forgive

Creativity

Success

Learn

Serenity

Changes

Reflection

Resolve

Peace

                What word or words did you choose to be your guiding word(s) this year? Now that you’ve made the hard decision of figuring out what you want to happen for you in 2013, how are you going to go about achieving that? What events need to happen or what decisions need to be made to make your guiding word come to fruition?