It’s Commitment Month: How to Better Yourself with Just One Word This Year

Doesn’t it feel like 2019 is going to be a big year? Your year. The year you get a promotion, start a blog, write a book, or insert whatever life-changing plan or epic epiphany you plan to have. I know people say this every year, but I swear this year everyone I know seems to be considering a leap of some kind and the feeling is rather electric. Let’s do this, mommas! If you’re like most people, the few days leading up to January goes something like this: You choose a problematic behavior (or two or three) that has plagued you forever and vow to reverse it. Then comes the list of imperfections to be corrected otherwise known as “New Year’s Resolutions” – all of which are typically off your radar come February. Exercise? I thought you said extra fries!

I’m hearing a ton of moms this year resolving to be a better mother. But what does this mean and how do you get to this place? I’d love to talk a little more about what helped me last year to stay focused: I identify a word of the year. Just one word that centers around your character and creates a vision for your future (or this year, at least). This will provide you with a lens to see the changes you need to make and also a way to determine whether or not change is actually happening. This process provides clarity by taking all your big plans for life change and narrowing them down into a single focus. If your resolution is to “be a better mom” could you substitute this instead with one inspirational word such as “Joy” or “Present” or “Contentment” as the guiding word to take you down this journey?

Have you ever picked a word of the year? Last year mine was “Create”.

(Hey, noone said the word had to be an adjective!) I’d say I was mildly successful in embracing this one worded un-resolution in 2018. At least, as much as I could realistically manage while being a part-time WFH (work from home), full-time mom of three. That was a mouthful! Even saying it makes me tired.

Last year, I not only created more content for my blog and shared more to my Instagram (thereby growing my readership and following, and establishing some awesome brand partnerships in the process), but also IRL, where I carved out and created opportunities for new experiences with my family. In my quest to create though, I had to be resourceful:

- To create digital content you need photography. Once I realized I had a 6-year-old who could take decent pictures with my DSLR, I offered to pay him a retainer fee each month to be my photographer. Rather than having to listen to the Husb complain about taking photos, each month I pay Max $2 for unlimited photo shoots. It teaches him a new skill, patience, and discipline, and it allows me to create new content on a regular basis.

- Time. Who has 36 hours in a day? I had to fight for time alone on weekends, sans kids. Sometimes that just means stealing brief moments at home holed up in my room to write, and sometimes it’s having the luxury to set aside longer blocks of time to get away to my fave European cafe to use their wiFi and nibble on Sachertorte. If I was particularly good at wielding my RBF, then it sometimes resulted in extra me-time on a random weeknight to create while the Husb took over bath time duties.

I wish you all a positive, life-changing year no matter how you get there, through traditional resolutions or a one-word year. I haven’t decided yet what my word for 2019 will be. Maybe “self-love”. Does that count as one word or two?