I love this time of the year. It feels magical to me. The leading up to it with Christmas celebrations - treasured time with family and friends and the joy of gift-giving…and receiving! The week in between Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve - whether you travel, clean and organize your home or just relax and reflect on the past year. Then New Year’s Eve - the final day of the year - a time to celebrate all of the memories you made - and maybe some you’d like to close the door on.
January is full of the hope that comes with new beginnings. And for me, that goes past the first few days - or week. I have been enjoying reading everyone’s reflections, their visions for the new year, the goals they are setting, and the word they chose to encompass what they hope to achieve in the months to come.
My word for the year is: JOY.
I have some big goals for my business, and where I’d like to see it go, but not at the expense of losing joy in my days. By joy - I’m talking big and small and in all areas of my life. My goal is to not only create more of it, but to take time, daily, to express gratitude for those moments. Though I do this currently, it doesn’t happen as consistently as I’d like. This year my goal is to make it happen intentionally - every day.
My family - spending more intentional time with them. Date nights with Chris (need more!). My oldest will leave for college in the fall and I’m not letting her go without making the most of the time I have left with her under our roof! My youngest will have her driver’s license by the end of the year. Parents - you see where this is going. 😉
My friends - more time set aside for getting together or connecting in some way. I find phone calls can be such a rare treat in this world of texting and social media - time to hear more voices this year! And who doesn’t love a card in the mail?! There are many different ways to connect with friends and I’m going to use them!
My nutrition & exercise - there is joy in the ability to move your body and eat well. While I won’t argue the joy in chocolate and french fries - I also know the joy of going through my day with a well-fueled body.
My work - I truly love the work that I do. Whether I am branding a business to help them reach their ideal customers, supporting an internal marketing team to communicate promotions, or creating internal communications that deliver the intended message with clarity and ease to the reader - I enjoy every aspect of design that I am involved in and the people I work with. My goal here is to keep the joy in all of this by also knowing when to “turn it off”. That’s the tough part when you love what you do - right?! I’ve learned the hard way that burnout is a real thing and that I am much more productive and effective when I take the necessary time away from work.
I’d love to know if you have a word for the year and what it means to you!