“A person who aims at nothing is sure to hit it.”
Isn’t that the truth? When you go through life with no plan or goals whatsoever, you probably won’t get very far. Growth doesn’t just magically happen on its own. Something I’ve talked about a lot here on the blog is that there is no standstill in life; either you’re moving forward or you’re moving back. Without an intentional focus we just drift through life and hardly end up anywhere near where we want to be.
So my question for you today is:
We can (and should!) set goals and new year resolutions (hear my thoughts on that here in Why I Don’t Believe in New Year’s Resolutions), but I’d like to present an additional idea to you–something I’ve learned about and practiced in recent years. And that is to pick one word or phrase to be the focus of your year. It can be a symbolic word, a quote, or a short phrase that embodies what you want your focus to be in the new year.
“Lack of direction, not lack of time, is the problem. We all have twenty-four hour days.”
-Zig Ziglar
There is great value in taking time to intentionally decide on your direction and narrow your focus.
I have created a FREE worksheet for you to help you in deciding on your word or words that will be your 2019 focus. Just put your email into the subscription box below to join my mailing list and receive your free worksheet.
If you’re already subscribed to my mailing list, check the bottom of any of your emails from me (Anna Reel) to find a link to access The Secret Grove where this resource will be waiting for you.
Here are a few of the questions that will help you:
- REFLECT on last year. What worked? What didn’t?
- What would I regret in 2020 not doing THIS YEAR? If I could redo 2019, what would I do differently?
- What do I want to remember 2019 for?
- What’s 1 word (or a few words) that embodies all that I want my 2019 to be about?
My Past Focuses
Want a couple examples of a one-phrase year focus? Click the links below:
My 2018 Focus
My 2017 Focus
My 2016 Focus
Next week I will share with you my new 2019 focus. If you don’t want to miss it, make sure to subscribe. You’ll also get that worksheet to help you reflect on the questions (taking time to write down actual answers always helps me).
Your 2019 Focus
Spend time reflecting on the questions and filling out the worksheet. You don’t have to complete it all today. Feel free to take your time over the next few weeks. Come back here and comment to let me know your focus for 2019!
Another thought provoking post, Anna. You always seem to word things that really hit me deep and make me really think about what I want. I love that you can do that.
Keep up the amazing work for 2019 – it will definitely be YOUR year!
I’m so glad the post benefitted you! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave this thoughtful comment, Michael! Hurray for 2019! We both will do some amazing things this year; I know it!
Beautiful blog. I love the questions you pose, like, “if I could redo 2019, what would I do differently?” This year my word is Praise. I want to Praise him anyways, in all circumstances!
Thank you so much for reading and commenting, Jodie! What a great word! I wish you the best in 2019! 🙂
My focus for 2019 is to be more positive in taking care of myself and doing things I NEED to do for me instead of other people.
I love that! I can relate to that as someone who tends to put others first and lack in the area of self-care. I wish you the best! Happy new year!
Thanks Anna, I had an aha moment reading this post. I don’t have many of those, I love it when I do
I love those aha moments! I am so very glad my post sparked something in you! 😀 I hope you have a great start to your 2019!
Beautiful post and definitely got me thinking. I want to focus more on my blog in 2019 and work on regular uploads!
Brooke x
http://www.brooke-pearson.co.uk
That sounds great! You can do it! I hope you have an amazing start to your year!
Thanks for commenting! 🙂
This is such an inspiring post!! So many deep questions to reflect about in 2019!! I’ve recently been doing “words for the year” as well!!! Love how similar a lot of us are☺️ a last year it was to “be brave”. I haven’t really thought about what word could describe this year, possible “discipline” looool😂 Thanka for the motivation girl!!❤️
Thank you so much for your thoughtful, encouraging comment! 🙂 Ooo I love that your focus last year was “be brave”! I hope you have a great start to your 2019! And if you ever want to chat more about goals or talk out your focus for 2019, feel free to message me on Twitter! 🙂
I love the idea of having a focus for the year. It’s all about your mindset! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you so much for taking the time to read and comment! <3
What an interesting post! There’s definitely a lot to think about for 2019 but self care is definitely top of the list… thank you for sharing!!
Thank you so much for taking the time to read and comment! <3 Self care is so important! That's something I've been trying to give more attention to over the past few years.
This is a great post! I’ve really decided to crack down on my 2019 and use each day to the fullest. My word of the year is: opportunities.
Oo I love that focus! I hope 2019 will be an amazing year for you, full of opportunities!
I’m loving your blog and the overall positive vibe around it. My focus word for this year is “abundance” as I’ve aimed to find gratitude in even the small moments/ things to help me realise how blessed I am. I believe that a grateful mindset is exactly what attracts abundance so, I’m going at it by being mindful of my blessings everyday and it’s so far made this year an amazing experience. Thank you for sharing x
I think that’s beautiful, Lydia! I love that! We have so much to be grateful for 🙂
Thank you for reading and commenting! <3