My 2019 Word of the Year – Nourish

As you prepare to wrap up thiscalendar year and look ahead to the next, it’s a good time to reflect on whereyou’re at and where you’re headed.  I go through an annual planningprocess each November which I shared step by step here and in mystories on Instagram. 

In addition to this reflecting andplanning, I also choose one word for the new year.  This word of theyear will serve as my theme and guiding principle personally and professionallythroughout the year.  I’ve been choosing a word of the year since2013. 

Some years I have a hard timechoosing just one word, but this year’s word came easily.  I typicallybegin creating a list of possible words in Evernote (aff link) as ideas come tome, then I ponder the list and choose the one that feels mostaligned.  This year, as I typed the word “nourish” into my note, itauto-corrected to “Norush.”  I knew immediately that this typo was a signand that this would be my word.  So for 2019, my word of the year isnourish.

What does nourish look like for mein 2019?

It looks like a variety of thingsincluding:

• No rushing – as Evernote kindly reminded me. 😊  Although I’m very organized, I often try to squeeze in “just one more thing” before I head out the door. We have a full house and heading out the door with kids or the dogs isn’t always simple.
• More simple joys – more walking the beaches with my puppy, more reading, more playing games and doing puzzles, more sitting and relaxing and continuing to keep sleep a priority (as I’ve done in recent years-sleep is so important!). 
• More experimenting with food - Food is super stressful at our house since two of my children have severe nut allergies. Luckily, one of my children loves to cook so together, we’ll be continuing to experiment with new snacks and meals.
• More space – for me, this looks like more space between tasks and activities and more time just closing my eyes and breathing.  It means not overfilling my plate by saying “no thank you” to good opportunities and “hell yes” to the great ones (this requires significant trust in the unknown and daily decision making).
• Simplified wardrobe – My wardrobe is already relatively small (I have about 120 items), but I’ve decided to simplify it even further and create a capsule wardrobe. I’ll be doing this after the new year and will share my journey with you.
• Nourishing my clients - I will continue to focus on working with individuals, groups, and corporations who are curious about simplifying and who are wholeheartedly ready to enjoy the benefits of simplifying their homes and lives.  I will support you as you choose to nourish yourself and live your dreams to see the world and create lives of experiences over things.

This year’s word has more of apersonal emphasis than my last two years’ words had.  This wasintentional, knowing that in order to thrive and succeed in my professionalendeavors, I need to remember to focus on me first.  I knowthat nourishing myself in these ways will impact my work and I’m excited to seehow it all unfolds.

If you’ve never chosen a word of theyear, this might be the year to try it out.  Instead of makingresolutions that you’re not likely to follow through on, choosing one word thatresonates with you and aligns with your intentions might be a simple way tostay focused in the new year. I’d love to know if you choose a word of theyear and if so, what you’ve chosen. 

P.S.  Are you curious about howI did with my 2018 word of the year, BOLD?  You can read about that here.

To Simplicity & Joy,

Lisa