Happy New Year!
Honestly, I feel like I was just welcoming 2018 the other day yet here we again. Hopefully, wiser and full of excitement for the year ahead. As you may have noticed, I didn’t do a year in review post, but it was a really good one for me. Although I didn’t accomplish all my goals I still had some major wins and unexpected accomplishments. With a new year you receive a sense of new beginnings and just like the previous one I’m ecstatic!
Before we get into today’s post, let’s take a quick recap of my 2018 word/mantra for the year. I made a promise to be UNAPOLOGETIC and UNSTOPPABLE; did I live up to it? I’d say YES! It may not have been 100%, but there was definitely progress made during the course of 2018. I took on a new role within my organization, travelled solo to South America for the first time, fulfilled my major blog goal and enjoyed a birthday trip to two new cities. If anything, 2018 was a year of firsts and set the tone for more growth in 2019.
In addition to my 2018 word/mantra I employed another mantra for my 24th birthday: LIVING FEARLESSLY. With two months into my 24th year I believe this has been going well. There hasn’t be anything totally out of the box that I had to deal with. However, I’m already getting anxiety thinking about all the upcoming stuff 2019 holds. We’ll see how this goes.
Why a word of the year?
Unlike setting new year’s resolutions, a word isn’t necessarily a goal to achieve. By having a word of the year you’re constantly reminding yourself of what you want to do, feel, think, or be. It’s a theme for your year that should align with your goals and character traits. Choose a word that challenges you to make a change.
Take a step further and add this word to your vision board (if you created one, if not what are you waiting for?). Having this visual representation will help you to remember your word of the year and encourage you to use it while pursuing your goals.
How did I choose my word of the year?
I’ve seen the growth of my blog and also received new responsibilities at my job, therefore I know that this year will be challenging. While seeing other individuals post their word of the year on social media I began to think about mine. It took me a week to fully decide on what it should be. I came across many words that felt like they could be it, but deep within me I knew they weren’t.
The Process:
- Looking back on 2018 – what were my goals, did I achieve them, why not, what could I do better. Theses were some of the questions I asked myself while trying to determine my word for 2019.
- Looking ahead on 2019 – taking a look at my vision board and thinking about my plans for 2019 also helped to determine what word would help me achieve these goals
- Brainstorming – By viewing the 2019 word hashtag on Instagram as well as doing a Pinterest search helped me to visualize a vast amount of words that I could choose for my word of the year. Ultimately, it came down to a word in a book in which I was reading. It resonated with me for two days and I knew this was it.
Ideas for your word of the year
As a bonus to you I decided to include a list of 20 words (some of which resonated with me) of which you can choose from. If you don’t see a word listed below that you feel is your word of the year feel free to follow my process in selecting one.
Activity
I’ve seen this idea of social media – namely Pinterest- for awhile now and I think I’ll finally give it a try. For every accomplishment (including fears I overcome) and good that comes my way this year, I will make it a note of it and place it into a jar. At the end of 2019 I’ll be able to empty the jar and reminisce on the good that came my way. This activity will be a great way to remember small wins that you may have forgotten and even show you how much you’ve grown.
Do you have a word of the year? How did you choose it?
PIN ME!
As Told by Ali 
21 responses to “My 2019 Word of the Year & Why You Need One Too”
I like this idea! My word for 2019 is “direction.” I’ve had some major life changes in the past 2 years and I’ve been feeling kind of uncertain as a result. I think I’m steady enough on my feet to try finding a sense of direction again. I’m excited to see what that direction is! Happy new year! Looking forward to reading about more of your adventures.
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Love this girl ! This year my words are prosperity and unapologetic, similar to your 2018 words. I found that up until now I have not genuinely been myself due to being nervous about whether or not people would accept me or not. But i had to realize that it is okay to put myself first and be bit selfish. Thank you so much for this post. And i will totally try the jar activity it would be something great to look back at the end of the year!!
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It’s crazy hearing stories from others and realizing just how similar we are. Thank you for reading and good luck with 2019! 🎉
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This was such an amazing post and now I will look at this to decide what my word of the year will be as well. Traveling solo is exciting! I had my first solo trip this year, not out of the country but still fun yet scary.
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I understand, one step at a time. All the best for the new year xo
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I need to be more consistent and commit more for 2019 all the best for the new year!!! Keep striving for success and also wishing you love joy and happiness.
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Thank you! Same to you 👍🏼
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This year my word to live by is bravery. For so long I have been afraid of others judging my writing, or judging my story. Living in fear has held me back from so many opportunities and I refuse to let 2019 be another year where I sit on the sidelines, when I could be in the game!
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Love this one!! You got this, don’t let anyone stop you from shining. All the best xo
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I could have written this myself! I feel like I’ve allowed myself to miss out on a lot because I’ve been scared. I’ve had some brave moments scattered throughout, but I really need/want to step it up. Here’s to conquering fear (or at least taking baby steps) in 2019!
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I love the jar idea it would definitely be positive to look back on at the end of the year. I also like the word of the year & your mantra. I definitely enjoy your perspective on it all!
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Thank you! All the best this year xo
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My 2019 word of the year is “discipline”! We must think alike because I created a vision board and put it up on my wall and wrote out all my goals with the word discipline at the very top. My 2018 wasn’t the greatest but I am working to make 2019 better.
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You got my creative wheels turning. I think giving the year a word, using it to help focus on your goals is a great idea!!! Thinking and picking my word today! Happy New Year!!!
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Yay! Good luck. Happy new year as well, all the best xoxo
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Goodness, if I was going to pick a word of the year perseverance is a pretty good one for me too. I’ve been running my blog for about seven months, and my traffic is pretty stagnant. It can get me down from time to time, so I often have to remind myself to keep going. I’m helping someone even if I’m not reaching everyone.
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I’ve had the same struggles, it helps to always remember your why and that should help. All the best for 2019 xoxo
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Hey Ali,
Whew this post had me reflecting back on my own 2018 journey HEAVILY! Your word is great, as I have no doubt that you will persevere. Side Note: I love the format of this post!
Never stop writing and I’ll never stop reading!
Love Always,
Christina Jane
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Thank you so much! Really appreciate it. All the best for 2019 xoxo
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This year I have 2 words and I decided that I was going to keep my mantra from 2018 because I believe it still applies to me in 2019. My words and mantra are: Consistency and Committment which means showing up and doing what I say I’m going to do, no excuses!
My Mantra for 2019 is “Heads down and execute” which for me is putting in the hard work towards accomplishing the goals I set for myself.
Wishing you a prosperous 2019, I hope you get all you desire Ali!
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Those are good words! Thank you Tanya, wishing you all the best as well.
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