With a new year comes a new opportunity to start over and set some new goals. January is a month of reflection of the past year; a time to regroup, refocus and begin planning and scheduling for the rest of the year.

I find having a list of goals in place makes it easier to crank the gears into motion, starting off the new year on a positive and productive note. I find it more challenging, however, to push through with fresh ideas and a renewed sense of hope in a month that happens to be bitterly cold and miserable.

Two years ago, my word was flourish because I felt I had built a solid foundation in my career and it was time to see it grow. In 2015, I couldn’t choose one word so I opted for three theme words for the year.

Do you have a theme word for this year? Narrowing your theme for the year to just one word can be a challenge. How can you sum up everything that you want to achieve this year in just one word? If you haven’t chosen a word in previous years, why not try doing it this year?

What is your word for 2016?

My word for 2016 is:

nurture

~ care for and encourage the growth or development of.

~ the process of caring for and encouraging the growth or development of someone or something.

Synonyms

support

foster

cultivate

I want to nurture what I’ve already created in my professional life. I want to nurture my relationships both personally and professionally. I want to nurture the people in my life who I love and care for most. Lastly, I want to nurture my own physical, mental and emotional health.

It takes a little bit of mindfulness and a little bit of attention to others to be a good listener, which helps cultivate emotional nurturing and engagement. ~ Deepak Chopra

Nurturing a feeling makes it proliferate. Choose wisely. Joy, kindness, love, & caring will illuminate your life.
― Amy Leigh Mercree

Competing at the highest level is not about winning. It’s about preparation, courage, understanding and nurturing your people, and heart. Winning is the result. ~ Joe Torre

What is your word for 2016?

What is your word for 2014?

I generally don’t make any new year’s resolutions but I do attempt to make some new goals every year. As I’ve seen others create a power word or theme word for the new year, I thought I’d make an attempt this year to follow suit.

Narrowing it all down to just one word came to be quite challenging for me. I have been pondering for the past several days – what is my word for the new year? How do I sum up everything that I want to achieve in just one word?

Looking back over the last few years, I’ve come realize that 2010 and 2011 were all about building business relationships and creating a foundation while 2012 was about pushing through and making important decisions about my professional life.

Last year was a difficult time for my family. In terms of my professional life, 2013 was a year of realization, creating opportunity and pushing through my own fears. I have feared failure in the past but I have also feared success… I’ll spend much time and effort developing ideas and nurturing them into reality and then panic when the universe accepts them. I’m willing to put the work in but I’m strangely afraid of doing well. But I’ve faced those fears in 2013 and feel much more confident in my ability to act.

I’ve come to realize through many ‘signs’, trials and error that my focus should be on creating my own success.

2014 will be about creating more opportunities, getting that book published, focusing on my health, taking more time for myself and more travel.

So what is my word for 2014? I have a few that I’m drawn to… Experience. Health. Joy. Thrive. Travel. But the one that encompasses all of these things is

flourish

(of a person, animal, or other living organism) grow or develop
in a healthy or vigorous way, esp. as the result
of a particularly favorable environment.

So my word for 2014 is going to be FLOURISH. In all areas of my life.

What is your theme word for 2014?