What’s the one word that will guide your 2022?

I’ve never been a huge fan of New Year’s resolutions. We set a few random goals. ‘Eat more healthily’. ‘Lose some weight’. ‘Budget better’. ‘Get a new job’.

Problem is, they’re forgotten by around the 7th of January, and life goes on as usual. I’ve always said that if you’re not going to set a SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely) goal, you shouldn’t even bother.

But that’s not what I’m here to talk about today. I’ve got a totally different idea.

How about for 2022, before we go off and set resolutions or goals, we first choose a word for the year? One single word, that becomes our focus for the year. And then, all our goals and intentions tie back to that one word.

When choosing your word, think about your dreams and aspirations for next year. What do you want to achieve? What do you want to become? What do you want to do more (and less) of? Once you know that, your word becomes your guiding theme for all your big goals and decisions.

For example, how about ‘presence’? Instead of waiting for the next thing to happen, or rushing to the next experience, we could try and get better at living every moment. Put down the phone and really be in the moment with our families, our friends, our colleagues and ourselves. Be present.

Here's another one: ‘simplicity’. After a crazy couple of years, maybe we just want to scale back on all the drama and chaos. That could mean quietening the digital noise. Maybe it means going off-grid and growing your own veggies. Or even just a less cluttered garage. Either way, it’s about being happy with what we have, and living a more intentional life.

My personal favourite is ‘authenticity’. I know, it’s a bit over-used. But if you get down to what it really means, it’s super-powerful. ‘Authenticity’ is all about setting New Year’s resolutions that reflect what YOU really want out of life. It means letting go of what you think other people, or Twitter, or society, wants you to do, and going for what your heart yearns for.

I love self-improvement. I admire people who set goals, and have clear plans to reach them. But in 2022, make sure you’re doing it for yourself. Let go of the expectations of others. Find a word that feeds your soul. In the process, you’ll become a better ‘you’ than you ever dreamed possible.

Go on. Choose a word. And let it be the North Star for your best year ever. Share your words in the comments below, and let’s inspire each other!

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