A word for 2021 - Embrace

While I like the idea behind New Year’s Resolutions, I feel like we have to wait till a whole year for them! We pick these idealistic goals in the heady holiday season of late December. We spend our first few weeks of January working hard at them, and perhaps we even see progress. But when the reality of life kicks in, those New Year’s Resolutions usually fall by the wayside. Then we chastise ourselves for not achieving our resolution and instead of trying again, we sometimes even give up and wait until next year. The idea that we wait until the last day of the year to think about what we want to achieve and how we want to grow doesn’t work for me.

This year, I’m doing something different. Instead of a resolution, I’ve chosen a word that I’d like to work towards in 2021. I feel by choosing a word, it’s giving me more intention in every situation, rather than a specific resolution. It’s more thoughtful and there’s less pressure to ‘achieve it’ because it’s something you can constantly be mindful of.

The word I’ve chosen this year is ‘Embrace’.             

Why embrace?

When you think of the word embrace, you probably think of a hug. A warm, comforting hug from someone who loves you. This was initially why I thought of embrace as my word. After 2020, I think we all need some comfort!

However, the more I thought about the word embrace, the more it started to resonate with me. I realised that I could use ‘embrace’ as a focus word in many areas of my life this year.

Embrace change

After the tumultuous year, we’ve all had to reassess our goals and priorities. Sometimes we have to on a moment’s notice, and I’m the first to admit that it can be unsettling.

This year, I’m going to embrace everything life throws at me. I’m ready for those changes and recognise that things may not turn out the way I had planned. I’m going to embrace chance and use it as a tool for strength and growth.

Embrace the moment

I do make an effort in being more mindful and so embracing the moment ties in perfectly with that. I want to take the time to savour the time with my children, to slow down, to watch the sunsets. I vow to do my best to embrace all those little moments this year and be thankful for everything I have.

Embrace love

I couldn’t choose embrace as my word for the year without including love! Family is the most important thing to me, and this extends to my work family too.

When I think about decisions and how I live my life, I always try to consider how it will affect those I love. I will dedicate time for the extra special people in my life and make sure I give my loved ones a warm, loving embrace every day.

Embrace gratitude

Gratitude in my opinion is the most powerful emotion behind love. With gratitude, even in the worst of situations you can find the silver lining, and see beauty.

I feel I am inherently very grateful, and this year I intend to lean deeper into gratitude and express it to those around me.

Embrace myself

One of the things I have really enjoyed over the years on the road to self-love is embracing all of me. This year I will continue to grow in this area. Embracing myself is the ultimate form of love. It means I will accept that I will make mistakes and not be judging or critical towards myself. I will gracefully allow myself to learn from my mistakes and move on without chastising myself. 

While embrace is my anchor for this year, I see it a steppingstone in my continual journey of self-love. When December approaches and we are all thinking about our resolutions again, I hope to have mastered ‘embrace’ to find another word, not to replace it, but to add to my vocabulary.

What’s your word for 2021?