Words.

When we were younger, our parents would tell us “if you don’t have anything nice to say, then don’t say anything at all.”

Yet, as adults, we speak words that aren’t nice to ourselves every day.

We shame ourselves.

We degrade ourselves.

We put ourselves down.

Over and over again.

The words we speak to ourselves, we hear.

We repeat.

We allow.

This is why in January 2022, I decided I would use WORDS to focus on, instead of resolutions.

For as long as I can remember, I came into the New Year like everyone else.

Usually, a couple of days before New Year’s Eve, I would sit and think about what I wanted for the New Year.

I would call these thoughts and wants my New Year’s Resolutions.

Except my resolutions didn’t change.

They were the same, year after year.

I was going to eat better.

I was going to stick to an exercise plan.

I was going to start doing things I enjoyed doing.

I was going to lose weight.

I even changed it up once and tried to make a vision board.

Cut out pictures from magazines that I felt portrayed WHO I wanted to be, pasted them on a large poster board, and hung them up in my office.

As the months went by, the pictures began to lose meaning, and honestly, I forgot why I had chosen them in the first place.

It was another attempt at making New Year’s resolutions, and yet another failure at not only MAKING them but also not being able to KEEP them.

I remember wanting 2022 to be different.

I wanted to BE different in 2022.

I wanted to FEEL different in 2022.

I had seen many people post their “word” for the year on Instagram.

They were choosing 1, just one word that would be their focus.

Their drive for the year.

That’s where I got to thinking.

Instead of just 1 word, what if I chose several words that described WHO I wanted to be, and/or HOW I wanted to feel?

I knew these words were going to have to be in a place where I could see them often,

If not every day.

Sure enough, I opened my new STARTPlanner, and there was a page in the front for my “vision board.”

Written at the top of the page is…

WHERE DO YOU WANT TO GO?

See it. Visualize it. Manifest it. Make it a reality!

While I myself don’t believe in manifesting, I could most definitely get on board with seeing it, visualizing it, and making it a reality!

And so, that is just what I did!

I took out alphabet stickers I had from my scrapbooking supplies.

I chose a light brown, latte color, and set to work.

The first word I chose for myself was STRONG.

I used all capital letters and put them at the top of the page.

I then added,

Travel,

Beautiful,

Nourished,

Freedom,

Safe.

6 words in all.

I sat for a while, looking at those words.

Envisioning what they would mean for me in 2022.

Then I went one step further, and found pictures in a program I use for my business- Canva- to represent each word.

I cut those pictures out and put them on the opposite page.

Each time I opened the front of my planner,

I saw the words first, then my eyes would move to the pictures.

It was small.

It was private (I could close my planner and no one else knew they were there).

But each of those words represented something deep and meaningful for me.

Now, 12 months later, sitting here on December 26, 2022 I have tears in my eyes as I look at each of those words.

I have intentionally used each one of those words throughout this last year.

I have intentionally focused on those words in different areas of my life.

But I’ll be damned if each of those words hasn’t surprised me how my life has changed because of them.

STRONG ~ Physically I am strong.

I competed in my first Crossfit competition, ran my first half marathon, I became strong in my business, created my signature program, Kitchen Confidence, hired 2 team members, and continued to coach women in the kitchen and beyond!

TRAVEL ~ While I didn’t TRAVEL to exotic places, I did travel MANY miles as I trained for and ran my first half marathon. My legs carried me farther than I ever imagined, and the mileage I covered was more than I had ever experienced in my 49 years.

BEAUTIFUL ~ The stronger I became, the more BEAUTIFUL I felt. I have always strived to be and look skinny. This year, the smaller sizes were no longer appealing to me.

I have had to fight many inner demons with this word, but my strength feels beautiful to me.

NOURISHED ~ I thought this word meant I would eat well, clean, and whole. Little did I know this year, I would hire my own nutrition coach, Steph Gaudreau. I was able to take my own health coaching knowledge and use that with her as I learned how to properly nourish and fuel my body for the strength training I was doing.

FREEDOM ~ Freedom from what, I didn’t know. Now I know the freedom I have felt, and experienced is the freedom of making my own decisions and creating my own schedule. After 15 years of running on someone else's schedule, expectations, and meetings, being my own CEO feels good! Spending more time with my family was my driving force behind starting my own business, and I AM!

SAFE ~ This year, I have had to practice what I teach with the women I coach, and learn to use my own voice. I have had to use my voice to stand up for myself, as my business grew, as my routines changed. Feeling safe meant I had to surround myself with women who would encourage, support, and hold me accountable.

At the same time, feeling safe meant I needed to create a community for the women in my programs. A safe place where they would feel no judgment or shame.

Each of us approaches the New Year with different outlooks, different resolutions, and different desires.

I want to ask you… Are you feeling satisfied and complete with your resolutions, or are you dreading January 1st and having to start all over again?

It’s not too late to change the way you enter the New Year.

You don’t need to have resolutions.

Just like I tell my clients,

You CAN try something else if what you’ve been doing hasn’t worked.

If it hasn’t brought you results.

It’s not too late to choose your word or words for 2023.

Be warned.

You must be intentional and focused when choosing your word(s).

I am proof that single, intentional words can result in life-changing results.

The key is being ready.