Here’s to Living Intentionally in 2021!

For as long as I can remember, my New Year’s ritual has been to carve out time with my best friend in California and spend it journaling our resolutions for the year ahead. While sipping on tea, we jot down our ideas, sharing our dreams and hopes for the year to come. We set goals for health, relationships, spirituality, finances, careers, etc.

I really love this tradition because we’ve created a safe space where we can share absolutely anything we’re thinking or feeling. Neither of us has to feel worried about being made fun of for speaking our mind because that just doesn’t happen.

As well as resolutions, I also use this special time to pick a word for the year that describes how I’m going to approach the next 365 days; how I’m going to navigate through situations for the upcoming year. 

 My recent soul whispering has been to move towards a more minimalist lifestyle. I’m being honest when I say that by no means am I minimalist right now. But I know I want more freedom and fewer things. To me, in this moment, that idea feels oh-so good and it’s something I’m hoping to achieve in 2021. 

By embracing minimalism, I’m hoping to rid myself of all my excess clutter (both physical and emotional) that doesn’t add value to my life. The idea is that by removing the things that don’t matter, I’ll be happier and live a more stress-free life. Who wouldn’t want that?

As I sit here reflecting on 2020 and looking forward to the year to come, I’m reminded of a lunchtime conversation this past week. At lunch, a friend said, “Less is more”. YESSSS!!! Less is more.

With this concept being so very true for me today, I’ve decided that I will not sit and journal all my resolutions this year. I will simply pick one word for the year.

 My word for 2021 is “intention”.

 Living, being, and acting with more intention in everything that I do.

If you haven’t heard of it before, intentional living is about asking yourself why you do things and then being happy with the answers. Things like why are your friends your friends, why did you make your latest purchase, or why are you working late. Intentional living is about taking a good hard look at your life choices and making changes if you’re not happy with what you see.

Reflecting back on the past couple of years living in Asia, I was busy caught up in what others might be doing and wondering if I should be doing this or that. But with my goal of living intentionally in 2021, I’m going to focus on being truly grounded in who I am and doing small daily actions that are aligned with my friendships, my family, my clients, and the world.

Do you set a word of the year each New Year’s Eve? If not, now is a great time to start. After 2020, we could all do with a little positivity and inspiration. Leave your word of 2021 in a comment below and help yourself get focused for the year ahead.

If you’re stuck for a word of the year, I’ve got plenty of ideas. Scan through my list and get ready to feel inspired.