2017 Word of the Year

Over the last few years, I have ditched the idea of setting a new year’s resolution. I always felt like they were a surefire way to set myself up for failure by assigning a very limiting rule to live by for the year. There’s a really good chance that if I haven’t been running 3 miles or drinking a gallon of water every day, I won’t be able to turn on a switch and do it, just because the calendar now says January.

It’s true, though, that the new year feels like a great time to start fresh, look back on what has been accomplished in the last year, and make goals for the next 12 months. Recently I came across the idea of choosing a single word to basically act as a goalpost for the year. Instead of dictating something as specific as “eating healthy” or “writing in a journal”, the word becomes a guide that you can look to to help steer your decisions and mentality on everything you come across.

2016, while many people’s least favorite year to date, has actually been a pretty exciting one for me. We added a little furball to our family, and she has brought so much fun (and so many snorts) to every day. Eric and I celebrated our first anniversary and now we’re in the beginning phases of building our own home. And perhaps biggest (slash scariest) of all, I pushed myself way beyond my comfort zone by starting my own business.

With all the excitement and newness in 2016, comes a ton of hard work in 2017. Wilma will inevitably poop on the floor some more, the construction of our house will inevitably have issues arise, and my business will inevitably present new challenges and frustrations. Keeping all these things in mind, I decided that my word of 2017 will be:

PERSEVERE

“To persist in anything undertaken; maintain a purpose in spite of difficulty, obstacles, or discouragement.”

I have undertaken a lot in 2016, and you better believe I’m going to be persistent as hell in 2017. If and when things get tough, and I want to run away from it all, hopefully I can look back at this word that I’ve chosen and remember that nothing great comes easily, and that if I persevere for just one more day, greatness could be right around the corner.

I would LOVE to know if you’re choosing a word for the new year and, if so, what it is! Leave a note in the comments to help inspire us all :).

Cheers to 2017!

Kelly