Word of the Year 2023

As the year draws to a close I’m once again thinking about what my next Word of the Year will be.

If you’re not familiar with this concept, here’s a brief introduction. The idea is, you choose a word that embodies everything you want the coming year to represent. A word that sparks a fire within you - something that motivates and drives you in any given situation. It sets the tone for the next twelve months and could relate to personal or business matters.

In 2022 my word was BRAVE. I knew I needed to be brave - I was taking a big step, offering face-to-face therapy and coaching for the first time since the pandemic, and taking on a commitment to a local therapy room. I had to make things work, and I knew it would mean making certain changes to my lifestyle and existing commitments. I would need to be brave in ‘putting myself out there’ to promote myself and my business.

There was no room to be anything other than completely fearless - If I didn’t face all of this with an attitude of bravery, I might miss out on other opportunities to grow my business. I am sure that it is because of this attitude that I have been blessed with the most wonderful year - business has been good and I've seen clients make some incredible changes in their lives. The word BRAVE has worked well for me, but as the year draws to a close I am feeling ready for new inspiration.

This year, inspired by my teenage son’s love of gaming, I have decided to choose … LEVEL-UP as my word.

OK, technically, it’s two words - but it sums up everything I want to achieve. It’s time to take my business and my life to the next level. Running a small business alongside family commitments is hard, and I often find myself prioritising other things instead of doing the work on my business. I don’t want to compromise on either aspect of my life, so I need to work smarter rather than harder. LEVEL-UP will remind me that I’m not doing this as a hobby - that I need to set boundaries, decide on my non-negotiables and really make this work long-term. I’ve laid the foundations, now I need to make them rock-solid and start building on them. Levelling up my business will help me level up my whole life - my finances, my work-life balance and ultimately my own happiness.

Choosing a Word of the Year is great fun, and a real motivator. Active verbs make a great choice - words such as believe, focus, challenge or relax. Make sure it’s something that will have a bearing and influence on your life over the next twelve months - something that nourishes you or inspires you to become the very best version of yourself.

I’d love to know what you choose!