© Katjaolsen | Dreamstime.com – New Year Resolutions 2015, Personal Life Goals, To Do List, Overambition Photo

While running last Friday morning, I was listening to my favorite radio station, Krater 96.3, and the DJs were discussing their resolutions for 2015.  They had an interesting twist on the subject that we’d like to share with you.

New Year, New You, New Life Resolutions

Resolutions are the hot topic in the first week of every new year, even though we know from research and personal experience that most resolutions are broken before the end of January!

Typically, on our blog we don’t like to discuss resolutions at this time of year because we believe people are pressured into setting them when they may not really be ready to commit to them.  The New Year is just a convenient time to reflect on the past and consider the future but it may still not be the right time for you to ‘resolve’ to do something or not to do something going forward. The stick-to-it type decisions are ones that come from the gut or the fire in your belly.  Something has to get you to the point where you want to act on it and stick with it.  Look for that kind of motivation to drive your resolve and think of the positive image and not the negative.  For example, instead of “losing weight” think “healthier living”.  We’ve discussed the importance of positive images or positive psychology in past posts and want to remind you that language provides a vivid image for our minds.

The Twist for 2015

Okay!  So getting back to the twist from the DJs at Krater 96.3.  Last Friday, each of them talked about ‘their word’ for 2015.  They didn’t spell out their list of resolutions but they shared a word they would use to cue themselves for 2015.  The word described how they wanted to be this coming year or a general theme for what they would focus on for the year.  For example, one of the DJs said his word was ‘commitment’ and that this year he wanted to be more committed to things such as show his commitment to his family, God, others in the community, his work.  The other DJ said her word was ‘presence’.  As she explained, she finds herself thinking forward, planning and worrying about the future and in 2015 she wants to spend more time appreciating and living in the present.  The other DJ said that his word was ‘kindness’.  He wants to show more kindness towards others this year.  He explained that although he’s polite and appreciative he thinks he can be kinder.

We love this twist on resolutions because the words describe a theme or general sense of how they want to act or want to be.  The themes can transpire throughout their lives.  For instance, the one DJ who talked about wanting to be more present also mentioned that she always sets a resolution to lose weight and every year she seems to fail.  Rather than setting this resolution yet once again, with the theme presence, she can use it to remind her to be present when she’s eating or making choices about nutrition and fitness.  She can also use the word to remind her to be present when her daughter is asking her to spend time together instead of thinking about getting dinner ready and doing all the other chores she’d planned to do.

Start with Your Motivation

It’s not enough to just choose a word or theme.  Like we said earlier, the theme or word needs to reflect something you really want for the coming year.  How are you going to make it stick?  Dig deep to find out what’s motivating that theme.  Why has the word popped into your head?  How will you use the word as your cue?  Maybe it will be picture of the word! I plan to write my word down in every spot I look at in the morning, which is my computer screen.  It will be my screen saver!  Maybe I’ll add it to the blog post as a sign off or engrave it on a leather bracelet to wear throughout the year.

Our Words for 2015

Curious about what our words are for 2015?

Lia’s word is Giving.  I’m so thankful for what I’ve got in my life, and it’s time for me to give back to others in 2015 – to my family, friends, and above all to my community.  It can be a simple act or something more but essentially it’s about making a positive difference in someone else’s life.  Although I’m not sure where this word will take me in 2015, I’m excited about the journey because it will surely give back to me in spades.

Mary’s word is Simple.  After a hectic year, 2015 for her is about getting back to basics and keeping life simple. The idea is to enjoy life in the moment by minimizing stress, avoiding over commitment, and knowing when to stop obsessing. Getting together with family should be easy enough to be spontaneous, and cooking should be simple and enjoyable. Wholesome ingredients, cooked simply, taste good and need little work – maximum goodness, minimum fuss!

Now, it’s your turn.  What’s your word?  Share it with us in the comments.

Happy 2015!

Recipe of the Week:  Pineapple Cherry Jam