Well, Happy 2017! This time of year is always exciting because it’s time for new beginnings. New goals, new focus and we’re basically resetting our clock. It makes you all warm an fuzzy, you have lofty goals and big things you want to achieve! A few years ago I decided that I no longer wanted to make resolutions, but focus on one word that could mean many different things. It would provide me areas of opportunity in my life where I’d like to focus on, but also not feel like I failed at the end of the year. I’ll call in a win-win.
This year my word is
Minimize.
I recently had the opportunity to watch a documentary on Netflix called Minimalism and it pretty much changed the way I think about consumerism and all that crazy stuff. It got into the deep psychology of why people are wired to want things and continue to want more and more. Interesting stuff. It’s a little over an hour and really interesting. I dug a little further, ordered a few more books. I’m really interested in the psychology behind it all.
min·i·mize
ˈminəˌmīz/
verb
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reduce (something, especially something unwanted or unpleasant) to the smallest possible amount or degree.
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What exactly does a word of the year mean?
Well, to give you some context, last year I fudged a little with a phrase and focused on Intention with Grace. I thought it would allow me to focus on areas of my life like parenting, relationships with friends and family and how I handle my day to day (like aimlessly scrolling on Facebook for hours).
I took baby steps. Small changes that allowed me to change the direction of my bigger picture. Was I 100% successful? No. Did I attempt to make changes? Yes. I even deleted Facebook from my phone for a while to really be intentional about spending quality time with H.
For me this year, minimize means so much. Not only does it mean declutter my life and live with less (this one is huge!) but it also means minimizing the time I spend watch TV, or giving myself a 1 hour phone free zone. It even means maybe one or two less trips to Starbucks a week – minimizing spending while minimizing my waistline. Little changes, but those baby steps lead to big changes.I’ll also be sharing my journey over on Instagram (#MinimizeAHM3)
So I’m going to put together a small series on my Minimizing and how in baby steps you can live more with less. For now I’m going to focus on minimizing activities, spending, calories, responsibilities, clutter and focusing on quality friendships.
So where I am I going with all of this? Perhaps you have a word that you want to focus on. Many I’ve seen this year are ones that are inspiring and encourage you to be a better person, give back, and focus on other things other than yourself. All very noble causes. For me, this isn’t a resolution – it’s more of a lifestyle change. Which in the end, isn’t that always better.
I’m excited to start on this new lifestyle change. I didn’t even go to Starbucks today and I even resisted 75% off sales at Old Navy when I went yesterday for a quick return. Understanding the why is going to help me get to a happier end goal. So be sure to join me and share with me how you are minimizing your life if you want to join along!
Do you chose a word of the year? If so, how did you decide?
Jessica Kessler says
Minimize is a great word to live by. Way to resist Starbucks and Old Navy sales. That takes real self control. I can't wait to see how you live by this word this year. You are going to rock it!
Great word!!! I too have a huge desire to declutter my house and live more minimally! I almost chose simplify as my word. Despite having different words I think we have similar goals in mind. I'm excited to follow along with you!!!
That no sbux will only last a day or 2 😉
I love this idea! I definitely plan to minimize best I can in the next few months! I love love love a good purge. My husband's school always does a big yard sale type event to benefit the special education program he teaches in and it's always so rewarding when I can time my purge around that and know our old items are benefiting my husband's class directly! Good luck with it! You're so driven that I am sure you'll totally rock this!
Yes! Let me know if you need help with that closet or shopping! 😉
I started minimalistic my life a year ago…decluttering and also watching my budget. Best decision ever!
Love your word of the year! I'm excited to see how you minimize in the new year. I'm definitely feeling motivated to declutter, organize and really think about the stuff coming into our house. I'm excited to hear how you're doing and get inspired!
Such a great word for the year!
Great word! I hope you have a great 2017!
I love New Year's for the same reasons you mention, it's such a sweet and exciting time of year! My word for this year is explore. My husband and I are moving to a new state, so I love how it will apply literally to our lives. But I also hope to explore God's heart, explore new ideas, explore my dreams and passions, and explore new habits and routines. Excited for this year! 🙂
Ooooh I love this!! Looking forward to your series on it!
Seriously a good word. I’ve heard good things about that Netflix documentary, I need to actually watch it!!!