This year I’ve been choosing monthly themes or mantras. This is an alternative to choosing a Word for the Year which I’ve done in previous years. My previous words for the year have been:
At the end of 2018 I sat down and worked through some exercises to try and choose a word for 2019. But I really couldn’t settle on just one. There were lots of words I was attracted to so I made the call to pick a new one each month.
I’ve previously shared my Personal Values and my Core Desired Feelings and I figured I could pick some of these to focus on as well as other words that come up.
Choosing Monthly Themes
Today I want to share which words/themes/mantras I’ve picked between January and June and why…
January – Nourishment
Why? This is one of my Core Desired Feelings and I thought it was a good pick for the start of a new year. I wanted to focus on looking after myself and feeling better.
Observations: I think this was a good pick for a Winter month…especially January that can seem quite bleak after the excitement of December.
February – Love
Why? This fitted well with Valentine’s and is one of my Personal Values. I wanted to celebrate my love for my family, my friends and myself. And remember to “do all things with love”.
Observations: If I could only pick one personal value – it would be Love. It was good to focus on this word for the month…not from the consumer ‘buy-all-the-things’ “holiday” that Valentine’s has turned into…but from the perspective of cultivating love within my relationships and with myself.
March – The Feminine
Why? International Women’s Day and Mother’s Day (UK) fall in March so I wanted to embrace the feminine. I also took part in a spa day with my women’s mentoring group from last year.
Observations: I didn’t feel as connected to this word on a day to day basis but the feminine activities throughout the month helped me come back to it several times.
April – FTG30 / Self Care
Why? Over April I released FTG30 – Find the Good in 30 Days. At its core this is all about Self Care. I knew I wanted to play along with FTG30 myself so I made that the theme for the month.
Observations: April felt intense and it was good to remind myself to focus on my own self care whilst sharing self care inspiration on the blog and Instagram.
May – Spark
Why? Spark is one of my Core Desired Feelings and to me it’s all about seeking inspiration and letting the ideas come. I was also on the hunt for synchronicity and new ways of looking at things.
Observations: During the month I found myself coming up with lots of blog post ideas. I also enjoyed playing with my personal style after my style analysis.
June – Simple
Why? I was taking part in 30 Days Wild – all about getting out in nature. And I felt like it was time for Back to Basics in terms of self care and getting things done around the house. I realised I needed the reminder to KEEP IT SIMPLE and not to over-complicate everything.
Observations: Simple became a great reminder at a time that I needed it. Several times throughout the month it popped up as a reminder and I think this was a good fit for a busy month (my husband was working away plus we celebrated his birthday and Fathers Day).
The Rest of the Year
I’m planning to continue choosing monthly themes as the year goes on. I’ve been trying to pick a word as each new month approaches. Some months it’s been obvious what word I want to pick, other months I’ve looked at what activities and tasks I have planned and factored those in. If I get stuck I revisit my values and core desired feelings to see which of those feels most relevant for the month ahead.
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If you like the idea of choosing a word for the year but struggle to decide why not pick one for a month and see how it goes?
What words are special to you? Do you have any mantra’s or themes that help you set goals and stay inspired? I’d love to hear about it.