Focus on something that you have a passion for and hone that skill; it will make you feel confident about your ability. ~ Victoria Justice

It’s that time of year.

The time where we reflect on the old and plan for the new.

Every year, since 2009, I have chosen to dispense with resolutions/goals and instead choose a word as a touchstone through the upcoming new year.

As a bit of history, my previous words were:

• 2010 Emerge
• 2011 Clarity
• 2012 Jubilee
• 2013 Liberate
• 2014 Shift
• 2015 Harvest
• 2016 Breathe
• 2017 Hone

Each word I chose helped me stay focused on my goals.

Take Breathe for example.  Whenever I had a decision to make, or a particular challenge to get through, I would pause, take a deep breath and think through my decision.

When allowing myself time to breathe, decisions got a bit clearer, paths were discovered, and I made remarkable progress in arranging life’s chaos.

The ability to pause and to breathe enabled me to make a profound decision in 2016 to become a Licensed Massage Therapist.  I spent most of 2016 in school working towards that goal and I begin 2017 with a new skill adding and enhancing my other life and nutrition coaching skills.

Now it’s time to hone those skills.

Hone … let’s look at the definition.  Hone can be used as a noun or a verb.  It’s either a tool to sharpen or the act itself of sharpening.

As I consider the noun ~ In my toolbox of life, I already possess many tools. Some I have had a long time, others more recently acquired, and I am open and look forward to attaining more in the future.

Hone the verb ~ As we pass through life, tools can become dull, rusty, or even forgotten. My desire is to sharpen the old and improve the new ones.

The process will be literally to make more acute or effective; improve; perfect.

Hone … it’s not a sexy word; however, it resonates with me.

When I was taught the Word of the Year concept, I was told to pick a word that stretches you, not a word you have a handle on already.  In fact, the word you pick should make you just a bit scared.

The word should be something you can base your every decision or challenge.  When something comes up, use your word to help work out the answer.  The word should encapsulate what you want to create for yourself in this upcoming year.  In my case, who do I want to be in 2017?  What action is needed to become that person? And in the end, what will I have to show for it?

Over the 10 years as a coach, I have learned many skills, taken numerous courses, read tons of books, and chatted with mentors to improve my coaching.

In 2016, with the massage therapy element added, it rounded off and enhanced all those other skills.  My goal this year is to become more effective, improve my coaching overall continuing to empower people to live in the body of their dreams.

Specific objectives are as follows:

• Sharpen my ability as a massage therapist
• Improve my life/nutrition coaching skills
• Calibrate my work/personal life
• Fine tune my mother/daughter duties
• Tighten up my financial obligations
• Focus more on my spiritual side
• Shape up my living space
• Tune up my health

How do you pick a word of the year?

For me, it’s a process.  I begin thinking about what I want to accomplish in the upcoming year and then start considering and playing with words. As various words pop into my head, I look up their definitions. I contemplate if they fit my objectives and apply to my goals. I may chat with a friend about them.  One or two usually rise to the top and begin resonating with me. I write about the word. Some years ago, I developed a worksheet to help with this whole process. It can be found by clicking here.

Have you had success with a Word of the Year?  Will you be picking one for the upcoming year?  Do you mind sharing?