My New Years {non} Resolution - One Word

I don’t do resolutions. They kind of feel too concrete to me if that makes sense. More like a check list or test that I either pass or fail.

Last year I stumbled onto something a little different over at one of my favorite blogs Tales of Whimsy. She chooses a word or phrase to focus on for the year. For example, instead of picking – lose 10 pounds – you might choose the word move.

I didn’t come up with a word until February. I kept trying to come up with THE perfect word that was life changing. Then one day I laughed and my husband looked at me weird. He told me I didn’t laugh that much. I didn’t laugh much?? I didn’t know that. So I had my word. LAUGH. It felt weird and rusty to force myself to laugh out loud at first. But then it became natural and now I laugh so much he said in passing recently that I’m always laughing. So yay! Success. But more importantly it changed how I look at things and how I feel.

It sounds cliché but just the simple act of laughing helped me approach my day more positively. It helped me shake off something that might have ruined my day otherwise. Because of that one little word I did things unrelated directly to the act of laughing just because I felt happy. I got back into gardening – my obsessive hobby before reading. I lightened up while reading (I didn’t pick everything apart). I got less judgmental. In short picking a word instead of a resolution works for me.

So now to pick a word for 2015.

DISCONNECT.

From the internet negativity, from hype, from the pressure to look, act, be a certain way, from gossip.

I don't mean literally because I’m obviously going to be online. I blog. I love Twitter. But 2014 taught me that the internet can be a very overwhelming place for ones psyche.

Something changed where instead of connecting and making friends – we decided to judge and correct each other. We flit from event to event so we’re constantly in hype mode. And it just overwhelms me and I need to step back from it.

I am in general, a very chill person. But nothing can get me wound up more than a big Twitter hashtag meltdown. I think it’s important to stand up for what’s right and call people on their bullshit. I LOVE debating and arguing a point. Respectfully. It’s increasingly clear that internet is not the place to do that. There’s that line you walk – where you spend your days living to be right or you spend your days living. I want to do the latter.

I read in a Dear Ann/Abby (can't remember which one) advice column once - You can't change other people. You can only change your reaction to them. So that's what I'm doing this year. Disconnecting from the negativity and changing my reaction.

So there’s my whole – you didn’t ask but I told you anyway – reason for my 2015 word choice. lol

How about you guys? Do you do resolutions? Have you kept them?

And HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Here are a few posts about choosing a word or theme instead of a resolution. Some people pick a phrase or a new word for every month.

My One Word
Huffpo - Choose a Simple Theme