I recently read a great Substack newsletter all about New Year’s resolutions and focusing on the little, important things in life- and it got me thinking about my own goals for this year.
Although I do like to set myself goals, I don’t think everything should rest on the start of the year. If you want to make a change, this can come at any time of the year. I always end up setting myself quite strict but vague goals as we come up to the New Year, such as “eat healthier” or “exercise more”.
While these goals are helpful and worthwhile, it can be quite disheartening when I don’t end up sticking to them all the time, or when I want to change my goals from month to month.
This year, I want to change my approach to New Year’s resolutions, finding new ways to improve my habits and my mindset as we enter 2023.
In this blog post, I discuss how I’m changing my approach to New Year’s resolutions in 2023.
Changing my approach: Choosing a word for 2023
I’ve seen a lot of people online setting themselves a word for the year. This will be their focus throughout the year, such as “family” or “gratitude”.
I think this is a great idea to inform the New Year, and it is easier to maintain throughout the year than resolutions. It allows you to start the year with the right mindset, understanding what you need to do in order to live a happy and healthy life in 2023.
Throughout the year, whenever anything happens, you can use this word to inform your actions and your decisions.
Coming up with a word for your year can also have a greater impact than setting specific resolutions. It allows you to implement long-term habits or integrate a healthy mindset into your daily life.
For example, if your word is “gratitude“, you can use this concept to inform your whole year. You might try writing down your gratitude or just express yourself to loved ones throughout the year.
This is more effective and worthwhile than the resolution “keep a gratitude journal”, for example, which is a lot harder to maintain long-term.
As your year develops, evolves and your priorities change, you can still stick to a word or concept throughout the year. It gives you the flexibility you need to alter your plans depending on the month.
All of this got me thinking about my own word for the year!
The word I’ve chosen for 2023 is “Confidence”. I want to use “Confidence” to inform my actions, my relationships and my work as we enter 2023.
Choosing your own word for the year
If you like the idea of choosing your own word for the year, there are a few ways to come up with it.
You could think about something you want to change in your life compared to 2022, such as your career, or you could consider the ways you want to improve your personal life.
Whether you want to spend more time with loved ones or you want to focus on your mental health in 2023, there are so many words you could choose.
This will depend on your individual needs and goals for the year.
For example, you could choose:
- Gratitude
- Family
- Love
- Health
- Fitness
- Creativity
- Nature
You don’t have to choose just one word. It can just be helpful to take some time to consider your focus for 2023, and what you want from this year. This doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with setting specific resolutions if that’s what you prefer to do.
You could even choose a word that goes alongside your chosen resolutions- it’s all about what works best for you as we reflect and plan for the year ahead.
Getting confident in 2023
In 2022, I dealt with a lot of self-doubt about my freelance work. I constantly thought I wasn’t good enough to run my own business and I considered giving up several times.
This is why I decided to choose “Confidence” as my word for the year. In 2023, I want to reduce my self-doubt and focus on staying confident in myself and my skills. I am only new to freelancing, after all, and I shouldn’t beat myself up whenever something doesn’t go as planned.
I think self-doubt is a big issue affecting those who choose to go into freelance work.
Everyday, you might be worrying about your workload, how to find new clients and whether you’re cut out for the insecurity of working for yourself. However, doubting yourself doesn’t help- and I want to leave it behind in 2022.
In 2023, I want to focus on staying confident in my work. I want to understand that I won’t know everything, but I know a lot more than I think I do.
I also want to be confident in myself. I’ve managed to keep going for a year now, so I must be doing something right!
Do you like to set yourself New Year’s resolutions? What word would you choose for your New Year? Do you like to set yourself goals throughout the year?
Let me know all your thoughts in the comments below 🙂
Happy reading x
Not-So-Modern Girl 
Confidence is a really good word, and something we could all do with more of…
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That’s so true! Thank you for reading and commenting x
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My pleasure…
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I don’t do big, sweeping resolutions because they never work. I’ve always set annual goals but this year, I’ve decided to set smaller, monthly goals based on what’s happening in my life. We’ll see how it goes.
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That sounds great Michelle, I think it’s important to set yourself goals but it’s also important to make sure your aims are achievable. Best of luck with your goals this year x
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I set myself goals every quarter, that way I can change and adapt them when I meet them or I fall short, almost use them as a learning curve for the rest of the year. I think confidence would be my word for the year too. I stop myself from doing so much as I don’t think I will be good enough.
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I completely agree Ali, self-doubt and self-confidence are so important- and they can stop us from doing so much. I like the idea of changing your goals depending on the time of year/what has happened in your life. Thank you so much for reading and commenting x
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Dream big! You have always inspired me when it comes to blogging. I hope I can blog full time one day.
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That’s such a kind thing to say Jamie, thank you! I hope that you get closer to that dream in 2023 x
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Our word for 2023 is fun! It’s simple, but we need to prioritize ourselves and having fun more.
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Yay! That sounds great 🙂
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I love the approach of setting a word for the year, I think it’s broad enough to be workable and not as restricting as some goals can be!
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Yes I think that’s the reason I like the idea! Thank you for commenting Kayleigh x
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This is a great idea to set a word goal for the year. I guess for this year my word goal will be investing. Mostly the word investment is used in relation to money. But I guess the word can have varied perception to it. And this word investment will help me prioritise my needs, wants, and wishes and bring more clarity and balance in my life.
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I love that! Yes, investment has lots of different meanings and benefits. You could invest in rest, invest in self-care or invest in balance. Thank you for sharing, good luck with all of your goals x
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I love this post and the idea of choosing a word. I’d like to make my word confidence, too, as I’m often lacking in it. Hopefully, this is the year to get out of my comfort zone and achieve more of my goals. 🙂
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Thank you so much! Me too, I think it can be hard to push yourself. Good luck with all your goals this year 🙂
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love this post & the idea of choosing a word for the year. i don’t usually set resolutions, persay – but i do like setting intentions of growth. i would say my word of the year is intention & being more intentional with my choices.
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I think being intentional and mindful with your choices is so important, and it can help you stay in the present moment. Thank you for sharing 🙂 x
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Love this!!! I think my work will be simplify this year. I really want to simplify our home and erase the clutter!!
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That sounds perfect 🙂 x
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I don’t usually set very specific resolutions, but I really like this idea of choosing a word for the year! Confidence is a wonderful choice!
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Thank you! I appreciate it x
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Confidence is a great word! I tend to choose “intentions” or “helpful directions” for my year like say yes to more things or choose what I won’t regret missing. This year, I unfortunately haven’t had the time to ruminate long enough to pick a word or intention. I am thinking about it and will probably decide on one in the next few weeks. Better late than never!
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Definitely! I love that idea, setting intentions helps a lot of people direct their goals and their lifes. There’s no rush, I hope you find the reflection time helpful. Thank you for reading and commenting x
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My word for this year is “Audacity”. This year, I am taking audacious steps and setting new goals
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I love it! Thank you so much for sharing x
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I don’t set new years resolutions or yearly goals anymore because I always just end up feeling crap about myself when I don’t do them (which I rarely do). I just set monthly goals now but this year is the first year I’ve done the word of the year, mine is “grounded” which will really serve me throughout this year!
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Thank you so much for sharing Jenny! I love the word idea, and this is my first time doing it too. I like that idea, staying grounded is so important 🙂
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I do like to set myself goals for the year so I have something to work towards. I love the idea of choosing a word though. Mine would be health this year.
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Thank you! I think health is so important, and it can include mental and physical health, fitness and wellbeing 🙂
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Yes, I think manageable, achievable goals are so important. I love that idea, and that’s such an important distinction. Good luck as we go into the New Year x
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I do something similar instead of resolutions. I choose a focus or theme for the year and 2023’s is ‘nourishing growth and purpose’. I also pay attention to words that really resonate with me or that keep popping up and I like to pay attention to them as I often feel like they are showing/teaching me something. Great post!
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I love that idea, choosing a theme can really help you do what you want with your year. That is so important. All the best for 2023 x
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Awesome post, Lauren!! Using words or intentions is so important and it makes it easier to align with what we’re doing or aiming for. Great idea thanks for sharing! 🙂
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I’m so sorry, I meant Eleanor! I was on Lauren’s earlier I apologize! need another coffee today apparently! 🙂
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Haha I’ve done that so many times, don’t worry!
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I think so too! Thank you so much 🙂
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Confidence is such a great word and maybe I should take it on too. I don’t set new year resolutions anymore as they just make me feel like I am not progressing enough, but a word for the whole year sound like a more positive approach!
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I think it gives you chance to make as much or as little progress as you want, without being hard on yourself! Thank you Christina 🙂 x
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Confidence is great word for 2023 and we hope you feel confident about your work. Good luck!
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Thank you!
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