How to Find Your "Word of the Year"

For about six or seven years now I've been selecting a "word of the year" as a guidepost for the year. I don't know where I heard this at first, but I knew it was something I wanted to implement. 

Although I cannot remember all of my past words, I know that last year's was "discipline" and before that was "abundance." Now that we are reaching the end of 2017, it's a great time to reflect back and plan ahead. 

I can say I did pretty well with my word last year. I took on several new challenges, and although I hit the snooze button far too often, I really was able to accomplish quite a lot just by showing up to to commitments I chose to make in life and business. 

Looking ahead, I decided to settle on two words this year, since they go hand in hand for me. 

My words are aligned and impactful.

This year I have done a lot of personal study on energy and the mind. No, I did not attend Hogwarts, but I did get really clear on the knowledge that "energy goes where attention flows" and that it's better to work from a place of alignment rather than "grind."

Grind and Hustle get a lot of fanfare in our culture, especially in America. I've done that and had success, but it came with tremendous burnout and frustration. When I've slowed down enough to listen to my intuition, it has always served me well. So for 2018 I want to make sure I give myself enough time to meditate, move my body, and feel in alignment before tackling my daily goals.

I also realized I made some big impacts in 2017 in positive ways, and now I want to magnify that. Once I'm aligned, I want the work I do to be impactful in positive ways. I want to impact my family financially so we can travel and have more meaningful experiences. I want to impact my community more by giving myself the time freedom to volunteer, and earn money to donate. Lastly, I want to impact people in business. 

I started Erika Tebbens Consulting so I could help business owners sell better so they won't have to "hustle" so much either. If I help other entrepreneurs make more money, chances are they will also be able to impact their own families and communities in positive ways. 

And by making positive impacts within my world, it will have the cyclical effect of helping me feel more aligned in my larger purpose. 

Do you do a "word of the year?" Be sure to tell me in the comments or in my Facebook group.