how to find your focus word & totally own it

I know what you’re thinking. January has come and gone, and it’s too late for me to choose a focus word.

Go ahead and do yourself a favor — free yourself from the lie that shames you into believing that you have to have 2016’s direction + plans + your Focus Word all mapped out already in just one month alone. Because #1 – that is a bit much, don’t you think!? and #2 – you don’t have to be your own stumbling block here. You get to decide when you move forward. So why don’t you give yourself some space, take a deep breath, and lets get yourself focused + centered + grounded so we can figure out what words + direction that soul of yours is innately drawn to.

How To Find + Choose Your Focus Word

Clear your mind. Envision what you want your year to look like. Pray. Meditate. Look for inspiration via Pinterest. Search for secret messages hidden in the world around you throughout the day. Stroll through Barnes & Noble (or your favorite bookseller) and write down book titles that strike your soul. Listen through your iTunes playlists, and see which lyrics grab your attention. Go for a drive and see what words you spy on street signs and billboards as you travel along.

Then treat yourself to a pretty notebook or journal to write your ideas down in, grab a cuppa tea, or a mug full of coffee with cinnamon (my beverage of choice), and write down every single word that struck your soul with an ounce of potential. No word is off limits to you. Hyphenate your word if you’re a wannabe “rule breaker.” Choose two words if you really wanna be “rebellious.” Decide upon a Focus Word and a Focus Phrase if you really want to be original.

In short?

Look for whatever words excite your spirit when you see, hear, feel, taste, or smell them. And yes, I said smell them — because your Focus Word could very well be rain, breathe (my 2015 Focus Word), food-love (because hyphenated words are fab), or nature, etc.

How To Totally Own Your Focus Word

Once you’ve laid claim to your word: Breathe it in. Listen to your intuition. Feel it out. Try to see how many places you can spot your word, and learn from those places, things, smells, sights, sounds, etc.

And be sure to keep your mind open to receiving whatever word comes your way, because you might get a word like Fearless or Fire or Risk, which takes some serious embracing + action, if you know what I mean.

You’ve got this year. It is wide open for you. It is sure to be filled with possibility and new experiences, no matter what comes your way. Embrace it.

Choosing Your Focus Phrase

Alongside a Focus Word I usually like to pick out a mantra, or a phrase, to keep myself grounded when my belief in my Focus Word starts to wane a bit. Last year I chose the phrase: “Inhale. Exhale. Release.” And while I wasn’t doing Yoga all day every day (I was doing Yoga a little bit off and on last year), I was saying these three words in succession when I was having the hardest time clinging to Breathe. Overall it really did empower me and solidify my belief in my chosen Focus Word. And it genuinely made me feel stronger on my path.

My Focus Word(s) + My Focus Phrase For 2016

Wild + Fearless

“Wild + Fearless, Wholehearted Living.”

This year I wrote a list of words that struck my soul deep. And I, indecisive person that I am, had the hardest time settling on just one Focus Word. So, I chose two (for now), and I’m leaving my wandering-heart open to the possibility that I may just need a Focus Word per month. But we’ll just have to see about that as the year plays out.

How To Thrive Once You’ve Chosen Your Focus Word + Your Mantra

Journal your word. Repeat that mantra-phrase . . . until you absolutely believe it. Write poetry. Paint. Take photographs. Claim your hashtag (mine is #myfearlessyear2016 #shewillbewild) on social media to add some fire to your game. Go out and get yourself a necklace, a tattoo, or a cute mug with your Focus Word engraved on it, and wear it as a constant reminder of what kind of year you desire for yourself. This year is truly yours to OWN.

This is your year, your year to be a person you’ve never been before, to chase wildly after new dreams and make them a reality, to be better and wiser and braver than ever before. You have so much potential!

Let your Focus Word and your Mantra-Phrase mold you. Believe it. See it. Feel it. Know it. Be changed by it. Grow.

Cheers to a Wild + Fearless Year!