Balance

About this time every year, the internet and social media is ripe with goal setting strategies. Everything from charts and diagrams, assessing the past year, to writing a lengthy annual list are used to create a fresh path for the year to come. Unfortunately, it's been proven how often these goals fizzle within a short time. 

I absolutely subscribe to the notion of having a mission or vision for a project, a time period, or a goal to be accomplished and then limiting oneself to only participating in tasks and activities that feed that mission. What has typically tripped me up is trying to remember exactly what I'm pursuing without finding and rereading the document, perhaps making adjustments (or excuses), and then recommitting. 

Instead, and in honor of a more minimalist attitude these last couple years, selecting a single word for the year is actually working better for me than any other strategy I've tried. And I'm a person who likes LOTS of words. This simplification allows for ease in remembering what I'm striving for, flexibility interpreting its meaning on any given day, and is more sustainable. 

Last year's word was Magical. Balance is my word for 2017.