What’s the Word?

I’m not a big fan of new year’s resolutions–for the most part, I think they tend to be a useless exercise. That’s because most of us set aspirational resolutions: we think about who we want to become, not how we intend to become that person (or, more importantly, whether we’re willing to do all the things we’d have to do, on a regular basis, to become that person.) But ever since I read this article by Rebecca Gale just before Christmas, I’ve been trying to choose my word for 2016.

Because I’m a writer, I really believe in the power of words. I believe in saying what you mean, and I believe words have the power to change lives. In fact, I know that’s true: every single semester, at least one student in one of my classes tells me that the things we’ve read and discussed made them consider the world differently. Still, I’d never really considered the power of a “word for the year”  until I read the article linked above. I like the idea of having a focus rather than a specific goal. I’m thinking of that focus as a touchstone of sorts, something I can come back to periodically over the course of the year–unlike those resolutions, which tend to fall off the radar altogether sometime in late January.

But because I love words–and because I believe we have a responsibility to make good use of the lives we’ve been given, doing what we can to improve the world we’ll leave behind someday-I’ve been a little obsessed with choosing my word for 2016.

So here it is: my word for the year is Authentic.

For me, being authentic means remembering who I am and what makes me feel most like myself. I’m a person who takes great pleasure in learning new things and being creative. That’s why I love to cook and write, and it’s why I recently taught myself to crochet. But that creative impulse often gets overshadowed by what I think of as necessity. This year, I’ll try to be more honest with myself about where my time and energy are going, in an effort to figure out whether I’m neglecting creativity in the service of necessity or–much more likely–laziness.

Being authentic also means keeping a focus on what really matters. We live in a culture that makes it so easy to want. Being authentic will require cultivating an attitude of need, and I suspect that will cut down on the wanting considerably.

But being authentic will also mean making some tough decisions. For instance, when I’m presented with the opportunity to do a freelance project that brings in a little extra cash (always helpful, with two kids in college), I’ll have to decide whether that job is in line with my authentic self–if it’s giving me an opportunity to learn, grow, and be creative. If not, then it isn’t adding anything positive to my life. Sometimes it’s hard to remember that money very rarely does that on its own.

Being authentic also means remembering that what comes easily isn’t always what makes me happiest– sometimes, struggle is a good thing. I’ve been guilty of taking the path of least resistance, as I’m sure we all have at some point. This year, I’ll strive to remember that this path didn’t always lead me to a place I wanted to be.

The comments following Gale’s article suggest various ways to keep your word for the year in focus, like creating a vision board or a piece of art inspired by it. I haven’t yet decided how I’ll keep Authentic in focus, but I think I’ll add something to my home office that reminds me to check in with myself on a regular basis. I really like the idea of a creative project focused on a word that’s specifically intended to help me keep being creative. It sounds like a self-fulfilling prophecy.

All right, now it’s your turn: What’s your word for 2016? And how will you remind yourself to stay focused on it?