2018: Cultivate

2019: Boundaries

2020: Refine

Each year after reflecting and setting a few goals, I choose a word that reflects the change I want to see in that year. Each year and each word represents an opportunity for growth.

In 2018, I sought to cultivate a beautiful life inside and outside of the office. That year I took my first vacation since starting Honeycomb: one blissful week email free in Florida.

In 2019 I set out to create boundaries. As a recovering people pleaser this was a pivotal moment in my life as I reclaimed my energy and set boundaries around my time. I said no more than ever and it was both guilt-inducing and liberating. This continues to be an ever-evolving goal.

Most recently in 2020, I set out to refine areas of my life. Despite the chaos, sadness and right turn this year quickly took, I found an immense amount of clarity in the vast unknown. My priorities shifted, friendships and relationships deepened, I reckoned with my values. Even in the storm, I found pockets of hope, joy and space to explore what refinement looked like in my life. Much of my refining centered around physical health and wellness, but it also resulted in completely rebranding my business, pivoting its direction and getting clear on my version of success. Many things that once mattered no longer felt like a priority, while others became new stepping stones towards new goals. As I take a look back, my life was refined in 2020.

Clear priorities. Stronger friendships. More humanity. Less hustle. Stronger boundaries. More awareness. Less ego.

I can’t predict what’s ahead for 2021, but one of the gifts of 2020 was asking questions. When all the events, networking IRL, nights out, time at coffee shops and travel were peeled back, what was left? That’s the big idea I wrestled with this year. What’s left and do I even like what I see there?

As I started to think about my word of the year for 2021, I began by looking back:

• What brings me joy?

• How do I want to feel?

• What matters most?

• Who can I count on for support?

• What can I celebrate from this year?

• What am I chasing? What would it look like to stop chasing and live as if it were true now?

Out of those questions came some contenders:

• Recharge
• Rest
• Renew
• Balance
• Play
• Build upon
• Enrich
• Reinforce
• Polish
• Fortify
• Reinvigorate
• Vitalize

Until I final chose my word of the year for 2021:

Reinvigorate

re·in·vig·or·ate
/ˌrēinˈviɡərāt/
verb
give new energy or strength to

When exploring the question, “What brings me joy?” creating came up for me. In the past few years I’ve not given myself space to create much outside of my work within Honeycomb. In the process of reflection, I realized just how much creating for the sake of creating fuels me towards new ideas or goals. As I searched for words, reinvigorate aligned with the mindset and outlook I want to see in myself and my business during 2021.

Over the next week I’ll be diving into my 2021 goals along with the action steps I’m taking to make them happen. We’ve been through more than enough in the past year and it’s easy to only see it for the damage it’s caused or reduce it down to a meme. Let’s also not discount how it’s shaped us. Let’s not discount the power of a fresh start before it’s even begun.