As a former manager, the mention of SMART goals was triggering, haha. 😝
But seriously, a very thoughtful post. The word that keeps bubbling to the surface of my consciousness is ‘flow’ so I think that’s going to be my word. After spending time learning and building and adapting, I am ready to just get into the flow of life and let my creative energy lead me.
I love that you chose Cultivate! That was my word of the year in 2023! This year my word is "abundance" - an abundance of love, joy, strength, and wisdom (and hopefully work too haha).
My favorite three questions to ask myself that year were:
Am I passionate about what I’m doing?
Do I enjoy what I’m doing?
How fulfilled am I by the relationships I currently have?
I used those answers to help drive me to cultivate the life I really wanted with intention, even though I was afraid I might not be worthy of it. And it WORKED.
This year, I am all about having no goals, especially no professional goals. This year I just want to be content in myself. Looks like I may have just found my word!
That's such a beautiful word. It sounds easy, but I imagine it might take some work. Sometimes you don't need every year to be a growth year; sometimes, contentedness is the answer.
Thank you for the reminder that there's so much beauty to be found in being intentional rather than disappearing into the world of setting more and more goals, Chey. I believe most of us have to go down that rabbit hole of setting and accomplishing more goals in order to find out what truly matters to us. I'm so glad to hear that you've found a way to live more intentionally.
I also love the word "cultivate" and I thought about using the same word for this year, but ended up with the word "live". The word "live" to me means letting go of overthinking and planning too much, slowing down, and enjoying the simple things 💚✨
I love how you're framing that word - live can go in so many directions, and so often I hear it used to do more, travel to more places, and live like it's your last day. But the way you're talking about it, it's so much more present and stripped down, like you know who you are and prioritize what matters to you.
That's true! Live can mean so many different things to different people. In my experience, doing more things doesn't necessarily mean that I live more because I'm just trying to finish the experience as quickly as possible. Doing something simple but giving it time and energy often gives me a deeper experience 😊 It's easier said than done though but I'm trying my best 😅
For the first time in 8 years, I'm actually considering packing it up as an online course creator/blogger and trying to get a full-time job. For some reason, it's just so front of mind for me right now. To your point about seasons, and things changing.. I think it might be time for my own change. It's the first time I've legitimately thought about a change this big in nearly a decade.
What a big question to tackle. I find it comforting to know that the ending of a season is not necessarily good or bad, it’s just an end. Plus, you can always go back if you find it’s not what you expected. I hope you find the clarity you need to make the best decision for you in this moment!
The former marketer in me cringed too at the mention of SMART goals 😂
As I wrote in my first 2025 post a few days ago, after an exhausting month of December, I’ve decided to take things slow in January. I really intend to carve time to clarify what I want for 2025.
Earlier this week, I picked for the first time a word to hold my vision this year. It’s quite similar to yours as it is NURTURE (with CONNECTION as a supporting word). I see it as a reminder to care for myself, strengthen the connections between my body, soul and mind, cultivate my dreams and all the things I've initiated in 2024 as well as the meaningful relationships in my life and the connections and community I’ve started to build here.
Haha! I maybe should add a trigger warning for all of us who left the corporate world behind 😂
Nurture is such a beautiful reminder and I’m seeing so many themes around community for so many people. I feel like community is going to be critical over the coming years.
Yes, I feel that too. Since leaving the corporate world some 10 years ago, I've mostly been a lone wolf. But last year, I took steps to change that and joined Substack and some communities outside to surround myself more with like-minded individuals. That's been a real game changer and made me realize that though I love working alone and have no desire to change that, I thrive with the right people around me and I'm really interested in creating deeper connections both in my work and in my personal life.
As a former manager, the mention of SMART goals was triggering, haha. 😝
But seriously, a very thoughtful post. The word that keeps bubbling to the surface of my consciousness is ‘flow’ so I think that’s going to be my word. After spending time learning and building and adapting, I am ready to just get into the flow of life and let my creative energy lead me.
Haha! I’m so glad I’m not the only one. I physically recoil anytime I hear SMART goals 😂.
Flow is such a good word! I was just thinking about that today. You have such a beautiful vision for this next year!
I love that you chose Cultivate! That was my word of the year in 2023! This year my word is "abundance" - an abundance of love, joy, strength, and wisdom (and hopefully work too haha).
Abundance is such a great word. Any lessons learned to share about cultivating last year?
My favorite three questions to ask myself that year were:
Am I passionate about what I’m doing?
Do I enjoy what I’m doing?
How fulfilled am I by the relationships I currently have?
I used those answers to help drive me to cultivate the life I really wanted with intention, even though I was afraid I might not be worthy of it. And it WORKED.
Love your word is cultivate for the year 💛💖😊 it’s was interesting to see your words over the years as well ✨
Thank you! It’s a fun evolution to see. Do you pick a word of the year?
Yes I do but I haven’t fully settled on one for this year yet 😅💓
This year, I am all about having no goals, especially no professional goals. This year I just want to be content in myself. Looks like I may have just found my word!
A lovely thought provoking post as always.
That's such a beautiful word. It sounds easy, but I imagine it might take some work. Sometimes you don't need every year to be a growth year; sometimes, contentedness is the answer.
Thank you for the reminder that there's so much beauty to be found in being intentional rather than disappearing into the world of setting more and more goals, Chey. I believe most of us have to go down that rabbit hole of setting and accomplishing more goals in order to find out what truly matters to us. I'm so glad to hear that you've found a way to live more intentionally.
I also love the word "cultivate" and I thought about using the same word for this year, but ended up with the word "live". The word "live" to me means letting go of overthinking and planning too much, slowing down, and enjoying the simple things 💚✨
I love how you're framing that word - live can go in so many directions, and so often I hear it used to do more, travel to more places, and live like it's your last day. But the way you're talking about it, it's so much more present and stripped down, like you know who you are and prioritize what matters to you.
That's true! Live can mean so many different things to different people. In my experience, doing more things doesn't necessarily mean that I live more because I'm just trying to finish the experience as quickly as possible. Doing something simple but giving it time and energy often gives me a deeper experience 😊 It's easier said than done though but I'm trying my best 😅
So hard! But so worth it!
For the first time in 8 years, I'm actually considering packing it up as an online course creator/blogger and trying to get a full-time job. For some reason, it's just so front of mind for me right now. To your point about seasons, and things changing.. I think it might be time for my own change. It's the first time I've legitimately thought about a change this big in nearly a decade.
What a big question to tackle. I find it comforting to know that the ending of a season is not necessarily good or bad, it’s just an end. Plus, you can always go back if you find it’s not what you expected. I hope you find the clarity you need to make the best decision for you in this moment!
The former marketer in me cringed too at the mention of SMART goals 😂
As I wrote in my first 2025 post a few days ago, after an exhausting month of December, I’ve decided to take things slow in January. I really intend to carve time to clarify what I want for 2025.
Earlier this week, I picked for the first time a word to hold my vision this year. It’s quite similar to yours as it is NURTURE (with CONNECTION as a supporting word). I see it as a reminder to care for myself, strengthen the connections between my body, soul and mind, cultivate my dreams and all the things I've initiated in 2024 as well as the meaningful relationships in my life and the connections and community I’ve started to build here.
Haha! I maybe should add a trigger warning for all of us who left the corporate world behind 😂
Nurture is such a beautiful reminder and I’m seeing so many themes around community for so many people. I feel like community is going to be critical over the coming years.
Yes, I feel that too. Since leaving the corporate world some 10 years ago, I've mostly been a lone wolf. But last year, I took steps to change that and joined Substack and some communities outside to surround myself more with like-minded individuals. That's been a real game changer and made me realize that though I love working alone and have no desire to change that, I thrive with the right people around me and I'm really interested in creating deeper connections both in my work and in my personal life.