I love the tradition of choosing one word for the year to focus on, live with, and reflect upon. This is my second year doing it so I’m definitely still a rookie. Last year I chose the word listen. And I did okay the first few months and then completely forgot about it for the rest of the year. I plan on not letting that happen again!

My word for this year is enjoy.

Enjoy is kind of a cliche word. You see it in all kinds of quotes and all over wall decals but this word really reached out to me in the last few weeks of 2017. I’d realized I let stress and hopeful wishes take over a solid amount of my year and I could have enjoyed the little days more often. I made a huge goal for my business (which I reached this year!) but it meant a lot of working and a lot of stress. Both 2016 and 2017 I didn’t get what I truly wished and prayed for but I don’t want all these years to go by waiting for my dream of becoming a mother to become a reality. I needed to tell myself to enjoy life now.

Okay so it is a bit cliche. Nothing bad with that! 😉

I broke down the word a bit more to give myself reachable goals than just an abstract word.

1. Do more things I enjoy in 2018.

I don’t want to sit at my computer working for the majority of my 2018. I plan on doing less service-based work and taking more time to paint, sew, knit, weave, and learn more new things that I find exciting.

Goal: At least once a month create something I have had an idea about and not because it’s for a client. I can’t WAIT to show you all my ideas I’ve got building up in my Evernote!

2. Choosing joy in the hard times.

2017 was full of rollercoaster emotions, starting fertility treatments and tests, getting pregnant and miscarrying, and just the usual highs and lows of life. I don’t know how to make this a specific goal yet but I am getting Ryan involved in my word so he can remind me when I’m sulking to have some more joy. He is already really good at that!

3. Enjoying church and the Sabbath.

I have really started to not like church lately. Mostly because I feel like the whole world is pregnant except me and church is a big reminder of that. Obviously, I need to focus less on myself and more on Christ, the whole reason we are at church.

Goal: Leave my phone at home and bring my scriptures instead. I know I won’t do this every week but I want to start getting in the habit of truly soaking in that Spirit and taking it home with me.

Goal: No computer on Sundays, spend more time creating and spending time with Ryan. I didn’t work a ton on Sunday’s last year but if we were not up to anything, I would hop on to work on something quick, answer emails, or just surf the internet. No more!

4. Bringing joy to other people.

I want to focus less on myself and be more selfless this year.

Goal: Every month I will give away something I’ve recently made. I always want to hold onto everything I make, thinking no one will appreciate all the work that went into making it. But I’m ready to spread the cheer and make another person’s day with a handmade gift!

Goal: In order to bring joy to the people around me I need to spend more time with them and get to know them more. I want to take time out of my workday twice a month to spend time with friends.

Okay you’re probably thinking these are a LOT of goals. And they are. Will I meet every single one of them? Probably not. But I’m okay with that! I’m excited to let ‘enjoy’ be the mantra of my 2018 and help me become a more loving, creative, joyful person!

What is your word of the year? I’d love to hear!