I’m not a fan of New Years resolutions. I don’t think that waiting until Jan 1st to make a change you want to make in your life makes any sense. Making a huge life change (which is typically what a resolution is) is complicated and requires a lot of planning and support. Most people set up their resolution with this in mind. It’s one of the many reasons that only 8% of people who make a resolution for New Years actually keep it.
Rather than those resolutions, I choose a word each year to be my guide. A word that becomes my beacon. A word to make sure that who I want to be throughout the year is how I show up in daily. Sometimes this is based on what I want to achieve. Sometimes it’s about how I want to feel at the end of the day and sometimes like this year, it’s a word based on changing my history and trauma responses.
This year my world is UNAPOLOGETICALLY.
I am showing up in the world as who I am in any given moment without apology. I will not let my world, the people in it or anyone else standards dictate who I should be or how I should show up in this world.
This word is meant to guide me throughout the year. To remind me in those moments where the world or someone around me makes me feel as though I need to apologize for who I am, that I don’t need to. It is meant to be that beacon to remind me that I never need to apologize for being myself.
It’s a reminder that I never need to shrink down any part of me to make others around me more comfortable. I am a deeply flawed, changing, learning and growing human and I will embrace every part of that. I will do so without apologizing for being human.
I won’t 100% succeed at this, I know that. I know there will be times throughout the year where I revert back to old, engrained habits of apologizing for showing up as myself. I know this will be a work in progress all year (and maybe over the next few years of my life).
This year I will be #unapologetic about all of it. Even when it costs me friends. Even when it costs me financially. Even when the people closest to me decide they don’t like it.
My goal is not to piss people off or upset the world around me. My goal is to get comfortable telling the world “I am who I am and your judgment of who that is doesn’t matter”
This year my word is accompanied by an affirmation.
“I honour the truth within me. I choose to pursue a life that feels good to ME. Honouring my authenticity by allowing it to shine through everything I do by living my truth. I know who I am and what is right for me. Knowing that others do not see me as authentically as I see myself”
It was inspired by this photo I saw on social media.
I will use this year to embrace myself in all the mess, chaos and beauty that is my life. I will show up everyday UNAPOLOGETICALLY as who I am.
Do you pick a word or phrase every year? Let me know in the comments if you do and feel free to share it.
