One Word for Your New Year's Beginnings!

New Year's Resolutions are difficult. They start out so well, with lofty goals and aspirations, but usually by about the third week they're sidetracked by this thing called LIFE. Sprained ankles, strained schedules, unplanned catastrophes, and the like always seem to come along and shove you off of your carefully planned track. Not to mention how easy it is to start blaming yourself for not keeping up with your lofty expectations that began the morning of January 1st!

Instead of setting a long, complex, lofty "resolution" (or two, or three...) for myself at the beginning of a new year, I choose one word that resonates with the type of life I want to cultivate in the coming year. Of course, there are always goals both large and small that I have in mind for myself throughout the year, but forgoing a large Resolution in favor of a simple, easy to remember word means that I can meditate on that word a little bit every day, thus ingraining the habit represented by that word and setting myself up for success!

For example, my word for 2015 is "Patience"- I intend, for 2015, to remind myself daily to have patience in the processes of my life, large and small. Patience for my fitness journey, so that I don't rush ahead and risk injury, and to remind myself that things take time. Patience for my loved ones, some of whom are going through their own struggles, so that I might be here for them when they need me instead of barging into their lives and trying to "fix" things. And Patience while working towards the larger goals in my life, so that I can enjoy the day to day processes that are part of these large life goals without becoming frustrated at the timeline of realizing those goals (which can seem SO LONG sometimes!) Through cultivating Patience every day, and applying it towards the myriad of things that I want to accomplish, I can achieve my goals no matter what ups and downs the coming year might bring- and if, in the course of the year, some goals are set back more than others, well I can just remember to be Patient while things catch up!

Perhaps there's an intention you'd like to set in your life for this coming year- a small, quiet word that you can repeat to yourself several times a day that will grab your attention and bring it back to the present moment. Or a huge, bombastic, exciting word that will rev you up and motivate you daily while you are reaching for bigger and better things! Or maybe, for your New Year, you just need a simple, easy word to whisper to yourself in hard moments when you're just trying to get through the day. Whatever you choose, hold it close, repeat it often, and put it where you can see it every day- on a sticky note, written on your bathroom mirror, maybe a daily reminder on your phone, maybe even as an art project if that's how you can best cement your intent for the coming year.

From all of us at TFN Training, we wish you a very Happy New Year! And as always, if you need us, we're here to help you meet your goals in the New Year and beyond... and we're all happy to help you with whatever intent you set for yourself!