My One-Word Theme for 2020

Credit: Alba Betancourt for Loom & Rhythm.

I don't know about you, but I do not like the pressure of the new year: resolutions, life plans, yearly goals, etc. But I still welcome the opportunities of a fresh start, a blank page.

I read something this morning about how restricting and constricting new year's resolutions are, how one year is too short to build life skills and it inspired me to think about what I want to build, and how I could make it so that I could work towards my goals gradually.

And a word came to me.

I started chosing themes for the new year on Christmas 2016.

My theme for 2017 was ROUTINE. I had been living in Portland for a couple months and needed to find my rhythm, balancing many freelance projects and working from home.

My theme for 2018 was LEARN. I had identified a number of stumbling blocks while building a routine and wanted to make sure I was self-sufficient while also reaching out to others to learn from them in areas that were not necessarily useful but would also spark my creativity.

I don't quite know why, but I did not chose a word for 2019... Oh now that I think about it, that might be because I decided to challenge myself to accomplish 19 things in 2019! But if I had to look back on 2019, I think my theme could have been LET IT GO. It is pretty crazy how many times I've said this to myself (and to other people) and I have to say that it has really helped me embrace the ebb and flow of life.

Like I mentioned in my latest newsletter (you should totally sign up for it :) this past year has been spent between 2 continents, 2 homes, 2 families and I feel a strong need to settle down. This will not likely happen this year but a girl can dream. And there are so many ways to feel like you are supported, you belong somewhere and you are in the process of growing.

My one-word theme for 2020 will be GROUNDED.

Here are a some of the ways I could nurture this feeling that I've identified in my practice and brainstormed lately:

Walk - more. I've had this goal to walk a certain number of steps every day for a couple years now (which I track with my trusted Fitbit* ) and have loved how it has allowed me to explore my own neighborhood, the cities I visit, my hometown with a different perspective. I park car as soon I find a spot or chose the bus route with the least connections and walk a little more to my final destination. I'd also like to try a walk barefoot a little more when the weather and terrain allows it, to better feel the connection with the earth.
Meditate - even if it's only for a couple minutes. This is the first pratice I let go off when times are hard even though it might be the one that helps the most, but I still have difficulties meditating in different environments. I need time, calm and privacy and haven't had a lot of these for the past year.
Do yoga - because I've finally found which class works for me! While studying my human design, I read that my design needs to use its energy every day and I've really noticed that I sleep and feel better after my evening yoga session.
Stand - using the four corners of my feet. This is an expression I hear a lot in Adriene's sessions and it reminds me of what a Shiatsu healer once advised me to do, though it was only about only 3 parts of my feet (haha!). I indeed have a tendency to only use the outer edges of my feet when I'm standing, so I try to mindfully count "1, 2, 3" and make sure that I use the whole surface of the soles of my feet when I brush my teeth... Now that I write it, it sounds quite weird, but I guess it's important to notice your own patterns.

There are also seeds I'd love to sow this year in order to put down roots somewhere:

I'd love to plant a garden
I'd love to build a house

As these are not really likely to happen this year, I can still dream, plan and work towards these goals by gathering information, experimenting, reading, learning and... manifesting! As the saying goes: You can't get what you don't ask for.

Also, why limit this theme to a year? As I've mentioned before, I see these one-year themes as experiments to make one's life richer in the long run, I still implement the routines I set up in 2017 and continue to deepen the knowledge I've gathered in 2018 and my wish is to feel grounded for the rest of my life.

So this is my intention for 2020. I hope you'll follow me on this journey and share your own words with me along the way.

Now, it's your turn, if you had to choose one word, or a short phrase, to sum up what you want to focus on in the new year, what would it be?