This is my 7th year choosing a theme for the new year, inspired by happiness guru Gretchen Rubin. In the past, my words have included Routine, Learn, Grounded, Prepare, and Balance.

This time I've been having trouble finding a word that resonates with me and I honestly considered not choosing one.

I felt that my words tended to all revolve around the same topic and I was afraid that this practice was losing its meaning.

But then Adriene announced the theme for her 30-day yoga challenge and it all suddenly made sense!

My word for 2023 is CENTER.

After what seems like years of going in every possible direction, I'm feeling the need to go back to the center.

Two phrases are looping in my head: "The center will not hold" and "Getting to Center".

One is the title of the documentary about Joan Didion (in reference to a poem by Yeats, and the other one is a book I read years ago.

I'm not sure what this means, but I'll definitely rewatch and reread each of them...

I'm not 100% convinced that this word will stick. I've found over the past year that if my word was not closely aligned with the items on my yearly list, I would tend to forget completely which theme I chose.

"Center" seems more intangible than "Grounded", the word I had chosen in 2020, a year during which I planted a garden.

But now that I'm in the process of writing about this theme, I can feel the connection growing. I'm imagining my theme less like a list of items to cross off a list and more like habits I want to form.

I've had trouble sticking to a meditation practice but I also really want to spare some time to slow down and be still every day, so I'm giving breathwork a try.

Yoga is still very much a part of my happiness journey and I'm grateful that it inspired me to choose this word of the year.

Core work is also something I've been paying attention to over the past couple of months.

After the pandemic, different moves, and a general tendency to retreat in my cocoon, I'm feeling the urge to be surrounded by a small number of people I trust. I would love to create a circle ("attraction" was on my shortlist), having people gathered around me, at my house, to bake, craft, and share a meal. I don't necessarily want to be at the center of this circle, but simply a part of it.

Maybe it's the beginning of the year and I'm experiencing a peak of energy and inspiration, but I've been scheduling many articles for the blog, it looks like I have a lot to share this year and want everyone to know about it! I'd like to think I'm an information center, rather than the center of attention...

And on a personal and professional level, I simply want to be at the center!

Well, it looks like the wheels are turning in my head. I'm going to make a point to have a physical reminder of my word of the year. I'm not really into vision boards, but maybe a postcard, a poster, or a notebook with the word Center on it would help?

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?

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