The One-Word Resolution
By Rebecca Matter

Sometimes I feel like a fraud …

I’ve written numerous articles on how to set resolutions … or rather, goals.

I know how to set them. And I’ve successfully achieved plenty of them over the years.

But the truth is, I no longer really believe in them.

Don’t get me wrong …

I believe in creating roadmaps or plans … listing out the things you need to do to move forward … which I guess, one could say, is like “setting goals.”

But, when I think of the word “goal” itself, I just see a limitation.

Let me explain …

If you were to say to me, “My goal this year is to make $10,000 a month from my writing” — my question would be why?

What happens if you make $9,000? Will you feel like a failure for falling short? Even though you’re making great money doing what you love?

And on the flip side, I might ask why would you limit yourself to $10,000? By setting that goal, aren’t you creating a ceiling (something many people come to AWAI to escape) on what you can achieve?

Let’s say you hit that $10,000 “goal” on the 15th of the month. Will you celebrate your win and stop pushing? What if you could have made $15,000? You may never know.

These days, I’m a believer in swinging for the fences …

To approach each year — and each day, really — with the intention of making it better than the one before.

And to do that, I’m a believer in making plans.

Planning Goals vs. Milestones

Now, I should point out that saying, “I want to make $10,000 a month from my writing this year” is very different from stating, “I need to make $10,000 a month before I can leave my full-time job.”

In my opinion, the latter is simply a fact …

You’ve calculated how much you need to make to pay your bills to ensure you make a safe/sound decision. It’s a milestone you need to reach.

I get it! We all have responsibilities, whether they’re mortgages, debt, kids, or any other financial commitment.

When you determine how much you “need” to make to move forward to the next phase of your career, it gives the structure you need to make a plan on how you’ll get there.

For example, if I say I need to make $10,000 a month to quit my job, I may look at the types of projects that could get me there …

• 2 Case Studies at $1,500 Each = $3,000
• 3 Social Media Retainers at $2,000 Each/Month = $6,000
• 1 Newsletter Gig at $2,500 a Month = $2,500

That would total $11,500 and definitely put me in a comfortable position — with a little wiggle room each month — to commit to going freelance full-time.

With a list of projects getting me to my financial goal, now I know what skills I need and can make a plan to acquire them. I also know what level of clients I need to land, which helps me choose my niche, etc.

So, that said, what SHOULD you do for the New Year?!

I encourage you to make a plan, if you don’t yet have one … and, if you click here, you’ll get access to a webinar that will walk you through the steps.

And, as part of making your New Year plan, I also want you to try something new …

Pick a Word

Years ago, the Managing Editor of our Barefoot Writer Magazine, Mindy McHorse, issued me and my fellow members a challenge …

Pick one word that would sum up our focus for the next year.

It was supposed to touch on an area in life where we’d like to improve and resonate with our hopes of what would happen in the year to come.

One word.

We writers are used to pouring our souls out onto the page …

But she wanted us to sum it all up in one word?!

Still, I decided to give it a shot.

And let me tell you, six years later, I’m doing it again today. And it’s become a “thing” we do every year now at AWAI.

It’s been that powerful.

Words I’ve chosen in the past have been Gratitude (when I wanted to be more mindful of all I’d achieved, rather than constantly focusing on what was next) …

Health (when I felt I was putting everything else in front of my own personal needs) …

And Fun (when I was simply taking on too much … and realized I wanted to remember this time of raising young kiddos as being a time full of fun).

Other writers I know chose Abundance, Momentum, Persistence, Bold, Productive, Faith, Action, Courage, Confidence, All-in, Connection, Focus, Listen …

There’s really no wrong answer.

You just think about the year in front of you and decide what you want the theme to be.

And then, once you have your one word, you use it to guide every action you take for the next set of 365 days.

One year, Mindy used Simplify as her guiding word, and she was able to tackle all things with an eye toward simplification.

As a result, everything became easier. If something was hard, that was her clue that it needed to change. By the end of the year, she was an expert in one-pot recipes, only shopped at one store, and had a Virtual Assistant.

I once decided to focus on Fun. So, before saying “Yes” to anything, I’d stop and ask myself, “Is this actually going to be fun?” It made it easier to say “No” to activities and obligations that lacked enjoyable or entertaining qualities.

The result was a lot more free time, which resulted in better productivity, more wins, greater satisfaction, and a happier me …

Which meant happier kiddos, husband, and colleagues. ;)

With another New Year upon us, I’ve been thinking about the one word I’ll pick to guide me through 2025 …

It’s going to be LOVE.

I want to fall in love with writing all over again …

I want to be mindful of all the love I have in my life …

Continue to give love freely …

And be grateful I get to do something I love — so very much — every single day.

I love helping the AWAI community … navigating challenges … and celebrating your wins.

LOVE

What about you?

Remember, there is no wrong answer; it can be any word you want.

And this assumes you also have a plan of what you need to accomplish this year to meet your milestones. After all, it’s easier to get where you’re going with a roadmap!

But, simply pick a word to be your guiding light this year …

And see what happens!

Care to share your word? Post it in the comments below and commit to making it happen.