Resonate 2015, On Mantras

A couple of years ago, I stumbled on the idea of giving myself a yearly word - a mantra to focus on instead of a resolution. Resolutions are hard. They are often too tightly defined, too narrow and too easily allow for failure. Mantras are easier - more guidelines, than rules. In my case, my yearly word is a principle with which I approach the year. Whether I'm making a choice or meeting with friends, my annual word never strays far from my mind.

In 2013, I chose curate. It was the year of careful selection - deliberate and purposeful choices. Things I bought, things I made and how I spent my time were all carefully managed. While that often resulted in less, I became more appreciative of what I had. It was my first year actively embracing a word and by far one of the most successful self-improvement exercises that I've undertaken.

In 2014, I chose rebuild. When I say this, I often get a laugh. People assume I must have over-curated in 2013, but that wasn't the case. I chose rebuild because I was feeling less than I could have been. I felt I wasn't living up to my potential. This is a perennial problem for me. We also wanted to reframe our home life. We weren't happy in Sydney. As a mantra for life, rebuild worked in some ways but not in others. We made a major life change. We moved cities and are much better for it. When it came to shopping though, I couldn't move beyond curate.

That brings us to this year's word choice. I thought I had this in the bag for a while. I'd been chatting with friends about it for a couple of weeks. Then unexpected happened and my first instinct didn't feel right.

I'm fortunate to have a large social network on Facebook - the benefit of living in many cities, working many jobs and being an extravert; so I put the call out and asked my friends if they would suggest words for me. I mulled them over and thought about what I wanted most from 2015. I thought about their suggestions and played in a thesaurus. Not by coincidence, that was the same day I learned that I could overcome my speech impediment by singing. After some well-considered decision making, my word for 2015 is RESONATE.

From a combination of dictionaries, RESONATE is about producing a loud, clear sound for a long period of time. It's about creating an emotional connection, evoking memories and building harmonies. There are a number of ways to interpret RESONATE, but they all acquiesced with my goals for 2015.

I'm not ashamed to say that I want to be heard. I want to make a resounding impact in everything I do - whether that's an impact on people, in a career or in my creative life. But I don't just want to be heard, I want to create emotional connections in the process. When I write, I want readers to say 'me too'. When I make, I want viewers to get more out of my work. I want to lead and inspire more in 2015. I want my work to RESONATE with others.

Of course, it would be naive to take a single-sided approach with a mantra. Life isn't just about what you put out there. It's also about what you take in. Every day we make choices about how we spend our money, how we spend our time and who we spend it with. How things RESONATE with me will guide my choices this year. When I hit a crossroads, I'll make the choice that seems most harmonious with my goals.

On Selecting an Annual Mantra 
I mentioned earlier that I queried my friends for help in selecting this year's mantra. It seems unusual as those guiding tenets are a deeply personal thing. It helped though to see how others interpreted the concept. I'm still relatively new to the idea, but I think the key is in finding a word that fits with your goals for the year. Do you need focus or a gentle reminder to relax? Do you want to learn, grow, make or embrace?  Do you need discipline or are you looking for your inner pixie?

As my friends started suggesting words, I noticed how much they reflected the things they wanted most for themselves. Some were words of action, some were states of being, some had dual meanings. Nearly all of them gave room for growth far less stifling than a new year's resolution.

For those of you considering adopting a word of the year, I'm sharing some of the words suggested by my friends. I've added a few ideas to the list too:

• Intent, Deliberate, Purposeful, Curate, Considered
• Celebrate, Enjoy, Laud
• Relax, Restore, Rejuvenate, Heal
• Strive, Achieve, Succeed
• Elevate, Progress, Learn
• Authentic, Genuine
• Acceptance, Imperfect
• Strength, Fortitude, Resilience, Moxie
• Intertwine, Connect
• Invigorate, Inspire, Lead, Galvanize
• Address, Manage, Acknowledge
• Métier, Forte
• Spirit, Free, Gypsy
• Flavor
• Positivity, Affirmations
• Perspective, Balance
• Focus, Center
• Mature, Grow

Maybe something here RESONATES with you. See what I did there? Have you had a word of a year before? Was it successful? Is it something you might try? I'd love to hear your thoughts, read your blog posts on the topic or hear your word in the comments. I'm sure others would too!

Best wishes in the new year from amy at badskirt.