Confession: I had an unusually hard time finding my word this year.

Typically, the word magically comes to me sometime in December and it's like an epiphany or a lightening strike. A word popped into my brain a few weeks ago, but it didn't feel quite right. It was somehow "off" or incomplete. So I had to peel back a few layers, reflect on 2024, and ask myself three important questions. If you're interested in finding a word for the year or feeling meh about your choice, maybe they'll help you too:

• "What was hard for me last year?"

• "What do I need this year?"

• "What is holding me back from what I want to achieve this year?"

Harmony is, by definition, "a consistent, orderly, or pleasing arrangement of parts; congruity." (Thanks, Dictionary.com.) As I kept harmony top of mind this year, I was reminded of two adages that are opposite sides of the same coin:

• Good is not the enemy of perfect.

• Some is better than none.

So when we live our days in harmony, the mind, body, and spirit are right where they belong. After all, Dictionary.com explains that harmony is  "a consistent, orderly, or pleasing arrangement of parts; congruity." I guess those congruent triangles I learned about in Trigonometry well over 25 years ago are coming in handy after all. 

On our 11-hour journey back from Tennessee over the weekend, we listened to a "Road Trip" playlist. As a Jersey girl, I was delighted when Living on a Prayer by Bon Jovi came on.

As I let my brain wander last week, I realized that what I really need in 2023 is CLARITY. I need to get BETTER at being purposeful with my time, my tasks, and my mindset. After all, choosing to truly unplug was indeed a choice I consciously made. So my word for the year is... INTENTION. It encompasses simplicity, manifesting the life I want, and being present. It's about the opposite of doing something because it's a habit but truly asking myself what I want to do and how I want to spend my time. It's about remembering my WHY for every little thing, big and small. It holds me accountable.