Well hello, 2023! Honestly, it feels a little weird being here today, not going to lie.

I took an unintentional blogging break in December for various reasons. I didn’t mean to take a break from writing here in this space because it definitely brings me joy and is something that I very much enjoy doing but such is life and it was a necessary decision in the season I was in. And while I still find myself navigating this season, I am ready to jump back in.

I will go into more detail when I have a little more information (I have a follow up doctors appointment tomorrow) but essentially, my health started to tank again this fall. What I had been doing to manage some off/on health issues I have been dealing with hit a brick wall and hit it pretty hard. I found myself barely getting through the days and needing to take so many breaks to do so. I had to start to take a step back from some things to focus on finding out what was going on with my body and prioritize what had to get done versus what was just extra.

Anyways, with my health issues I really started to go inward. Inward in trying to figure out what was going on with my physical health but also recognizing that it was taking a toll on my mental health as well because gosh ya’ll, not feeling well 24/7 and barely getting through your days takes a toll on you mentally and emotionally. So, I have spent the last month focusing on what I needed and how I can plan to tackle my health and everything else in 2023.

I have always done a word of the year, even before it was the popular thing to do. I love picking a word to focus on throughout the year so I can live more intentionally and focus on what really matters most. What I love about doing a word of the year versus a resolution is that it doesn’t set you up to put together a bunch of unattainable goals you will forget about in a few weeks. Instead, it helps you focus on they way you want to live during the year and create habits/goals/dreams, etc based on a theme so to speak.

As I processed what I want from this year and how I want to approach this year, I thought a lot about a word and prayed so much about it as well. So, my word for the year….

What does wholeness mean?

By definition, the word wholeness means forming a complete and harmonious whole or unity. Being unbroken or undamaged.

Why did I choose it?

When I take a look at the last couple of years I can very clearly look at areas of my life that were thriving and also see areas in which I was merely surviving. As I have focused more on finding balance in my life I want the parts of my life to work together versus them competing against one another. I want to focus on the wholeness of my life versus just certain aspects of it. In seasons that has been on my family, on my career, on my health, etc…but I really want to put all of those pieces together so I can truly look back on the year and know that I didn’t give my all to one thing or another but instead I prioritized everything that matters most to me.

I know what you may be thinking. This chick is crazy. Balance doesn’t exist. It’s all a myth or a fantasy to try to think you can balance it all. But, I truly think it does. It won’t be 50/50, that isn’t the balance I am looking for. Instead, I want it to be that I gave myself to the areas of my life that matter most and made sure that at the end of the year I don’t look back with regrets for letting something that matters most to me slip through the cracks.

So practically, what does this look like?

It means creating daily rhythms that make me feel the best — eating well, being active, reading my Bible.

Getting my health back on track, finding answers to what is going on.

Putting my phone down to spend uninterrupted time with my family.

Saying yes to what matters most and no to things that don’t.

Taking more time off and not over scheduling my work calendar.

Being okay with slow and steady progress towards my business goals.

Buying a new home and putting down roots here in Florida.

Traveling and taking time to just be with my family and friends.

Reading more and growing instead of watching TV and allowing my health to determine my mood.

On steady step on top of the other is what I am after here because when the puzzle pieces all come together something really beautiful is created.

Have you chose a word of the year? If not, I highly recommend taking some time to do so!