January 13
Why I am Choosing Less this Year.
With every new year, I pick a word that represents the energy I want to BE as I navigate the next 365 days. This year is about doing less and enjoying more. They say less is more and I want to put this into my daily practice. It’s not a resolution or goal, rather an intention that I repeat often and consider when making short- and long-term decisions.
Selecting a word for the year is an important practice that can bring you into alignment with what you are seeking and help you simplify your goals by evoking a deep sense of purpose.
Our lives are filled with plenty of goals, aspirations, and desires.
Choosing your word allows you to distill complex decision making and thought processing into an easier and rewarding process.
It’s easy to get caught up in the busyness of our daily lives where we can lose sight of our priorities. By selecting a word, you create a focal point that helps you direct your energy and attention towards what is important to YOU. This along with your core values can act as a compass, your internal GPS, guiding your decisions, actions, and choices you make throughout the year.
In 2023, I had two words, IMPLEMENTATION and FLOW. Prior to that it was BELIEVE and CLARITY. I recall my word for 2021 was NO 😊
Last year was about taking all the knowledge from the books, courses, guru’s, coaches, and programs and putting it into practice (where applicable and appropriate). It actually worked; what a concept!
I made some changes in my business and in my mental and physical health. The flow part wasn’t as prevalent and applicable. As I reflect on the why, it was apparent that I wasn’t clear on what flow actually meant to me. The intention was to flow with the changes, the good, bad, and the ones that I knew needed to be made. Flow with the disappointment and accept what is happening without resistance. While I am clear about it now, it wasn’t the case throughout the many challenges; I was met with so much resistance from my ego. In hindsight, this level of reflection provides so much wisdom.
So why Less is More this Year?
The actions we take are a result of what is happening in our mind and the story we are telling ourselves. I had a lot of subconscious programming around work, productivity, and self-worth. Thanks to many months of intense EMDR therapy and of course daily mental hygiene, I have been able to release it and make aligned decisions based on the beliefs that serve me.
The external reasons for my 2024 word are:
When I am less busy, I am not frantic, running from one thing to another. Being deliberate and clear on what I have committed to and what I am responsible for is way easier to manage.
When I do less, I am more present, focused, in the moment, and at peace.
When I am less distracted with busyness and low-grade work & chores, I can get into flow state where I can produce more meaningful work in way less time. Distractions are a real productivity killer.
When I am drinking less alcohol and eating less junk food, I feel better – I sleep better – and I look better.
When I am consuming less, I can create space, abundance, and prosperity.
When I have less stuff to move around and think about, I feel peace.
When I am less stressed, I am more self-aware and intentional of the energy that I am bringing into the situation.
When there is less drama, there is less bullshit, period. No gossiping, less complaining, and less problems. Less victim mentality and more ownership of the mistakes, the lessons, and the wins.
When there is less worry and anger, I am living completely within my Manifestor human design type and I have more peace.
I could go on for another page, but this is the gist. Less is more this year, and I am going to do everything in my power to stick to this way of thinking because it serves me, fuels my confidence, and supports my purpose in helping people heal and transform their lives.
Less also ties into the notion of why I do not make New Year’s Resolutions.
I have written multiple posts about this and the why behind it, You can read more here. To surmise the why, resolutions mean to “resolve”. To resolve is to conclude that you have a problem. In my mind, I don’t want to focus on problems, I want to focus on solutions where I will experiment, try new things and methods, and explore ways to get what I want. I choose to create and learn rather then resolve.
The energy behind what you want starts with a feeling. If you are trying to resolve something, the feeling comes from a place of lack and need. There’s a big difference in the energy between lack and need versus abundance and want.
Resolutions deter me from moving forward. They are a response to behaviors that are not in alignment with what I truly want.
Instead of resolving something that you don’t like, try focusing on what you want and look at the why beneath what you want.
This is where focusing on what you have and what you want in your life will help you take action on what you desire. Motivation is a finite resource and too many of us rely on it to do the hard things.
If you are struggling with what you want, try focusing your attention on what you are grateful for? Can you enhance something that you are drawn too? Are the actions or routines you are doing serving you and sparking joy, peace, creativity – or whatever you are seeking?
What is your word for 2024? How can you start integrating it into the many aspects of your life?
Here’s to living on purpose,
Alexis