Word for 2020: Momentum

As I write this post, I am listening to the quiet that surrounds me. The rest of the house is sleeping and the early morning birdsong is the only sound filtering in through the open window. A new year has dawned.

For some, that simply means another day, for others, it is the chance to start again and resolve to make this year their best yet.

I sit between the two camps.

I see a new year as a time to refocus. To set goals rather than resolutions and to zone in what I want to achieve both professionally and personally.

With January a time for school holidays and family capers, my professional year doesn't begin until Feb 1st when routine resumes. I use January as a time for preparation. It is a time where I think hard and long about my intentions, my values and what I want the year to hold. I firmly believe that intention shapes our destiny, or at least points the compass in the direction we wish to head. The rest is left up to fate and luck.

My word for 2020 is momentum.

It didn't take long for this word to appear and it is perfect. After releasing my debut novel in 2019, it only seems fitting that I keep the momentum going. That I keep writing, editing, releasing, pitching - whatever it takes to keep moving forward in my writing career.

But momentum isn't only fitting for my professional life. Momentum is how I want to approach my personal life.

2019 saw me take chances, step outside my comfort zone and open myself to new possibilities. It was reaching out to friends (old and new), taking charge of friendships and relationships and more saying 'yes'. And although challenging for my natural introverted default, I found I enjoyed it. So I want to keep this momentum going also.

The goals that I have set reflect and support my aim for momentum, but there are also other adjustments that I need, and want, to make.

But that is for my next post.