Phrase of the Year

I don’t need to rehash that 2020 was a bumpy year – we’re all on the same page, right? So when I tell you that my phrase of the year that I wrote in my newly adapted bullet journal for 2020 fell flat, you’ll be right there to furiously nod in solidarity, yeah?

My 2020 phrase – ironically in some respects – was “It’s never too late.” 2020 was a big birthday year for me and I wanted a mindset that transformation can happen at any age to prevail.

In so many ways, it did.

But this isn’t a post about 2020’s false start. Because I picked myself up for 2021 and leaned into not one, but four phrases that brought me so much focus, I named my company after it.

I don’t recommend starting with four phrases. But after the rollercoaster and completely out of focus 2020, I was desperate to create something empowering. And it wasn’t until about four months in – when I started working with my own coach – that I realized this string of words had so much meaning when linked together. I realized that I was truly living the intention behind these words, as if my life depended on it.

That’s the power of setting an intention for the year – it gives you a lens to view your plans and dreams for the year so you can truly pull them into focus.

Let me back up. I thought I could course-correct 2021 with a big, fancy planner. Surely, that would bring me focus. The paper was delicious and toothy, the monthly and weekly layouts were ample. I didn’t even mind that it weighed five pounds – I wasn’t leaving the house. But the very best part was the customized cover. The base model included the phrase “Make Magic Happen Every Day.” And then I had the manufacturer layer on my first two chosen phrases of year.

Play Big + Be Present.

I first dabbled in the phrase play big 30 days before the pandemic began, when I started reading the amazing book, Playing Big: Practical Wisdom for Women Who Want to Speak Up, Create and Lead by Tara Mohr.

I say dabbled because the practical wisdom in the text resonated so much for me, it scared the pants off me. I literally had to put the book down until I was ready – 12 months and 1 pandemic later. Nonetheless, I knew the message being front and center on my planner would be a gentle reminder. (More about Playing Big in future blog posts.)

I included be present because despite 24/7 caregiving, I felt anything but present for family, my friends and, arguably most importantly, myself. By the close of 2020, I barely recognized myself and I definitely didn’t know what to do next.

Play Big + Be Present + Make Magic Happen Every Day

These three phrases, strung together on my somewhat useless [because we had no plans to track] planner started planting roots somewhere deep inside.

Only two months into 2021, I felt a pull to actually make the magic happen for myself. For someone who felt like she could barely manage to start and complete one load of laundry in a day, I magically decided on a course of action to hire a coach, researched a coach, called the coach and committed to the coach in the span of about 4 hours. Turns out, the very coach I found had trained with Tara Mohr, so Playing Big has been a cornerstone of our work together.

After that 4-hour sprint to taking the first step towards the rest of my life, I decided to add a new phrase to the string.

Invest in Myself.

Play Big + Be Present + Invest in Myself + Make Magic Happen Every Day.

What’s possible when you create your own intentional phrase to use as a lens for your goals in this upcoming year?

If money, time and the how were no object, what would you be doing right now? 

What would your big picture look like? 

And what small details would you notice? 

What’s important about those to you? 

How does noticing them make you feel?