You CAN change the course of your life

You CAN change the course of your life. And, all it takes is this…

• One mindset

• One focus

• One WORD

• One longer-than-usual blog post

It’s that time of year again, my peeps! Each January 1 (or whenever you happen to be reading this post), I select one word to focus upon to upgrade my mindset for the coming year. In the past, I chose the obvious words like love, peace, joy. Then I got more creative and linked the word to goals I wanted to accomplish and states of being I wanted to achieve – such as excellence and delight (which, by the way, was my word for 2024).

In my experience, having this one focus for 365 days has had an extraordinarily positive effect on my decision-making, my relationships, my thoughts and my actions. Incorporating it into my daily routines has been life-changing. Here’s how I’ve been able to transform my mindset, with one word and one Baby Step at a time:

• I say it as an affirmation throughout the day (read to the end of this post for a sample)

• I upload it to my phone lock screen

• I add it to my yearly vision board

• I display it where it’s hard to miss

• I incorporate it into my morning prayers

• I whisper it a million times to myself as I am building the life of my dreams (especially when I’m struggling to make changes my overly protective brain is not yet on board with)

There are countless ways we can train our brains to focus on one particular word. I’m sure you’ll come up with a bunch of your own. It’s fun to notice how many opportunities begin to pop up once we make this word a priority in our lives, along with all the emotion attached to it.

So now the only question I want to ask you is this:

What will my word be?

Okay, okay, I lied. There are other questions I want to ask you to ask yourself. This is the most important one:

Who do I want to become by next New Year’s Day?

Take a breath and close your eyes (#safety first) so you can envision every aspect of your future badass self, one year from now.

• What do you look like?

• Where are you?

• What are you doing?

• What do you think about yourself?

• What dreams are you living out?

• What are your success stories?

Your responses will naturally lead you to your word. As soon as it pops into your head, grab an index card (#obsessessed) and write your word down. Now don’t make this a monumental task or put it off ‘til tomorrow. Do it NOW and COMMIT to it once you decide. Remember, this is not a lifelong commitment. It’s a simple yet powerful tool to continually point you in the direction of your dreams and goals and desires.

I’ll share my word in a moment. But first, this FYI: I also choose an overall yearly theme for my DDD messages. Read about my mantra for 2025 HERE and catch the vibe. Hey, it might even be the word you want to make your own.

(#ONE) Image created by Deb Plotkin

I promised that I'd share my "one word" for 2025. Here it is:

COZY

I love that word! I love how it sounds. I love how it feels. I love what it implies.

You see, my decision to choose this word started way back in July of 2024 when my baby girl was in the ICU. A nurse brought her a warm blanket then my girl turned and gave me the biggest smile and said she felt cozy.

Right then and there I knew cozy would be my word for the coming year. As I thrive through the next 365 days, I intend to keep her smile in my heart and keep the feeling of being warm and snuggled and blissfully content in my brain so it permeates everything I do – in the most delightful (#word 2024) way.

So, join me in this DIY Affirmation for today and the whole year through…

I LOVE feeling [insert your word for the year here].

(#snuggle up!) Image created by Deb Plotkin