A few years ago, I read the book, “One Word That Will Change Your Life” by Dan Britton, Jimmy Page and Jon Gordon The premise is alluringly simple, yet powerful: instead of a long list of goals and resolutions for the year, pick one word that captures the essence of what you want.
Your One Word gives you focus when you need to prioritize day-to-day and make longer-term decisions. It also serves as inspiration and a reminder of what’s important for the year.
My first One Word was Joy, and that was very useful in pivoting me from my natural emphasis on productivity and achievement to prioritize enjoyment and fun. I picked Simplicity for another year when I wanted to slow things down and get organized.
This year, my One Word is Light.
Light as in bright, like the sun
I need lots of light when I work because my eyesight is terrible, but also because I feel more invigorated in a brightly lit space. That’s probably why I like the beach and warm places so much – lots of light!
By picking Light as my One Word, I remind myself to prioritize my nature walks (we’re still in New York City predominately), so unfortunately not the beaches of Tamarindo or even Jacksonville, but the abundant parks and other nature options in and around NYC.
This year is also about clarity, another benefit of light.
2019 is when I am taking a step back and reshaping my business to exactly what I want. The first step is getting clear on what I want and not just jumping on the obvious and running with it. I’m not rushing this process. My schedule, normally booked very tightly, is now deliberately kept mostly free of appointments. It’s only January, so I’m still not used to how slow things feel, but I am loving the new pace.
Light as in not heavy, buoyant, and free
That new slower pace will help me get more clarity, but it also plays into another priority and meaning for Light – the weightlessness and effortlessness it implies.
2019 is also going to be about not pushing so hard, which is my default. I started letting go at the end of 2018, when I trimmed my holiday card list by almost half (a small step, but still directionally forward). Now, I’ve also trimmed my schedule.
However, I am adding activities, where they support my Light theme. For example, I joined a year-long professional development program, which lengthens my To Do list, but gives me support and some guard rails on the changes I’m making — a net positive.
While I’m not using Light as a diet prompt (I’ve been the same weight for over 10 years so I don’t think a single word will change anything), I am using it as a health prompt. I have been regularly drinking green juice several times a week already, added intermittent fasting last year, and am cooking more and eating less processed meals for this year. That may or may not make the scale lighter, but I’ll feel lighter.
Light as in levity
Finally, I’m still working on prioritizing fun, and I almost picked Fun as my One Word, but Light captures this too. Light can mean casual or not too serious – adjectives I would do well to remind myself of.
I’m in the middle of a cabaret class right now, doing some comedy in March, and starting a sketch class soon. Whatever else happens in 2019, I’ve blocked in some fun time early.
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A fun way to track your One Word and connect with others that have picked the same word is to join the website oneword365.com.
How about you? What is your One Word for 2019?
We are Scott and Caroline, 50-somethings who spent the first 20+ years of our adult lives in New York City, working traditional careers and raising 2 kids. We left full-time work in our mid-40’s for location-independent, part-time consulting projects and real estate investing, in order to create a more flexible and travel-centric lifestyle. 
Financial independence and early retirement is not something we originally focused on, but over time realized it was possible. Our free report, 
