Shelly Horton: 'I'm ditching resolutions and living by this one word instead.'

It’s April.

Shout out if you’ve stuck to your new year’s resolutions? Hmm is that crickets I hear? If you’re anything like me, you don’t like failing, and even something like breaking a new year’s resolution makes you feel bad doesn’t it? I think when it comes to motivation; new year’s resolutions just don’t work. I can’t remember how many years in a row my resolution was to “lose 10 kilos in 10 weeks,” “never eat chocolate again” or “exercise every single day.”

Now when I look back at those statements I see how negative they are and in reality, I was setting myself up to fail. Nope, nothing fun or motivating, in those statements, I was just setting unachievable goals for myself. No wonder I never stuck to them.

So I decided this year I wouldn’t make a resolution and instead I would use one word to define my goals for the year. A friend of mine has been doing this for years. Basically, she picks one word that acts as her guiding light for the year. My word for 2016 is SOAR. Why just fly when you can soar? I want to soar with my new video production business. I want my heart to soar with my husband. I want my spirit to soar with inspiration and adventure. The mere word, soar, gives me visions of eagles magnificently flying to heights others can’t imagine.

Image via Instagram: @shellyhorton1

Oh and I read on the internet (so therefore it must be true) that when a storm is coming, all other birds seek shelter. However, the eagle avoids the storm by flying above it. How amazing is that? This year I want to soar above the storms in my life. I put this intention out on social media and was pleasantly surprised with how many people connected with the positivity of this idea.

One woman replied by sending me this inspirational quote and I loved it so much I’ve stuck it up beside my computer, “People who soar are those who refuse to sit back and sigh and wish things would change. They neither complain of their lot nor passively dream of some distant ship coming in. Rather they visualize in their minds that they are not quitters, they will not allow life’s circumstances to push them down and hold them under. DO YOU SOAR?”

Another sent me this quote from Saru Singhal; “To soar, we must leave anything that weighs us down.”

All of this made me feel powerful and happy with my word choice. It felt like others were supporting my dreams and yes, providing the wind beneath my wings, so I will in fact soar.

I asked other women to tell me what their word for the year is and the responses were just as inspiring (and surprisingly diverse).

This year I will be “content”.

"All of this made me feel powerful and happy with my word choice. It felt like others were supporting my dreams and yes, providing the wind beneath my wings, so I will in fact soar." Image: supplied.

I’ve just moved to South Korea. My word for 2016 is, “adventure”.

Last year was tough for me so my word for 2016 is, “truth”.

“Success.”

“Love,” because love is all you need.

I had some major health issues in 2015 so my word is “healthy.”

You can’t help others until you help yourself. Just like you put your own life mask on before assisting others. So my word for the year is “Me.”

“Gratitude,” if we focus on what we have, rather than on what we don’t have, everyone would feel a lot happier.

The final word goes to my friend who’s been choosing single words to steer her for years. “My word for this year is, “curiosity”. To stay interested in everyday things, to have the fresh, questioning eyes of a student and to always look for wonder and to have adventures (even if only in my own backyard).”

What’s your word for 2016?