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What's Your Power Word for the New Year?

January 14, 2018 Heather Furlow
PowerWordStory.jpg

The past few years I've been hesitant about setting big resolutions. If I knew they were going to be so hard to keep (and I'd likely fail), then why bother? So I'm focusing on the fact that the New Year is really about starting with a fresh outlook and feeling a new sense of hope and determination to go after the things I value. I'm making small, thoughtful goals right now, like reading The Productivity Project to get tips on being more efficient with my time and taking on this 30 Day yoga challenge to calm my mind and get my body moving on a regular basis. 

I am choosing a power word for 2018 though.

The idea of focusing on an affirmation is a great tool for dealing with anxiety and for nudging your perspective a bit (studies show it can have a powerfully positive affect on the brain). By choosing a single word to focus on rather than a resolution, it's less overwhelming and you’re honing in on a feeling or idea that you value. (In an interview in the November 2017 issue of Marie Claire, Mila Kunis says she uses power words. Her word for 2017? Openness.)

Of course, choosing a word isn't always simple. And I know affirmations aren't everyone's thing, so use this idea in a way that works for you. It could be a word that makes you laugh, that reminds you to think positive, that encourages you to believe in yourself when you’re feeling defeated. Or it could be a phrase, a song lyric, a movie quote. As long as you'll remember it and it has meaning to you, it becomes your power word. 

My word came to me a bit out of nowhere when I was listening to a guided meditation one morning last week. (That sounds very hippy-dippy, I know, but meditating really does help me to let go and calm my mind. And it makes it easier for ideas like this to pop up.) 

The power word I'm going with is "gentle."

Doesn't actually sound so powerful, right? The thing is, being gentle—gentler to myself especially—is powerful to me. I'm trying to work through that negative voice in my head that eats away at me at 3 in the morning or whispers that I'll never be good enough to do X, Y and Z.

"Gentle" sounds soft and warm to me and it feels right. It means being kinder to myself. In my eyes, being more aware of how I'm treating myself makes space for me to be kinder to others, to go after my goals with confidence and to be gentler with myself when I fail—and gentler with others when I feel disappointed or hurt.

Will I meet every moment of 2018 gently?

Noooo, haha. I plan to use this power word as my strength though: my fall-back, my reminder that being gentle to myself is my power. 💪🏼

What's your power word for 2018? I'd love to hear. I'll check back in at the end of 2018 (!) and let you know how it went for me with "gentle." ;)

Xoxo, Heather

Photograph by Carrington King

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Hey! I'm Heather, and I'm so excited you've stopped by Galbraith, a place for laid-back style tips and interviews with amazing women of all ages (and so much more!). You can learn more about me  here , and I'd love to learn more about  you . Feel free to message me  here .

Hey! I'm Heather, and I'm so excited you've stopped by Galbraith, a place for laid-back style tips and interviews with amazing women of all ages (and so much more!). You can learn more about me here, and I'd love to learn more about you. Feel free to message me here.

Let's Be Friends!


▼ More Galbraith on Insta ▼ @summerheather

2018 has been a year of celebrating love and friendship. 💗 Some of my favorite people tied the knot. (I went to five weddings, three that I was in.) I saw dear friends and loved ones more often, made new friends and reconnected with old ones. I saw my gorgeous sister walk down the aisle (on the beach in Turks & Caicos 😎🏝) and I gained a new brother. 👋🏼
•
I explored Paris and southern France for the first time with my ❤️. (Oh and we also climbed this little mountain 👆🏼 in the Adirondacks and just sat and watched the mist drift over the mountaintop for what felt like hours... so peaceful. 😍)
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I got really into wide-leg jeans, scrunchies and Rent the Runway. 🤗
• ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I started meditating more seriously—my best streak was 107 days in a row. 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
•
This was also the year where a lot of anxiety and doubt took up space in my head—or maybe I just became more aware of it. (Meditation really does help.) Being aware of the doubt and anxiety is the first step for me, then comes the working through it part. 🧜🏼‍♀️ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
•
I’ve set aside some time with @tomschellingphoto to plan out my goals for this year (he’s great at that goal-setting stuff 😋) and I’m really excited to tackle a few things I’ve been too afraid to pursue. 💪🏼
•
I hope you make time to reflect on this past year too—the good, the bad, the everything! Whether you realize it or not, you’ve accomplished and learned an incredible amount. Cheers to 2019 being our best year yet, my friends! 🥂
When @tomschellingphoto wants to test a new lens, even though it’s cold and raining out... 😋😂 P.S. Clear umbrellas are the best 🙏🏼
Soaking in those last few minutes before leaving Turks & Caicos yesterday. I’m realizing escaping to the Caribbean (or somewhere warm) is the best way to break up New York winters. 😎✌🏼☀️
My bestest friend in the whole wide 🌎 got married! 🎉💍🥰

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