My One Word for 2021

For the first time ever, I entered the new year without any planner. 

Sure, I haven’t a Starbucks planner waiting to be redeemed. But I usually have more one planner to start off the year. Last year, I had 3 – one from Starbucks, the Simple Elephant planner I got as a gift from my sister, and the free planner/notebook they give out at Church to small group leaders. Before, I would even buy a separate planner for my daily devotions. 

There were years when I would come up with vision boards or I would list down the goals and intentions I would like to accomplish for the rest of the year. My goals can get so comprehensive that they would cover major aspects of my life – spiritual, emotional, physical, mental, relational. Writing them all down gets me excited for the new year, even if most likely, I won’t be able to follow through with all of my plans for the rest of the year. It also gives me a sense of control and accomplishment.

Setting specific goals and concrete plans is the last thing on my mind right now. I think I’m still fixated on 2020 and I blame it on our natural tendency not to look away from disasters or tragedies. 2020 was disastrous to all of us, to say the least. How do you move forward when you’re still overwhelmed from the negative vibes from the previous year?

So far, the only thing I have this year is my “one word”. Every year, our small group leader at church encourages us to choose a word that we will focus on for the year. I saw this website that advocates choosing only one word for the year as a better alternative to having a list of new year’s resolutions, which tends to be too long and unrealistic. Choosing one word gives us more focus and clarity, and it’s very easy to remember. 

Last year, my word was “Less” and the year before that, it was “Action”.

This year, my one word is “GROW.” 

Honestly, I haven’t given it much thought yet (because I’m really unprepared for 2021 like that hehe) and I’m only thinking about it as I write this blog post. By “growth”, I’m not talking about abundance and prosperity in career or finances, but more of my personal, internal growth. So this year, these are the things I’m looking forward to:

1. Growth in my relationship with God. Recently, I’ve been led to reread a classic book I studied almost 15 years ago – “Experiencing God” by Henry T. Blackaby and Claude V. King. It says that a relationship with Jesus Christ is a prerequisite to experiencing a full life. I know that I need to establish and develop this relationship so I would get to know God more, know His will and His purpose for my life. Before, I would plan my life based on what I think God wants for me, without really working on my relationship with Him first. This often led to confusion and disappointment. This time, I hope to become more intimate in knowing Him before anything else. 
2. Growth in my character, more than my productivity. God cares more about who we are than what we do. Most of the time, I make the mistake of measuring my success and my growth based on how much I’ve accomplished and what I’ve done. I feel more fulfilled whenever I get to complete my daily checklists, without thinking about how it is affecting my character. While the Bible commands us to be productive and work excellently as if we’re working for God and not for men, this shouldn’t cost us our integrity or cause us to make compromises in our attitude or work ethic. In everything that I do, whether work-related or not, I should always consider how I’m growing as a person, how I’m relating with others, and if what I’m doing has eternal significance. 
3. Growth in Christlikeness. In relation to the first item, as I grow in my relationship with God, I should naturally become more Christlike. I should be better in how I practice self-discipline and in the way I relate with other people. I believe that as a Christian, one should be able to exhibit the fruit of the Holy Spirit as described in Galatians 5:22-23 – ”But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” It may seem impossible for anyone to exhibit these characteristics, that’s why commitment to No. 1 is crucial – this can only happen if one has a solid and intimate relationship with God.
4. Growth and maturity in the way I think. One of the lessons I learned in church last year is I should always check my perspective or the way I think. It’s true that the way you think affects the way you feel, and the way you feel affects the way you act. In short, it all starts with the mind. I’m guilty of allowing my mind to absorb too much negativity last year, especially on social media. 2 Corinthians 10:5 emphasizes that we should take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. Allowing your brain to be idle or to wander aimlessly would give the enemy a foothold.
5. Growth in my relationships. This year, I’m aspiring for deeper and more intimate connection with friends and family. One of the things I’m thankful for during the pandemic is I was able to join several bible studies with friends/family and engage in more meaningful conversations with them. I was able to get to know my family and friends better through these sessions and learn from their faith journey. I hope that I’ll be able to talk to more people, not just on a surface level, and show love and extend care to more of my friends/family (not just those in my current bible studies) who might need encouragement and inspiration.

Definitely, I will still make use of my planner/s and write everything down – but this time, I’ll be more intentional on tracking my growth in these areas rather than on the concrete plans/tasks that I need to accomplish. 

Also, while I’m waiting for my Starbucks planner, I’m also looking forward to winning a Belle de Jour Power Planner from TopazHorizon.com!

Do you have year-end/start of the year rituals? How do you set your intentions for the year?