If you are a regular at Starting Over at Sixty, you know that I selected a word for myself for 2018. It was forward, and I really took it to heart. I believe that I got the idea from the book, Design Your Day by Claire Díaz-Ortiz (love that book). I was finally divorced at the beginning of the year so I traveled for several weeks to wash the stink off from all of that, then came home, bought a condo, moved in, spent several months living out of boxes and finally got possession of it (from the painters, plumbers, floor installers, etc.) in November. In the meantime, I have been working with consultants and tech types to figure out what direction the website should lean. More about that later. I had a little minor surgery to repair an old mistake, and here I am. I moved forward!

So, I was trying to think of what word would fit best for me for 2019. What would be a word that would motivate me to keep moving forward, and not actually be the word forward again? Nothing was coming to mind.

Then it happened. I was cleaning up in the kitchen while the kids were home for the holidays and I decided to put on some music. My Spotify was playing something from an evangelist who, I believe, was Eddie James. I couldn’t figure out why this was coming up, but when I looked at the screen the word “Breakthrough” was showing: I guess that’s what Mr. James’ topic was all about. It stopped me in my tracks (not that hard when I am cleaning!). That was the perfect word for 2019, Breakthrough, and here is why.

I’ve been feeling like I’m underwater lately, just trying to crash through the surface on nearly every front. Every project that I am super excited about in my life has been delayed a number of times. I am treading water at every turn and it has been wearing me down. So, while I have made a lot of forward movement, nothing has come to fruition. Nothing is actually working yet. Have you ever felt that way, like you’re constantly in quicksand and can’t climb out. You can’t get started, or finished, with any of your life projects? That has been me for a few months and I can tell you that it is bringing me down. My lack of having any boxes checked off for last year has been actually making me feel depressed.

Well, not since I found Breakthrough, Sister! 2019 is the year of the breakthrough for me. It is the year to break through the barriers that have been holding me back for months or even years. For example, I have been hovering around a certain weight: I lose some then gain it back, or I go up then lose that. No way that is going to continue. It just isn’t. It is time to break through that certain number permanently. That’s it.

And, you may know that I have been working on two new programs for Starting Over at Sixty and they have been delayed and delayed and delayed. The website has been on hold for an eternity, it seems, and I was seriously considering dropping it altogether. I couldn’t break through and the delays were winning. Not any more! I am moving full speed ahead and in March you will be able to participate in the Sisters and WingWoman programs fully. I am so excited about it and you will hear more about it in the coming weeks.

So, just deciding what the word of the year will be has changed my outlook from dreary to excited again. And you can do the very same thing yourself. Think about how you would like to move through 2019. Do you want to take charge of your life this year? Or, have you been on a tread mill for months and just want to slow down? It’s your life and it can look like what you want, but I promise you that if you select a word to guide you through the year, you will stay focused on that word.

We all need little tricks to keep us on the path that we want to follow. Try a word for the year and see if it helps you. Let me know what you select in the comments. Happy January!