My Word for 2021: Simplify

I’ve put off, started and stopped this post about ten times.

I have endless thoughts swirling in my brain from 2020 and how to process it (is that even possible?). It is a tall ask to summarize the year we just experienced and equally as challenging to look forward to the next one with set goals, knowing that the unknown can take over in a heartbeat.

Despite all of the extremely hard and unimaginable things endured in 2020, there were still bright spots and a lot of lessons learned along the way. I won’t get into that today, however, as that could be an entire blog post worth of notes on its own.

For today, let’s talk about looking forward into 2021. I’m sharing the word that I picked to focus on, what it means, and I would love to hear about your word and intentions in the comments, too. And, trust me when I say that it wasn’t easy to narrow it down to one!

I think we put more pressure on ourselves than we need to in almost everything. We get so caught up in the end goal and success of it.

We plan, we obsess, and and we work until that goal carries through. This is awesome, but it can also turn into perfectionism and over-complication … at least it can for me.

This can be true in anything from meal planning, workouts, projects, career shifts, relationships and everything in between. If it’s not done perfectly or exactly how you planned, it’s not done or it wasn’t worth doing, right?

Wrong. Just because you didn’t spend your Sunday meal prepping or grocery shopping for specific recipes doesn’t mean that you can’t make quick and healthy meals on-the-fly at dinnertime. Just because you didn’t log in that hour at the gym you planned doesn’t mean that you should skip the twenty minutes that you have to work out when the window and motivation arrives. Just because you didn’t get a promotion at work doesn’t mean that you aren’t doing great things that are getting noticed. And relationships? We all know that those aren’t perfect, but they sure are worth holding onto and working on as time passes by.

So, like some of you, I am starting the first week of 2021 with an optimistic heart and mind. I have a lot of ideas, but I’m also a little confused on how to package them without the assurance of having more control over outcomes this year. For those of you who may not know my story or why 2020 was such a pivotal year for me and my husband, you can read more about my summary and why my word for last year was CHANGE.

I have several big goals for the year ahead, but I am hesitant to write them down and really set a plan on how to make them happen. I guess it all boils down to the thought of something crazy and life-changing happening again that totally derails my plans. Again. But, that way of thinking is exactly what I’m talking about moving on from … where we think more about the end goal and less about breaking it all down into baby steps with one task and day at a time.

My biggest success in 2020 was realizing that I need to get specific with daily, weekly, and monthly tasks for all of the moving parts to my business and stop overcomplicating things.

I need to SIMPLIFY.

Plans are wonderful and even needed in some compartments of life, but everything doesn’t have to be perfectly thought out and structured to work.

Let’s simplify, shall we?

This goal to simplify applies to both personal and professional matters, as we tend to wait until “x” happens to pursue “y”. Sometimes “y” needs the “x”, but oftentimes it doesn’t. We’re just set in that mindset of overcomplicating things that it becomes the normal thing to do.

Waiting until you have a better or bigger following before you launch or try something new? Not needed.

Want to plan a FaceTime catch-up call with a friend? Put it on your calendar or just, dare I say it, call them right there.

Not sure where to start to hit your fitness goals? I would love to help you. (Did you know I have been low-key training online? Please message me!)

Are you unsure on what you want your week of meals to look like? Go for a mix-and-match approach to your grocery list.

Having trouble staying organized? Maybe it’s time to declutter and purge your closets of things that are no longer useful.

I’ve never been a huge fan of New Year’s resolutions (read my post about this here at six months pregnant and here looking forward to 2019), and instead, I set long-term goals and intentions for the year ahead.

The year 2020 will never be forgotten, but I think we have all learned to pivot, reflect, adapt, and simplify a little going into 2021.

Let’s stop overthinking and start doing. Let’s give ourselves credit for what we have overcome and learn to swerve. Save your detailed specifics for the bigger dreams and leave some wiggle room for improvising in everyday situations, as this is necessary for long-term success.

I am looking forward to a lot of things this year, and the biggest might just be leaning into a simpler way of thinking and doing. Honing in on one thing at a time and getting past my need to make it perfect before moving on. Letting go. Trusting the process. Doing and learning.

I guess we will see how it all unfolds!

If you’re reading this, I want you to know that I truly appreciate you for being here. I always close out the year and open a new one with gratitude, and your support of this blog and all of the moving parts of my business really does mean the world to me. Thank you for being you and encouraging me to be me!

Here’s to a great start to the rest of the year.

So much love to you!

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What is your word for 2021?

I would love to hear it along with what it means to you in the comments!