My Word for 2014

At 11:59pm on December 31st, I felt a pang of sadness. I was sorry to say goodbye to 2013 - it was quite a year!

I spent a cozy New Year's day in my jammies dreaming and scheming about the wonders that lie in the year ahead. New Year's is the best holiday for goal-setting-loving nerds. Like me.

Like last year, I came up with a guiding word for 2014: MOMENTUM.

In 2013, decisions were made and steps were taken to get the pieces in place in different areas of my life - I got married, completed my coaching certification and found my direction for my coaching business, and took on a new job title and responsibilities at work. It's all in place, and now it's time to dive deeper, to get moving, to put it all into action. It's all about momentum.

I am committing to a technique developed by comedian Jerry Seinfeld: I will take one step every day, no matter how small or big, to move myself toward my goals and generate momentum. Every day when I complete my task, I'll make an X on my calendar. And I will not break the chain.

It reminds me of this passage that I came across when I read poet David Whyte's Crossing the Unknown Sea: Work as a Pilgrimage of Identity:

Not long ago, I heard on the radio a description of a new form of propulsion for a probe that had just been launched into deep space...The scientist describing the new motor said that the amazing thing about the motor was that although the electrons were pushed out of the back of the probe at an incredible speed, the electrons were so small that the acceleration on the craft was actually only the equivalent of the weight of a piece of paper. But because that slight weight acted every moment and it occurred in a basically friction-free environment, the craft could reach speeds of hundreds of thousand of miles per hour. 

It is a profound metaphor for a poet, of course: just the weight of a piece of paper, a blank piece of paper, every moment, or even to begin with just once a day, every day.  But it is a metaphor for any work and any person. A steadily building field of activity, laid down almost imperceptibly, layer upon layer, which creates a world and at the same time prepares us for our appearance in that world.

I often get frustrated with myself that my forward movement comes in spurts - I wait for the space to block off a full day for working on my business. I get grumpy when these days are few and far between, and beat myself up for "not being able" to work on the things that are closest to my heart.

This new approach will (hopefully) mean that I don't have to wait, and I don't have to be frustrated with myself. I'll break it into bite-sized chunks, keep at it, and by disciplining myself to be faithful to my biz every single day, I'll get into a groove. I'll need to be patient even if progress seems slow, and know that no matter how small a step I take each day, it is enough - the constant forward movement adds up. And who knows where I'll be a year from now.

I'm so excited to get the ball rolling!

What's your word for 2014? Share it in the comments!