Focus Follows Intention
Focus Follows Intention
Choosing a word to guide us through the year
My word for this past year was flow.
Every year, I give myself a word, which I use as guidance for the year ahead.
Typically, the yearly word is inspired by what I feel I need to incorporate into my life, sort of like a New Year’s Resolution. The word focuses on the things or behaviors that deserve my attention. It becomes the lens through which I view that specific year.
My yearly word ritual has become quite known within my community. One of my dear friends even makes me a tall prayer candle that has images of my word, along with photos reflecting the things or feelings I want to bring into my life. Some friends have taken the concept and created their own rituals.
Having a word to focus on each year allows me to live more intentionally. From a behavioral psychology perspective, what we put our attention on grows – this is called the Attention Bias. The more we focus on a certain thought, emotion, or behavior, the more likely it is to influence our perceptions and actions. We also tend to strengthen neural pathways associated with our focus, making it more prominent and habitual. When it comes to my yearly word, energy flows where intention goes.
My word arrives on its own. It’s not something that needs to be willed into existence. In fact, it’s better if it comes around naturally. Once it makes its debut, I sit with it for a few weeks to make sure that it’s “the one.” Usually, this is part logic, part emotion, and based on my goals for the year and the sentiment behind the word. I then allow it to guide me and help me focus.
The tradition of a yearly word started a few years ago.
Year 2020 was presence. Early in the year, I decided that I’d commit to a regular meditation practice and focus on being present in LA. I had meditated before but hadn’t created a consistent practice. 2019 had been intense; I travelled non-stop for work and for pleasure. From Bali to Stockholm, Denmark to Japan, my intuition whispered that I needed to pause and ground myself.
2020 ended up grounding me (along with the rest of the world), but not in the way that I thought it would. However, being present in LA allowed me to deepen my relationships, reignite my love for LA, and create presence in my day-to-day, versus thinking far into the future. The year re-taught me that nothing is promised and everything can change rapidly. My inner work took on a whole new meaning this year.
2021 was courage. I didn’t know it then, but the word came alive in having difficult conversations with my dad, healing much of our relationship. I was also courageous in other ways, pitching my company idea to investors, speaking up in friendships (which ended a very important one) and standing up for myself in a relationship that wasn’t going anywhere (that is, after many months of accepting breadcrumbs). I looked to courage when doing the things that were uncomfortable for me.
When adventure was my word in 2022, it meant seeing the world through a lens of excitement, tuning into possibility, and staying open through uncertainty. When things didn’t go as planned, I saw those events as an adventure and got curious about where they’d take me. This was the year that I got stuck in the middle of the San Blas islands with one of my best friends, launched a company, and engaged in a non-monogamous relationship. More on that, in another post.
2023’s focus has been on flow, meaning I’m practicing letting go of the need to control every aspect of my life. Flow is not something that I’m particularly great at. Though I can be spontaneous in light-hearted, everyday activities, I have a harder time going with the flow with bigger life decisions such as career goals, relationships, or where I want to live. Riding a wave of experiences as an observer versus a controller isn’t something that I’ve mastered, though I’ve been attempting to.
Looking at life through the lens of flow has allowed a freedom to come through. I’ve learned that there’s a natural unfolding to life, and trust that there is a greater intelligence at play than my limited human perspective can comprehend.
By aligning myself more with the natural rhythm of life and letting go of a constant need for planning or micromanaging, I’ve felt more in-tune. Flow has inspired me to be more present, open and receptive to life’s unfolding. This year, I’ve allowed relationships to take unexpected turns, without clinging to what I thought they should be. I’ve travelled freely between LA and Europe, having spent half the year in Lisbon. I even started new work projects that came unexpectedly and ended up being aligned with my personal mission. In practicing non-clinging, thinking less rigidly, and tuning into the natural flow of life’s cycles, more magic has shown up.
Though I’ve gotten better, I’ve nowhere near mastered the concept of flow. I still catch myself wanting to pre-plan the future, have everything organized for my cross-continental move, know how I’ll meet my next boyfriend, or confirm the next few months of freelance projects.
Whether it’s presence, courage, or flow, each of these words has led me to a new version of myself. The words provide me with an anchor and allow me to practice seeing the world through a new lens— one that takes on a life of its own.
Next year’s word is Love. And a sprinkling of Play.
I already have preconceived notions of what I think Love will mean. I’m being reminded that I really have no idea the ways that it’ll manifest, however. Perhaps I need to continue practicing this year’s word, to relieve myself of the clinging and future-tripping.
Do you have a word in mind for 2024? How do you feel about incorporating a yearly word into your life?