It’s almost 2019! Time for a new word of the year.

I’ve chosen a word each year since 2014, and it has been a helpful practice for me. (You can find out why to choose a word for your year and get a free printable sheet to help you come up with your one word here.)

Here are my past words:

2014 – Awake

2015 – Pour

2016 – Focus

2017 – Peace

2018 – Survive (I guess I didn’t really intentionally choose a word last year–it chose me. The word was survive….and it constantly went through my head, “I will survive this. You can survive this. You are going to make it. It’s okay to just survive sometimes.”

After several weeks of pondering, I’ve chosen the word SIMPLIFY for 2019. It seems like I often come back to this word. I think it’s because I’ve experienced the power of simplifying and minimizing in my life….it’s just that when I get stressed or busy, I have a tendency to add instead of subtract.

I also found that one of the ways I dealt with my grief this past year was to surround myself with more. It makes sense (in my mind, at least). I felt empty and like I had lost so much, so adding more stuff and more activity was comforting. Maybe that’s weird (and I know it’s not particularly healthy), but it’s just an honest observation of how I made it through!

Anyway…I will be looking to simplify in all areas of my life this year. I’ve already started downsizing stuff in our home again, and the question keeps popping into my head, “How can I simplify this?” I’ll be working on simplifying my schedule, finances, and whole life, too.

How about you? I’d love to hear your ONE WORD for the year!