The last couple years, I’ve picked a word in January to reflect upon that year. It makes more sense to me than resolutions (which I typically make in the fall).
Except, picking a word for the year is still a bit of a trap. It’s a more subtle way of pushing myself harder, trying to be an even better mother/partner/worker, which in and of itself isn’t all bad. But so much of this “betterment culture” surrounds women, and their ability to look good and effortless while achieving unbelievable feats all while the deck of patriarchy is stacked against them. And don’t even get me started on adding in motherhood (the myth of the working mother who can also craft amazing teacher gifts and plan epic birthday parties all while practicing self-care and making it to her weekly workout group).
Read this article which contextualizes resolutions and their impact on society (and ourselves!)
[Resolutions] do not benefit you so much as they reinforce the idea that you are not enough. But they do benefit larger forces that you did not create and have no control over — the same forces that convinced you that you were broken in the first place.
Unfortunately, our internalized sexism and internalized gender-roles play a huge part in things like goals and resolutions. What we determine to be success or achievements is shaped by our culture and our roles within it. So for me, even just choosing a word for 2020 becomes a comparison to other women and mothers and Instagrammers, who are choosing words or phrases or full-on writing out monthly goals in 30-day-planners.
And all of that is to say, if you are personally fulfilled by creating new year’s goals or resolutions, please do what makes you happy. But maybe take a moment and make sure it is how you want to spend your time. Perhaps instead of focusing on changing, we should celebrate our successes. What if January was the month where we really talked about how far we’ve come in the past year, and we were proud of ourselves and celebrated our family and friends for their achievements as well?
So, this year, I am picking a word. But that word is: Survive. I know this will be a hard year for me; I’ve overcommitted myself with Harvard classes and big projects at work, and if you haven’t heard, there is a presidential election this fall. Therefore, instead of creating a bigger challenge for myself, I’m going to set the bar at getting through this year as who I am - a whole and flawed human, who certainly has areas to improve, but not as the priority these next 12 months. And I’m going to marvel at and appreciate my survival along the way.
May you be comfortable with yourself, and your achievements, and take a moment to celebrate how far you’ve come!