Creating a Yearly Motto
How setting mottos has helped me focus and grow
Setting Mottos for the Year Ahead
Every year, I choose a motto that I want to focus on for the upcoming year. Having a motto helps me narrow in on what’s important and I’ve found that it really works to help me embody the mottos and grow as a person.
My past mottos:
2021: Trust the soup
2022: Self-compassion
2023: Be present and enjoy yourself. I chose this motto since I have a hard time with living in the moment, and that difficulty affects my ability to enjoy myself since I’m stressing about the past or future.
How “Be Present and Enjoy Yourself” Looked to Me This Year:
Joy: I tried to be more open to joy which is historically a hard emotion for me to access. Highlights from this year included a roller coaster ride at the Minnesota State Fair, early morning swimming on a lake with friends, making diary comics, and running with my dog along the Mississippi River.
Intentionality with media: I tried to be more intentional about the time I spent on my phone since being on my phone always takes me out of the present. I would say this is still a work in progress and some days are much better than others.
More meditation: I do daily meditations using the Calm app and I’ve also become more involved in a local meditation center. Since so much of meditation is about focusing on being in the present, it was a natural fit. But I found that meditating with others really elevated my practice and feelings of contentment which I’m excited to explore more of in 2024.
All in all, 2023 was a great year in terms of my happiness and mood and I think setting this motto, hanging it on the wall in my studio, and returning to it periodically was a big part of that success.
My motto for 2024
“What Feels Right?”
My motto for 2024 is “What Feels Right?” I’m trying to get in better touch with my intuition which feels like a compass if I choose to listen to it. I want to tap into that feeling with small choices like what to do for dinner, or bigger things like career moves (more on that in a future post).
I’ve spent so much of my life being ruled by “shoulds,” but now I want to be listen to what feels right, not what I think I “should” do.
A Question for You:
Do you make mottos for the year ahead? Or set other sorts of intentions for the New Year? I’m always refining my end of year process and would love to hear about yours!
Diary Comic
Hugging or Humping
One of my favorite recent diary comics…
I love the motto approach and your examples. Happy New Year’s Eve!
I also make annual mottos, or pick a word to help me remember how to prioritize things during the year. I'm still thinking about it, but I think my 2024 motto will be "lean into the good." It is sort of an echo of Mr. Rogers saying "Look for the helpers."