Happy New Year! I hope your 2023 is off to a good start. As you may know, instead of New Year’s resolutions, my tradition each January is to choose a word to guide me for the coming year. My 2022 word was GROW. Whether deepening existing roots or blooming with new experiences, I committed to “growing through it” instead of just “going through it.”

This year, the word I’m trusting to guide me is:

RISE

It’s a versatile word, I’ve learned, with 51 definitions according to Alexa’s most current count. But I’m choosing three to help me through this year:

I hope to RISE TO the occasion and achieve whatever is immediate and appears attainable. I’ll gear up with grit to meet life head on. Whether it’s another health challenge (so grateful to have “grown through” last year’s wrist injury which has finally healed) or a publishing challenge (some big decisions are ahead with my book draft of Staying on the Upside), I want to bring my best to meet it and achieve it with steadfast resolve.

However, I’ll also RISE ABOVE it when necessary, elevating myself to take a broader view of a challenge if it becomes frustrating or appears unsolvable. When grit and persistence fail me, RISING ABOVE may not only bring comfort, it may offer solutions that are only seen from a larger perspective.

And finally, I hope to RISE FROM WITHIN, as to expand like my favorite southern biscuits—so tender and light:

When I need to rise from within, I’ll hold life and all its challenges lightly—even tenderly as I wait for clarity or resolution. Whether I’m “rising to” or “rising above,” I’ll keep a light touch, allowing for growth and possibilities that may be present, but unseen, to develop over time.

I hope the word RISE will help me face 2023 with positivity and strength. To enjoy more and endure less; to trust more and worry less; and to consider that I might be exactly where I should be, for the moment, and let the peace of that light and tender approach sustain me.

And on we go…

How about you? What theme words are guiding you this year?

P.S. Hope you had a great holiday!