Moving along with my end of year planning posts, I wanted to share a bit with you about my theme of this coming year.  If you have been following me for a while now, then you may remember last year my theme for 2013 was to “Be Open”.  I wanted to simply allow myself to be open to the possibilities, opportunities, and ideas that came about for 2013.  I can honestly say that those words were perfect for this year and they led me to create my coaching business from the ground up.

So, as we move into 2014, I had a bit of trouble figuring out what my theme would be.  I had a lot of ideas that came to mind, but none of them really felt just right.  Some of the words that came to mind were “Service” and “Beginnings”, but neither really made my souls say “YES”!

When I allowed myself the space to let the words just come to me, I came up with the perfect theme…Show Up.

What does that mean?

It means that no matter what this year, I am making a commitment to myself to show up to the opportunities and changes that I am making even if they scare me.  The inspiration came from a book by Tama Kieves called Inspired & Unstoppable where she reminds lovely creative souls to show up to their work, their craft, and their calling no matter what.  Her words touched my heart and really resonated with me and when the words came to me, I knew they were perfect for 2014.

In a few days of putting this theme to practice, I  have learned that the simple act of “showing up” creates the space for inspiration to occur.  For example when I am intimidated by the blank page, if I commit to just sitting down, then something always comes out.

Simply put, regardless of the insecurities, fear, uncertainty, doubt, and any other reason that might cause me to procrastinate on something that is important to me, I commit to showing up.

I have learned that nine times out of ten the fear and worry are unwarranted and the simple act of showing up allows me to continue to grow and evolve as an individual and as a coach.

Have you thought about setting a theme or a word for the New Year?  If you haven’t ever tried it before, I encourage you to give it a try.  Think about it, write it down, and revisit it throughout the year.  You might be surprised at how your year progresses when using this simple practice.

There are a lot of other bloggers and coaches using this same practice if you want to check them out before you decide on your own word.  Check out Tiffany Han‘s word of the year to see why she chose the word she did.  If you decide you want to choose one of your own, I would love to hear it.  Share in the comments below!