Are you someone who sets a word of the year? I remember the first word of the year I ever created. It was during my very first Blueprint Retreat back in 2014. We ended the retreat with elementary age art supplies, a sheet of paper, a great playlist on bluetooth (of course) and time to intentionally choose a word to characterize the upcoming year. We had just spent three days together walking through my annual planning process, now available online through My Blueprint Year curriculum, and the very last step was to take all that heart-felt digging, analyzing and dreaming, and set one word to be our intention for the year ahead. My word was TRUST. And it remained my word for the next three years.

For me choosing a word of the year hasn’t ever been an exact science. In fact, I don’t even know why during that first Blueprint Retreat I included the exercise of setting a word of the year in the curriculum. I don’t remember doing this during my annual planning process as a financial advisor (where my annual planning journey really began). So, I guess it just sort of happened!

This year as I sat down with My Blueprint Year planner and started creating my vision board and jotting down my big ideas for 2019, there was one word that kept resonating in my brain.

FUN.

Ok, so when I say the word “fun” it might not feel like earth-shattering, life-changing. It didn’t to me either. “Fun” is how you describe your 7-year old niece’s birthday party at the ice skating rink. “not Fun” is how you describe said niece’s 8th birthday party at Chuck-E-Cheese (Amanda if you’re reading this, I’m kidding ?). But that word, “fun”, had been rolling around in my brain for weeks. So when it came time to put pen to paper and pick a word for 2019 I had to give it a chance.

Related : How to choose a word of the year.

The first thing I did was look up the word “fun” in the dictionary. Here’s how my thought process went :

FUN noun. Lighthearted pleasure.

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What does lighthearted mean?

LIGHTHEARTED adjective. Cheerful and carefree OR Free from care, anxiety or seriousness

Synonyms : joyful, bright!

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What does pleasure mean?

PLEASURE A feeling of happy satisfaction and enjoyment

in contrast : things done out of necessity or drudgery.

SATISFIED noun. Content, pleased, fulfilled, convinced, certain, sure.

JOY noun. A feeling of great pleasure and happiness. Delight!

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Which led me here :

FUN : A feeling of happy satisfaction and delight free from care, anxiety or seriousness. Cheerfully optimistic and hopeful, content and pleased.

Yes! That is it. That is exactly what I want to characterize this year (and for always).

You see, in 2018 things felt heavier, more serious. I felt I had to get it all right : churn out great content consistently, grow my email list, this, that and the other all promising the road to success. I let the noise in and in the midst I stopped hearing the still small voice saying “you’re enough, you’re worthy, you’re doing enough, you ARE enough. Go have some fun!” And it exhausted me. I was holding my business, my health and a lot of things with clenched fists. Grasping for control out of fear of not having control. I stopped having FUN!

I started telling a few friends back in December “I’m not going to do anything if it’s not fun.” Lol. We laughed together knowing how completely unrealistic that is. I mean brushing my teeth isn’t really fun for me, but I have to do it. “Fun” is not the ultimate goal, our ultimate call, or our ultimate promise. “FUN” can feel frivolous.

But lighthearted pleasure:  working free from care, anxiety or seriousness, contentment and joy . Now those ARE things I am called to be.

“The Glory of the Lord is man fully alive!” – Saint Irenaeus

“God is most glorified in me, when I am most satisfied in Him.” – John Piper

Psalm 16:11 – in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forever more.

Promise of Joy :

Neh 8:10 – the joy of the Lord is your strength

Ps 30 :5 – his favor is for a lifetime

Ps 126 : 5 – Those who sow in tears shall reap will joyful shouting

Luke 2:10 – I bring you good news of great joy!

So after all that digging, defining, and listening. My word of the year for 2019 is FUN!

I want to work from a place of lighthearted pleasure. I want to live from a place of lighthearted pleasure. Because I know I can take the pressure off and create from a place of lighthearted pleasure!

LEARN MY EXACT STEP-BY-STEP ANNUAL PLANNING PROCESS : MEET MY BLUEPRINT YEAR

YOUR TURN!

Did you set a word of the year for 2019? If so, I’d love to hear yours in the comments below + what it means to you!