A friend recently challenged me to pick a word for my year. A word that would help keep me on track and help point me towards my goals. I’ve been thinking about it for a few weeks. It seems like a big deal. How do I know how the whole year will go? How do I know if my word will still be relative six months from now? Nonetheless, I started making lists. That’s how I am. A list person. I asked myself some questions.

1. What do I want to achieve?

2. What am I doing badly or poorly?

3. What can I improve?

And I just started writing. I want to live boldly. I don’t want to waste time. I want to do things for the right reasons, not because I feel bad or think I’ll make someone upset. I’ve been a people pleaser my whole life and I’m pretty sick of it actually. I want to break free from bondage. I want to live my life to the fullest. I don’t want to worry about other people’s opinions. I want to boldly take control of my life. I want to accomplish things. I want to do things that matter.

Then I started looking at a thesaurus and a dictionary. Freedom. Boldness. Break free. Fullness. …

Valiant

Valiant: Possessing or acting with bravery or boldness; carried out with courage or determination. To be of worth. To be strong, stalwart & brave.

So this is the year that I will be valiant. I will act with bravery and boldness. I will have courage and determination. This is the year I publish my book. I will value myself, because I have worth. This is the year I run my first race. I am strong, and I am brave. This is the year I travel to places I’ve always wanted to go.

What’s your word?