Creativity & Consistency
The last few years I’ve heard of this concept of a word of the year instead of a resolution. I haven’t done resolutions in a long time - it felt more like something that was expected rather than something I was really into. I would make these resolutions that felt like it was the ‘right thing’, to work out more, to make more money, to be healthier, etc. January would always start off strong and then by Valentine’s Day I had completely forgotten about them. One year I decided I had no interest in this societal expectation of a resolution, I just wanted to live my life and be happy, so I moved on and didn’t give it another thought.
Then came the next trend of declaring a word of the year. I wasn’t into it at first, but this year it’s calling to me in a different way, and I want to see if I can make it work for me.
First, I decided to do two words of the year, because I can never choose just one thing. Second, I thought it would be like a guiding point throughout the year. Come back to my words, make sure my actions are aligned, and keep going in the right direction. So for 2023 my words of the year are creative, and consistent.
Be creative. Be consistent.
One lesson I learned in 2022 is that consistency is more about regularity than perfection - I just want to keep up my momentum.
Before I got pregnant with Logan, I was incredibly consistent in my business. With emails, content creation, putting out offers, etc. Yet while I was pregnant, that momentum subsided. I was tired, and it was like pulling teeth to get me to create content or write a blog post, or even come up with what to offer in my styling services. I felt depleted of all energy, and I wasn’t sure if it would ever come back.
When I was ready to write again, self doubt crept in. Does anyone even want to hear from me anymore? Did I make myself irrelevant by staying under the radar? But, starting is the best way to create that allusive momentum. And, as it turns out, the consistency. One email, one blog post, one reel. They stack on top of each other and before you know it, you’re back on track and in your groove.
I also knew that the more I let myself sit in creativity, the more creative I would become. Creativity is a muscle that you need to work on, and if you don’t use it, it’s like going to the gym for the first time and trying to lift 200 pounds.
If you’ve heard of the parable of the pottery class, then this makes sense. The basic gist of it is a pottery class is divided into two groups; group one will be graded on quality and is to spend the whole year perfecting one piece, while the other group is to be graded on quantity and should pump out as many pieces as possible.
They found at the end of the year that the better pottery came from the quantity group - the more they created, the more they learned from their mistakes, and the better their skill became. The quality group spent so much time focusing on perfection that they never learned anything through application. And this is where just starting becomes essential. Thinking about the ways things can go wrong, or all the what-ifs, leads us absolutely nowhere except an unsustainable circle in our heads. So, I will create. And from that creativity, comes more consistency.
Self doubt is the biggest sabotage of progress, and it’s something I work on all the time. Confidence comes from action, not thought. The more we do, the more confident we become, and the less fear we have around being seen. So for 2023, I plan to put myself out there in ways that feel scary, to try new things, to get back in my groove, and to uplevel my life and my business. There are some exciting changes happening in our lives this year, and I’m so excited to share them with you.
Do you have a word of the year? I’d love to know if it’s something that works for you. Thank you for being on this journey with me, and I hope 2023 is your best year yet!