HOW TO SELECT THE PERFECT POWER WORD OF THE YEAR

Published on December 28, 2020 by Danielle YB VasonLeave a comment

Oh…My….Goodness. We did it. We survived 2020 (assuming we make it the next few days) and that is not to be taken lightly. So now that you survived let’s get 2021 in order. If you are a long time follower of She Makes Cents, you know that we start every new year with a power word/ word of the year to help set our intention. So let’s get started.

HOW TO SELECT THE PERFECT POWER WORD OF THE YEAR

When choosing a word of the year it is important to select a word that is both inspirational and aspirational. Power words are often verbs because they require action on your part to fully integrate them into your life. That’s right, it is time to be intentional with our actions. Ask yourself, what doesn’t feel like [your power word] in your life right now? Think about how you could apply your word to your goals for yourself. For example, the team from Dave Ramsey.com shares 7 areas in your life for S.M.A.R.T. goals. The goal categories are financial goals, spiritual goals, educational goals, career goals, family goals, fitness goals, and social goals. Does your word of the year apply to any, if not all, of the S.M.A.R.T. goal categories? If so, keep reading.

WHY POWER WORDS ARE EFFECTIVE

A power word is like a New Year’s resolution but so much better. When used correctly, it guides the intentions and goals that one sets for oneself. Since 2013, I have asked She Makes Cents readers to share one word to reflect their personal goals/resolutions/vision for the year ahead and the response every year is inspiring. I love doing this because with every 365 days that go by, we evolve and our needs, wants, and aspirations change. I am not the same person I was at the beginning of 2020 and my mental, physical, financial, and emotional evolution this year has inspired my power word for 2021.

Unlike in previous years, my 2021 power word works for every aspect of my life: financial, personal development, career, lifestyle, and quarantine life.

Looking back at my earlier power words, I remember where I was in my life, what was important, and what I needed to work on. In 2013 my word was balance. Then came focus (2014), passion (2015), bravery (2016), intention (2017), declutter (2018), bloom (2019) – fun fact, my daughter was born in 2019 and her name, Chloe, means “to bloom” – and discipline (2020). This year, I am very proud to share that my word of the year is SIMPLIFY.

Power Word of the Year 2021 by Top Personal Finance and Lifestyle Blogger, Danielle YB Vason, of She Makes Cents.

By definition, simplify is a verb that means to make [something] less complex or complicated; make plainer or easier. For the year 2021, I challenge myself to simplify my financial goals, family goals, fitness goals, personal development goals, and every other area of my life. I am looking forward to uncomplicating my life, goals, and actions and I look forward to seeing how much has changed one year from now.

I would love to hear your POWER Word of the Year. Please share your 2021 Word of the Year in the comments below, or hop over to the SMC Instagram to share your word there!

Why Yearly Power Words Are Important for Goal-Setters

Published on February 3, 2020March 18, 2020 by Danielle YB Vason3 Comments

A power word is like a New Year’s resolution but so much better. When used correctly, it guides the intentions and goals that one sets for oneself. Since 2013, I have asked She Makes Cents readers to share one word to reflect their personal goals/resolutions/vision for the year ahead and the response every year is inspiring. I love doing this because with every 365 days that go by, we evolve and our needs, wants, and aspirations change. Looking back at my earlier power words, I remember where I was in my life, what was important, and what I needed to work on. In 2013 my word was balance. Then came focus (2014), passion (2015), bravery (2016), intention (2017), declutter (2018) and bloom (2019). Fun fact, my daughter was born in 2019 and her name, Chloe, means “to bloom”.

My power word for 2020 is DISCIPLINED. By definition, being disciplined is being trained to develop through self-control. The word “disciplined” is one that I will apply to every area of my life in a mental, physical, and spiritual sense. I will take this year as an opportunity to take a disciplined approach to complete the money challenge, hitting my milestones for my long term goals, and setting time aside for self-care. I was inspired by this quote, “You will never ALWAYS be motivated, so you must learn to be DISCIPLINED”. Truth be told, it is easy to be great when you are energized and motivated. The true value of a disciplined mindset reveals itself when you are too tired to keep pushing, when temptation is in the midst, and when distractions are everywhere but you’re strict with your goals and prevail anyway.

I’m so excited to apply a power word to my year and this one is all-encompassing to several areas of my life. I know many people do not do resolutions anymore, but I still do. Now that I have my word of the year, I can clarify my money, career, and lifestyle goals.

Talk to me in the comments below, what one word to reflect their personal goals/resolutions/vision for the year ahead?

SMC Book Club for Millennial Women | Girl Code

SMC Book Club | How To Get the Most Out of Your Power Word of the Year

Published on January 10, 2018January 10, 2018 by Danielle YB Vason2 Comments

On the first day of the year, I asked readers to share their 2018 power word that reflects their goals and visions for themselves. The response to that one question, which was posed to all of our social media networks, was both inspiring and eye-opening. It occurred to me that in place of resolutions people are looking to find a purpose that flows into multiple areas of their lives. As people responded with words like happiness, growth, self-care, and consistency, I couldn’t help but think of books I would recommend to inspire people based on their chosen word. The power of choosing a word that you hope will define your year is that it forces you to reflect on areas of your life that you want to be better or that deserve your focus. Once a word is selected and claimed in advance, you prepare yourself to receive all of the good things that come with that word. My inspiration for the next SMC Book Club read comes from the idea of one taking an active step toward applying one’s own word to one’s life.

February Book Selection

This is the year to do better and be better and I resolve for our group to be great, supportive, consistent, and a place for goal setting women to come together. The energy in the SMC Book Club during our last book, Boss Women Pray, was so amazing and I want to build on that and I want to inspire you to be successful with your power word or else it will lose all power over your life. For the month of February, we are going to do something a little different. Instead of reading the same book together, let’s take the month of February to read a book that is inspired by the word of the year that you chose yourself. My hope is that each of you follows through and make the time to find a book that relates to YOUR word; a book that inspires you toward your self-mandated purpose to you have selected to help guide you this year. According to U.S. News, 80% of people give up on their resolutions and New Year goals by February. Let’s be the 20% together by starting our new book on February 1, 2018.

How Our Book Club Works

Every other month, we select a new book from a mix of editor and reader’s suggestions. For reader suggestions, we ask that selections embrace subjects such as power women, money, career, and lifestyle that informs and inspires us. We then announce the book selection here on shemakescents.com before the start of the month to give you time to opt-in and get your copy of the book from the She Makes Cents store on Amazon. Discussions for the book take place in our weekly book chats in the SMC Book Club group on Facebook as well as the She Makes Cents Instagram page. Trust me, the dialogue in the group is LIFE!

Since everyone will be reading different books for February, the book chats will be tailored to this unconventional reading experience. If you would like book suggestions based on your power word, let me know. I can be found on social media at the @shemakescents handle.

Monday Motivation | What ONE Power Word Reflects Your Vision for 2018?

Published on January 1, 2018 by Danielle YB Vason7 Comments

It’s the first day….better yet, the first Monday of the new year and I couldn’t think of a better time to urge you to choose a power word to reflect your goal of self-improvement for the new year. Around this time, people reflect on the past year and envision the promise for greatness to come. The most successful people write down their goals, thoughts, and ideas to manifest the power of the law of attraction. Oprah explains, “Create the highest, grandest vision possible for your life because you become what you believe”. Back in 2013, I asked readers of She Makes Cents to share one word to reflect their personal goals/resolutions/vision for the year ahead and the response I got was inspiring. Since this, I have asked the same questions to readers every year on the first day of the New Year. With every 365 days that go by, we evolve and our needs, wants, and aspirations change. That being said, it is important to create a foundational vision with a “power word” to help guide the path ahead. Looking back at my earlier words, I remember where I was in my life, what was important, and what I needed to work on. In 2013 my word was balance. Then came focus (2014), passion (2015), bravery (2016), and intention (2017). For 2018, I chose “Declutter” as my power word. By definition, the act of decluttering requires one to simplify or get rid of mess, disorder, and complications. It also requires you to organize and prioritize your commitments and material possessions. The word “declutter” is one that I will apply to every area of my life in a mental, physical, and spiritual sense. I will take this year as an opportunity to declutter my finances, organize my career goals and execute those ideas, and rid my space of disorder. Back in 2011, researchers from the Princeton University Neuroscience Institute studied what happens how the brain processes clutter.

When your environment is cluttered, the chaos restricts your ability to focus. The clutter also limits your brain’s ability to process information. Clutter makes you distracted and unable to process information as well as you do in an uncluttered, organized, and serene environment.

I have never been so excited to apply a power word to my year and this one is all-encompassing to severals areas of my life. I know many people do not do resolutions anymore, but I still do. Now that I have my word of the year, I can create resolutions where I can clarify my goals and visions while ridding and mess and disorder that may negatively impact my money, career, or lifestyle.

{2017 Word of the Year} How One Word Will Guide My Entire Year

Published on January 1, 2017January 22, 2017 by Danielle YB Vason5 Comments

fb-qotd-template I pose this question every year and 2017 is no different. What one word reflects your vision for 2017? So many of you submitted thoughtful responses via the SMC Facebook group and Instagram such as “gentleness”, “perseverance”, “do”, and “focus”. I even had one response that was in line with my word of the year…INTENTION from the Instagram handle @yourlifefinance. By definition, intention is a determination to act in a certain way. I chose “intention” to reflect my vision for 2017 because it adds purpose to all thoughts, words, and actions. To be honest, I have found that haphazard thoughts, words, and actions tend to get me into trouble. Toward the end of the year, I started asking God to guide my words so that I speak with intention and not for the sake of attention. This past year was my year of BRAVERY and even though it started out shaky, I ended the year with one of my bravest moves yet (post to come later on that one…). intention-adds-purpose-to-all-thoughts-words-and-actions Four years ago was my year of BALANCE, 2014 was my year of FOCUS, 2015 was my year of PASSION, 2016 was my year of BRAVERY, and I welcome my year of INTENTION. I am working very hard to make sure that my words and actions are in line with the following criteria: Is it kind? Is it necessary? Is it truthful? As each year passes, I take a moment and reflect on why I chose my earlier words, where I was in my personal development for that to be a necessary focus, and how I incorporated the meaning of those words in my life.

What’s Your Word for 2017 and why did you pick it? Share Below!

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{World of the Year} What ONE Word Reflects Your Vision for 2016?

Published on December 31, 2015February 2, 2016 by Danielle YB Vason5 Comments

2016 WORD OF THE YEAR- BRAVERY - from http://shemakescents.com At the top of the year, many people are thinking about their future and making resolutions for 2016. Since some people have a hard time keeping up with resolutions, selecting a word for oneself could be a more realistic goal for some of my busier readers. Back in 2013, I started asking my readers on the She Makes Cents Facebook page to share one word to reflect your personal goals/resolution/vision for the year ahead and the response I got was inspiring, thoughtful, and honest. For me, the year 2013 was my year of BALANCE, 2014 was my year of FOCUS, and 2015 was my year of PASSION. This year I have selected BRAVERY as my word.

If you could choose one word to reflect your personal goals/resolution/vision for 2016, what word would you choose? Please share below.

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In honor of my “Word of the Year“, P-A-S-S-I-O-N, I’d like to share this quote from Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook, author of Lean In, and overall empower-er of girl power in the workplace. I choose the word passion because I resolve to be passionate in my thoughts because thoughts become actions before they become habits. Imagine how divine the year will be once I am consistently and habitually passionate about things that require my time (i.e. financial goals, career, self-improvement,and love)…just to name a few things one can be passionate about. The focus and elevated motivation will help this new year be my best year! #SMCYearofPassion

What ONE Word Reflects Your Vision for 2015?

Published on January 1, 2015December 26, 2016 by Danielle YB Vason7 Comments

If you could choose one word to reflect your personal goals/resolution/vision for 2015, what word would you choose?

Every year I post this question to my readers on the She Makes Cents Facebook page. The year 2013 was my year of BALANCE, 2014 was my year of FOCUS, and 2015 will be my year of PASSION. Passion is something you can’t fake, it is motivating, and a compelling energy that elevates one’s thoughts and actions to the next level. Welcome 2015 and cheers to a passionate year! I’d love to hear your vision for the New Year. Please share your one word in the comments section below.