If your newsfeeds are anything like mine, you’ve likely been inundated with posts about choosing your Word of the Year (WotY), what was your WotY, what is your new WotY, etc. for at least since Thanksgiving.

I think it’s great because I LOVE the WotY trend and in case you can’t tell, I’m super into it. However, since I’m me, I tend more towards Phrase of the Year (PotY) because I can’t be brief for the life of me. I partner it with very specific goals for my year because I have found that for myself, if I do not lay down SMART goals, I might as well save myself the time and do nothing.

Last year, my PotY was, “Suck It Up” and I checked in every month on my goals and how I was doing with the phrase. They’re not my more popular posts, but I find it helpful for myself because throughout the month, I will think, “Uh oh. I have to check in with my readers so I better get my shit together!”

I found this to be a lot more useful than when I merely wrote about my phrases and goals occasionally like I did in 2016. I mean, I accomplished more than I would have than if I didn’t have a PotY, but it was not as amazing as I had hoped to be.

Anyhow, all this preamble just to say, I’m going to continue my 2017 habit of monthly posts and I invite you all to join me in keeping ourselves accountable and on track for what we wish to accomplish in 2018.

Soooooo… my 2018 Phrase of the Year is: Just Go!

It was originally going to be Continue, but I was called out on it saying that Continue was too safe. Especially after Sucking It Up and Risking Dangerously! I thought about it some more and decided my friend and coach, Brandi Riley, was right.

Thus: Just Go!

Why did I choose this and what does it mean for me?

I am an overthinker extraordinaire.

My brain rushes from zero to eleventy-million in half a second and I have the super powerful ability to turn any simple task with one step into a super complicated PROJECT with 193 steps, 3,287 sub-steps, project management software, a Powerpoint presentation, and a wallaby.

Then, I take a look at the wallaby and become completely overwhelmed and either get further mired in details and never start because I will never bulletproof every possible catastrophe and be an immediate expert, or I start the project and then stop.

If I manage to actually finish something, then I freak out and hold off pushing “publish” because WHAT IF I MADE A MISTAKE?

Gracious, it’s a minor miracle that I have ever finished anything at all in my entire life.

Here’s what has transformed my mindset: the idea of just doing something and finishing it even if it’s not perfect.

Launch it broken; fix it live.

That is my new mantra and I’m going to use it to support Just Go! (Incidentally, the exclamation point is totally vital to my phrase.)

If I wait until I know everything or have everything perfect, it will never happen. Plus, I’m starting to realize that not everyone is hanging on my every single word, move, or post. (I am personally offended by this, but I accept that this fact will lead me to take better risks and be bolder with my actions.)

This has already translated into me trying Instagram and even finally Tweeting on the Twitter. I even participated in a Twitter party and did not die.

I DID NOT DIE.

I felt foolish. Stupid. Unbearably slow. But I lived.

And now, for the part that fascinates only my super fans (which sadly, does not include Hapa Papa) and is useful only to myself, I will now delineate my Goals for 2018.

1) Take family and self-care seriously and Adult.

I want to do this because when I don’t “adult,” it allows all my triggers to build up and get extra twitchy. When that happens, I yell at my kids and swear and throw tantrums and am a general asshole.

So, this means:

  • Taking daily vitamins so I am caring for my health.
  • Getting at least 6-8 hours of sleep so I’m not grumpy.
  • Eating on a regular schedule so I don’t get hangry.
  • Taking care of my skin because I’m vain and when I look good, I feel good.
  • Keeping my kitchen table 85% clear every day because when it’s cluttered, I get cranky.
  • Not buying more stuff (including toys) because clutter in my house makes me apoplectic. Also, I want to save more money.
  • Doing the household/life maintenance work because when it builds up, I get stressed out and procrastinate and that makes me feel bad.

2) DO THE WORK.

I have huge (for me) goals that I want to accomplish for my business this year. It feels odd to call myself a business, but I need to treat my work as a business that is in the business of making money so that I make money.

I’m reading (affiliate link) You Are a Badass at Making Money: Master the Mindset of Wealth by Jen Sincero and I’m sick of getting in my own way.

So, here are my work goals for 2018:

  • Make enough money to cover business expenses associated with my blog and related events (eg: conferences, CPA, etc.).
  • Stretch goal: to also make enough to cover all my monthly mortgage expenses for the year.
  • Pitch 3-5 times a week.
  • Submit to other publications at least once a month.
  • Write weekly LinkedIn posts.
  • Write a book.
  • Weekly FB Lives.
  • Revamp/rehaul site.
  • Daily interaction/activity on LI/IG/P/Tw.

If I think about it too much, I am going to freak out and become overwhelmed. After all, this is a lot of shit – and doesn’t even include my homeschooling the kids and taking care of them on a day to day basis.

But I’m going to take a tip from my Phrase of the Year and Just Go!

I am going to launch it broken; fix it live. I’m going to continue building on what I’ve done the last two years, and 2018 is going to be the best year yet.

Let me know if you do the WotY/PotY and tell me your goals in the comments. We can do it together.