A couple of years ago I was asked to define what I wanted my word of the year would be. This word would embody what I wanted for the year or the overall theme of the year. In 2022, my word of the year was gratitude as I had found that I had slipped into being less grateful than I should be or acquiring a rather pessimistic view of life. I’m thankful that I choose my word to be gratitude for 2022 as it has served me very well to find the good in very trying times and during a lot of change.

This year my word of the year will be exploration. The main idea behind choosing this as my word of the year is that I feel I “lost myself” during college and the following years. As schooling intensified alongside substantial life changes, I let all my hobbies fall to the wayside. At various points during the last several years, if someone asked if I had a hobby I would say it was whatever took up the majority of my time. These “hobbies” have been graduate school, wedding planning, or the process of buying, decorating, and maintaining a home. Essentially, I let the nuances and the occasional chaos of life determine my hobbies and who I am, and whereas a person. This year, I intend to discover what hobbies I enjoy, topics that interest me, who I am in this new phase of life, and so much more.

I also have decided this will be the year of exploring various business ventures and seeing what works and what doesn’t and what I like and don’t like. I have found myself to be someone who constantly thinks of various business ideas. This blog has slowly become a potential business in itself. For those of you who have been around for a while, this blog was initially created to be a creative outlet from the rigorous academia as I pursued degrees in nutrition and biology due to my medical school aspirations. As I have changed, so has the content of the blog. In the recent year, I have now rebranded the blog as a health and wellness blog I have decided to name Life Made Wholesome This is for many reasons, but the main reason is that I have fully delved into my love of health and wellness as a career through being a dietitian and I want a place to help share this passion with others.

Another reason that I like exploration being the overarching theme of this year is that exploration in itself is a journey without a destination. It is a way to nourish that childlike curiosity we all at some point had, potentially even with abundance. Exploration is the freedom to follow any path or create one yourself.

To help guide this journey of exploration, here is a list of topics I want to explore in this new year. I decided to do my best to group them into categories which include: Wellness, Home, Connection, Business, and Personal.

Wellness

• Explore forms of physical movement and exercise to find what feels best for me.
• Explore a healthy and enjoyable way of eating for both my husband and me.
• Explore even more cuisines and styles of cooking as well as recipe development.
• Explore hobbies and forms of movement my husband and I can partake in together.

Home

• Explore what design style(s) brings me happiness.
• Explore more ways of creating a restorative and inspiring home.
• Explore how to develop this new house into a home.
• Explore concepts of minimalism and how to let go of items that no longer serve a purpose.

Connection

• Explore the depths of my existing relationships with friends and family.
• Explore and build our new community.
• Explore how to maintain and build quality relationships long distance.

Business

• Explore blogging as both a creative venture and a potential income stream.
• Explore my love of YouTube and video editing.
• Explore my book ideas and dream of writing a book.

Personal

• Explore my long-repressed love of reading for enjoyment.
• Explore what brings child-like joy like so much used to.
• Explore my fashion style and what best suits my body.
• Explore my faith and relationship with the Lord.
• Explore both new and old hobbies.
• Explore journaling and different ways to journal.

Creating this list felt empowering and as though I have more inspiration and direction for the new year than I had coming into 2022. I love the new year as is a time to rejuvenate, reflect, and refresh.

Did you identify a word, theme, or intention for the new year? If so, please feel free to share it in the comments and what it means to you!

I hope you have a happy and wholesome day!