2023 is HERE!

And what will you make of it?

I used to do New Year’s resolutions. I believe they work for some people, but they don’t work for me. I never stick to them. What does seem to work for me, though, is focusing on a specific word as the theme for a specific year. Last year, my word was creativity. This year it’s mastery.

According to Merriam Webster, Master is:

1. comprehensive knowledge or skill in a subject or accomplishment:“she played with some mastery”SIMILAR:proficiencyabilitycapabilityknowledgeunderstanding
   • the action or process of mastering a subject or accomplishment:“a child’s mastery of language”
2. control or superiority over someone or something:

What came to me after I read this was repetition. Master requires repetition of applied knowledge. That takes commitment. It requires doing what needs to be done to achieve mastery whether you feel like doing it or not. Perhaps that’s why I was led to this word. I have struggled with the consistency it takes to achieve mastery. So I went through my own process to address the inconsistency. I found that underneath the inconsistency is often fear of: the unknown, mistakes, failures…and success. Yes, fear of success causes us to act in ways that sabotages our success. In my case, it caused me to be inconsistent in doing the things I needed to do to succeed. If I was inconsistent, I wouldn’t be able to determine whether I could actually master a particular skill or grow a certain talent. In fact, I could make excuses about how I just didn’t have the time to do this because of valid responsibilities and life priorities.

But this year, there are no excuses…only commitments to make time to master: talents, skills, mindsets and more. Because when I look back on the time I spent being inconsistent because of fear of failure AND success, I realize I never stopped to ask “Okay, so if I become successful, then what?” I never stopped to consider that the success (which is totally defined by what I envision) would have been achieved and the fears conquered. Instead, I chose to succumb to the fear and assume success was elusive. Not this year. No assumptions. Fear will be overcome and conquered.

What do you feel the focus of your 2023 should be?