Jackie’s guest post really struck a chord with me yesterday. The idea of choosing a word to constantly refer back to and to have all of your important decisions fueled by sounds pretty amazing to this word nerd.

Plus, I love the idea of setting goals. It goes with my lust of lists. Having a nice big list to check off one by one is kind of my thing. But priorities change, especially over the course of an entire year. And with those changes your list might morph as well. Which is totally fine. But sometimes it feels like failure.

If you choose an overarching word though, and let that word guide your decisions, it’s much harder to feel like you suck.

I’ve done a lot of thinking and I’ve decided that my word for 2015 is empower.

I want everything I do to be fueled by the idea of empowerment. I want to empower myself by learning new skills and taking courses and attending conferences and, most importantly, taking chances.

But I don’t want to stop there. I also want to work to empower as many people I come into contact with as possible. I want to help them learn skills and encourage them to set goals and to do what I can to give people hope—in any little way possible.

So how will my power word affect this space?

I want this blog to be a tiny slice of positivity. I want to encourage you to feel good, look good and do good. I want to be honest because I think it can empower all of us when we’re confronted by perfection so often that it can’t help but make us feel less than in comparison.

Basically, I want it to be like a big, warm hug while chatting with your BFF over a (gluten free) brownie.

To make sure you’re all feeling as warm and fuzzy as I am, I’m including my first ever reader survey in tomorrow’s post. I want to get a feel of what you’re liking, what you’re hating and what you think I’m missing. Brutal honesty is totally encouraged.

Until then, enjoy your New Year’s Eve! I’ll be the one asleep on the couch well before midnight.

This week I have a little New Years series for you with a couple of guest posts (yesterday’s was a look at some of 2014’s surprises), some thoughts of my own, and a round up of this year’s most popular posts. Today I have my pal Jac, a lifestyle photographer and the editor/curator of thePfotoShop. Her essays always make me want to write (and live) better. This essay of hers has spawned tomorrow’s post, which is all about my word for 2015.When I was twenty-two, I drove the lonely eight hours to Norfolk, Virginia, where my sister was having a conference. She lived in California at the time and we rarely saw one another, and the road has a history of being therapeutic for me – something that, at that point in time, on the heels of a pretty terrible breakup, I desperately needed.

I passed the time with Elizabeth Gilbert’s own reading of her memoir, Eat Pray Love. The movie was coming out soon, and I have a rule about reading books before seeing their adaptations – something I picked up from my Mom as a kid. I wasn’t expecting to love the book as much as I did – in fact, I half-expected to be one of the many cynics in the wake of its success. As I drove down quiet, rural 13, and she spoke words of loss, and depression, and fear, and spirituality, I heard many of my own feelings perfectly articulated in her words.

There is a part in the book where she says that different periods of life can be defined by specific words, and that the time she wrote about in hers was “attraversiamo,” meaning “let’s cross over” in Italian.

As a new year approaches, I’m spending a lot of time reflecting on the previous one, and with that comes the designation a new word. In the past, I’ve used independence, success, and adventure (a personal favorite), among others.

2014 began with the best thing that has ever happened to me, and was shortly followed by the greatest devastation I have ever felt. The affects of both events are so intertwined, each affecting my approaches to the other. Their togetherness has created in me a balance of extremes. How does one sum up such a year of simultaneous celebration and mourning?

Transition (n.) – change, often major.

I’m about to drive route 13 again. This time though, I’m traveling in the opposite direction, and I won’t be driving it alone.

Maybe 2014 brought you success, or adventure, heartache or healing, or maybe a new found focus on family. Maybe, like me, you find yourself in limbo after a year of transition.  As we welcome a new beginning in 2015, take some time to look back – what word would you choose?

You can tell what time of year it is by what kind of food I’m stuffing in my face. This morning it’s apple slices with peanut butter and shredded coconut.

Oh yes, my friends. The New Year is upon us with it’s magical clean slate and “new year, new me” attitude that usually doesn’t live long enough to know whether or not that damn groundhog sees his shadow.

Still, I always find the idea of a fresh, clean slate enticing. Why not start the new year off with a bang to let it know that you plan on owning its ass? And what better way to do that than wearing a fabulous outfit?

If I had big plans tonight (and more money and no body issues… and pretty much an entirely different life) this is what I’d wear:

Topshop sequin skater dress  / Forever21 collar necklace / Express opaque tights
Express bracelet sleeve blazer / Jessica Simpson Devin platform pumps
BCBGeneration foldover clutch

Sparkle, legs for days, and amazing shoes that (even more amazingly) don’t hurt. It doesn’t get much better than that, does it?

Except, it kind of does. Instead of wearing this outfit, I’ll be in jeans and some (actually) comfy shoes. And instead of a shmancy dinner and drinks, I’ll be at a local restaurant and pub with my family where my youngest brother is playing a show. My babies will be there (possibly cranky because they’ll be out passed their normal bedtime) and the food and company will be good.

Maybe I’ll wear something a little sparkly in homage to that other life I don’t have. But maybe not. After all, I have everything that’s really important to me in this one.

What are your plans for tonight?

Sooo, my new year started out with a little bit of a kick to the gut. Remember how I was telling you a week or so ago that I’m the editor and head fashion woman at a wedding blog? Well I just found out yesterday that the blog is shutting down in two weeks, leaving me without a job.

Boooo.

I allowed myself a couple of hours of self pity (and a tear or two), ate a huge brownie and indulged in some horribly wonderful reality TV (have you ever seen Celebrity Wife Swap?!).

But today is a new day and I’m determined to tackle it with positivity. I just need a wee bit of help. Of course, I turned to Pinterest (click the link for sources!)…

I hope the New Year has been kinder to you than it has to me so far. And if not, I hope at least some of these inspirational words have resonated with you enough to force you out of your pity pool and toward action!

I for one am going to get to work on my 2012 to-do list!