My Word for 2020 is Progress

The concept of having a word to help drive your year isn’t a new one, but it’s one I learned about from friend and erotic writer, Mischa Eliot at the end of 2018. You can use it in conjunction with your goals or as your guiding light to determine your goals or the direction of your year.

I tend to use my word for the year as a reminder of what my purpose really is. The thing I’m trying to accomplish — in and among all of my other goals.

This year, it took me a while to figure out what I wanted my word to be. I considered focus and intention (past words), but they didn’t feel right. I’m much more focused than I have been in the past, and I set my goals and do the work that matters to me in an intentional way — more than in the past.

So what did I want it to be?

Not gonna lie. The selection process involving googling “ideas for word of the year.” Plenty of words sounded good. A few made my short list. And then I saw it.

Progress

Progress means forward movement. It might be slow, and it might be circular at times, but it means I’m getting somewhere. It doesn’t look perfect. I’m not on a timeline.

I’m on a road, headed in a direction, working towards a destination (a goal). Yes, I have to stop and rest at times. Yes, life and circumstances throw obstacles in my way. But inch by inch and step by step, I’m on my way to…somewhere.

How My Word Works with My Goals

When I chose “focus” and “intention” for 2019, it was because I felt scattered. Where was I going, and what was I doing? Yes. To all the things.

I felt powerless over my own life, like I was running in circles. Staying focused and intentional helped me set goals, choose priorities, and say no more often.

Progress is different. It’s a reminder — to keep going. My goals for the year are very similar to last year, but they’re set in a way to help me push forward, to make progress.

• John Brownstone and I have a Patreon goal on Loving BDSM — with an eye towards growing our income. Progress.
• Molly Moore and I have goals about adding to add content and products to Smutlancer. Progress.
• My personal goal is to remove at least one client from my workload in 2020 so I can focus on my own content. Progress.

Not a Destination

All of these goals move me in the direction of building an income from my own content creation. They’re all representative of my chosen word. When I feel the urge to procrastinate, I think about what I want to achieve in 2020. I want to make progress.

Progress doesn’t signify an end result. There’s no destination. When I reach a specific goal, I’m not “done.” It just means I move onto something else. To continue…progressing.

What’s your word of the year? Did you set new goals or are you continuing on with established goals?