2016 in ONE WORD. Your turn!

I am a member of website called Levo. Levo has wonderful articles on career development, and I have been reading the articles every weekday for at least a year now. One article I was reading this morning challenged the readers to think of one word they would want to use to define 2016. There were a lot of good ones in the article. I have actually done this exercise before (maybe 2014) and the word was "CONFIDENCE." At that time in my life, it was something I felt was waning. I am a firm believer that confidence is something some people just have, but that is a minority of people. The rest of us actively have to nurture confidence. Personally, I read motivational articles, focused on exercise and practiced a little meditation.

This year, I am embracing the term "LEADERSHIP." In all of my career roles, I have prided myself on being a humble student. Frankly, I am sure I will always be a sponge in whatever roles I take on. I do believe that there is a shift that should occur along the way where one gears his or her development toward leadership. For a while, I have assumed I am too young, too female or too junior to embrace leadership traits. Talk about self-sabotage! Also, it goes without saying that becoming a mom is a leadership role in and of itself, so this term applies to work life and home life. Lucas and I often joke about how we are tired of making adult decisions, but those decisions aren't going anywhere. With any goal, you have to have concrete ways to measure success, so my "New Year's Resolutions" are just tactics that fall under the umbrella of leadership.

• Attend (2) Seminars/Webinars on the Topic of Leadership
• Continue to read motivational books and articles written by exemplary leaders
• Accept opportunities to speak or present to groups
• Join a professional organization such as a women's attorney group. 
• Continue to nurture business and financial acumen

I would have more to write on the "home life" aspect, but I am going to afford myself some grace until Baby P gets here, so I can begin to understand what those dynamics look like in the leadership context. In the meantime, here are some additional, perhaps miscellaneous, resolutions of mine.

• Be gracious with yourself regarding losing the baby weight and getting back to "normal."
• Take the baby on daily morning walks during maternity leave (and hopefully after). 
• Remember to take care of myself in the small things so that I may be my best self for my family.
• Accept help from friends and family.
• Recognize when a feeling stems from stress or frustration and talk about it with people (other moms, Lucas, parents, etc.)
• Revamp the look of the blog and continue to generate unique and original content.
• Quit waiting until the last minute to fill the gas tank.
• Eat in more, and eat out less. (I think this may come naturally).
• Create and adhere to a budget to generate mindfulness about where our money goes. Create strategies to maximize value and eliminate waste.

Okay, so those are just a few of mine! What are your resolutions this year? What word would you choose to define 2016?!