Goals and Words for the New Year By: Megan Jewell

It is officially February and we have already made it through one month of the new year.

Often, people decide on a word or goal that they want to embody or accomplish for the year. With this in mind, The Brand staff asked a couple of students to share how they hope to make the most of 2023.

Some students prefer choosing a word for the year. Choosing a word is helpful and more concise for some than setting goals and resolutions as they simply focus on striving to display or experience the word in their actions for the year.

Lydia Jackson, a freshman nursing major from Pleasanton, chose the word focus. “I chose the word focus because I want to be more focused on the grand scheme of life in view of eternity, and therefore focusing on more serving others and making an impact for Christ,” Jackson said. “I also want to be more focused in my studies and time management this semester, which also plays into the eternal focus of doing my best for God’s glory.”

Abbey Pardue, a freshman Christian studies and theater education double major from Lubbock, chose abide as her word of the year. “I chose abide as my word for the year because I want to simply walk next to Christ this year,” Pardue said. “I want to abide and dwell in the joyful moments and when things get rough and tiring, I want to rest in the Lord. Abiding, for me, is simply being wrapped up in God’s presence.”

Marissa Lacefield, a freshman music education major from Argyle, chose peace for her word of the year. “I am trying to let God take control of my life, and my word is peace because I want to have peace in every circumstance and not be controlling over my own life,” Lacefield said.

Others prefer setting goals for the year. Beasley Floyd, a freshman business major from Phoenix, strives to believe in herself this year. “My goal for this year is to challenge myself to have a mindset where I believe that I can do things that might be hard,” Floyd said. “I have come to realize that believing in yourself is the first step to achieving a lot of your goals even if you think that a goal might be unattainable. This year, I hope to set goals and make the effort to achieve them.”

Whether it is setting a goal for the year or choosing a word, both are great ways to begin the new year.