I had great deliberation trying to figure out what word I wanted to pick for this year. As a background to this, I typically would pick a handful of resolutions to try and complete before the year was out and found there was just too many of them and I'd lose track or forget. So, last year I changed things up and decided to pick a single word instead of a list of resolutions.

That word was Commitment. The year didn't go exactly to plan and I wasn't 100% committed to anything. If you missed my recap post from yesterday, you can check it out HERE.

So after a lot of thought, I decided my word to guide me for this year is:
I almost changed my mind about this as it seems quite similar to commitment, but the word makes sense for this year for a number of reasons, which I'll explain as I go along.

In 2017.. I want to be...

Focused on Me - As I mentioned, I don't feel like I was committed to anything 100% last year. I am very easily distracted and put off when things don't go exactly to plan. I tend to focus on what everyone else is doing and what everyone else is achieving, that I neglect to properly focus on the things that I want.

So, it's time to stop caring about and comparing myself to what other people are doing and instead focus on myself.

So, I primarily want to focus on getting back down to an acceptable(to me) weight. I know that weight is not the be all and end all, but I am carrying extra weight that isn't needed and it doesn't make me happy. Deep down, I feel as though I wasted my money on surgery 2 years ago as I appear to be going backwards.. and it's an awful feeling as it was a massive financial commitment that I seem to have wasted. So before it goes too far, Im nipping it in the bud!

So with this in mind, I'll focus on:
- Eating healthier and being more mindful - with less treats and snacking!

- Getting into a regular routine with regards to sleep - this means going to sleep earlier and getting up earlier to fit things in, in the morning.

- Putting together a fitness/workout schedule that is more maintainable and that works for me - I train for races a lot during the year, so the schedule will change slightly but the general gist of training and exercise should be the same.

Obviously, weight loss is not going to be my only focus this year I'd love to achieve some running goals this year(Sub 1hr 10k, Under 2:15 Half Marathon) and I want to do my first triathlon. I definitely know that my training is suffering as a result of weight gain. Running and exercise is obviously going to be harder for someone carrying 20 lbs of extra weight that they don't need.

So, my secondary focus will be on my training. Instead of making excuses or just not doing scheduled runs/exercise, I'm going to focus on doing my training properly, hopefully getting in some much needed speed training and getting back into home workouts/kettlebell workouts to get me a little closer to my running goals this year!

Im getting organised with all my races planned out for the year and a calendar to track my training.

Lastly(but no less important), is life focus. I'd like to put some more focus into my career and see where this year takes me. I've mentioned that a new opportunity has come up at work and i want to grab it with both hands and really get stuck into it - I'd also like to do some more training courses too and get some more experience and knowledge under my belt.

Also, whilst some might think it's odd to put this as a 'life' focus, I'd like to put some focus into my blog. I did less blogging(and vlogging) than I would have hoped to do last year. I love blogging, it's a place for me to collect my thoughts and a place for me to share my journey. I hope to renew some focus into my blog this year and be a bit more consistent with my content and spend a little extra time interacting with people on social media and putting a bit more effort into my content(like taking some better photos for my IG other than selfies ;))

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This blog post makes it look as though I've got loads to focus on this year, when it's only really 4 things! Weight loss(Health) & Training(Fitness) go pretty well together and I think as I work on one, I'll also be working on the other. Then my career focus and blog focus, which are already underway and I have been planning for!

I hope to stay focused on these throughout 2017. 2016 was by no means bad or awful and I achieved some things I'm very proud of - I'll be working hard to make 2017 a successful year! and I'll be sure to keep you updated with everything along the way!

Question: If you had to pick a word for 2017, what would you pick?