# Choosing Ease ##### What my 2024 Word of the Year taught me about doing things differently  --- At the end of last year, I sat down with my journal (and a massive cup of tea) to choose my Word of the Year (WoTY) for 2024. This ritual has become a guiding practice for me: finding a word that feels like an anchor. Or maybe a better word is a lighthouse. Something to steer me when life gets messy. And life *always* gets messy. I started with the word *“slow”*. A command to myself. *Slow.* *Slow down.* *Go slower.* But as the year unfolded, *slow* morphed into something else: *“ease”*. Let me explain… --- ## Why I Chose Slow After a year of *“consistent”* in 2023 (that was my WoTY), I was ready to pull back a bit. I wanted to stop rushing. Stop *doing* all the time. And just be present for a change. There were also other reasons I wanted to slow down... ### 1. I was going to be a beginner again I don’t *love* being a beginner. In fact, I find it *really fucking uncomfortable*. This year, I stepped into a new management role in my admin job (hybrid career anyone?). This meant I had to learn a million new things I wasn’t going to be instantly good at. And as a perfectionist who thrives on knowing her shit, I knew this was going to be frustrating. And that I would get annoyed at myself. *A lot.* I needed a constant reminder to *Take. My Time.* ### 2. I wanted to get comfortable with the mess Here’s a little secret: I hate mess. I mean *really* hate mess. Physical mess. Emotional mess. Work mess. It all makes my skin itch. I like things neat. And tidy. Tied up with a bow. But life isn’t like that. It’s chaotic. Half-finished. And sometimes you’re stuck in the middle of it, wondering what the fuck you’re even doing. This year, I wanted to learn to sit with that discomfort. I wanted to remind myself that it’s ok for things to take time. That I don’t have to rush to tidy it all up. ### 3. I needed to listen… As an introvert, I don’t mind silence. In fact, I usually *love* it. But in coaching sessions, silence can feel… awkward. Like, you want to jump in and say something to fill the gap. This year, as I trained as a Therapeutic Coach, I wanted to stop doing that. Instead I wanted to let the silence sit there, even when it felt uncomfortable. I wanted to give my clients the space to think, reflect, and say the things they really needed to say. Because I know silence isn’t empty. It’s full of potential. But I also know that it takes practice to just listen. I mean *really* listen. And that can only come from slowing down. ### 4. …and be patient I’m 42, with hormones that ~~occasionally~~ often turn me into what my kids lovingly call a “megabitch.” And so when people move at their own pace (not mine), it can test my patience. I needed a reminder that not everyone needs to keep up with me. And I was hoping that in that slowness, I would find *more* connection. With my kids. With my husband. And even with myself. --- ## Choosing Ease In January, at the start of my Therapeutic Coaching Diploma, Jenny Burrell said something that I absolutely loved – *“Choose ease.”* *Ease.* Not “easy”. Not the easy way out. Not giving up when things get tough. But *"ease".* Approaching things, approaching life, without fighting so bloody hard all the time. I couldn’t get the phrase out of my head. I wrote it in my journal over and over again: *“I choose ease.”* This simple shift in perspective changed everything. So rather than my word of the year being *“slow”*, it now also encompassed the word *“ease”*. --- ## How My WoTY Shaped My Year Here’s how *slow* and *ease* showed up for me in 2024: ##### Letting myself be a beginner When I started my new management role, I allowed myself to take time to learn new tasks without self-criticism. Even when things felt messy and unfinished. Granted, I needed to remind myself often to slow down. And accept being a beginner. But after six months, I had finally settled into my role. ##### Choosing the sidelines (with a latte) Choosing ease meant that I decided to slow down and watch my kids ice skate instead of joining in. It’s not something I enjoy doing (along with water parks and the like). So instead, I’ve decided that I ~~have earned the right to sit on the side~~ get to *"choose ease."* And fully enjoy the moment (alone with a Christmas Nutcracker Latte!) without feeling guilty. ##### Slowing Down in Coaching Sessions During coaching sessions, I leaned further into moments of silence, letting my clients speak when they were ready instead of rushing to fill the gaps. Focusing on patience. On slowing down. On being there in that moment with them. Not rushing. Just letting it all unfold in its own time. ##### Grounding Before the World Gets Loud I took time to slow down and ground myself often. Especially before and after coaching calls. Or when the world became too noisy. Knowing that the being was just as important as the doing. ##### Resting Without Guilt (Still a Work in Progress) I gave myself permission to rest. Without guilt. Recognising that my worth isn’t tied to constant busyness (see point above). Again, not an easy feat. But the more I practised, the easier it became. And actually, the more I was able to do when I was ready to ‘go’ again. ##### Ditching the Shiny System After spending days setting up a new database for my writing, I realised I was overcomplicating things. Doh. In frustration, I journalled, and the words *“I choose ease”* came up again. I reverted back to the old, simpler (less shiny) system. This also happened when I was running some live workshops. I then realised that *choosing ease* actually meant choosing to pre-record them. ##### Baby-Stepping My Way to New York I approached the overwhelming task of planning a trip to New York by slowing down and choosing ease. Realising that I didn’t need to do everything at once. But that I could break things down into baby steps. And celebrate each and every tiny win along the way. --- ## These were specific areas that showed up But looking in my journals I noticed a pattern. Whenever I felt overwhelmed (which happens a lot, because, well, that's how I’m wired) I would often write *“fuck it”* and choose a different route. This wasn't about taking the easier option. It was about how I approached it. Often, I would still have the same outcome. Like updating my website. Or creating workshops. But I stopped fighting as much. I would do things *my* way. The way that felt good to me. That felt aligned. That made me feel at *ease*. --- ## Lessons Learned Here’s what 2024 taught me about slowing down and choosing ease: ##### Rest is productive Taking time to rest, observe, or simply be doesn’t make you lazy. It’s fucking *essential*. Especially for clarity. Creativity. And well-being. ##### Messiness is part of the progress Not everything needs to be tidy or complete right away. Letting things stay “unfinished” is ok. And learning to live with that unease, of not having something finished, is good practice in patience. And surrendering to what is. ##### There is power in silence Silence isn’t awkward. It creates space. For depth. For reflection. For connection. For the real, meaningful stuff. ##### Small wins matter Progress isn’t always about big milestones. Small achievements build momentum and confidence. ##### It’s ok to change your mind What feels right today might not tomorrow, and that’s fine. Pivoting is part of staying aligned. But we can only do this when we slow down enough to realise that things aren't working in the first place. ##### You don’t have to earn the right You are inherently worthy of rest. Of joy. Of ease. There’s no need to “earn” it through busyness or struggle. ##### Comparison is a trap Comparing yourself to others only holds you back. Letting go of these “fucks” frees up energy for what’s important. You do not need to ‘keep up’ with everyone else. You can choose to do things at *your* pace. ##### Alignment is more important than speed Moving too fast can disconnect you from your true needs and values. Alignment requires slowing down. --- ## Final Thoughts Did I always focus on slowing down? On choosing ease? Fuck no. Most of the time, I was travelling a million miles an hour. Or at least my mind was. Then I would crash. And *then* I would realise I’d been going too fast. But the more I grounded myself, the more I reminded myself that it’s ok to slow down, the more natural it became. I stopped looking at what other people were doing. And just focused on me. I listened to that voice inside. The one that knows what the fuck she’s talking about. *Slow down*, she whispered. *Choose ease.* And that small, quiet decision? It changed everything.