I have been watching so many 2023 Bullet Journal set-up videos and so many goal-setting videos over the past few weeks. I love them. I am always looking to learn something new or find a new spread to try out. Setting up reading bujos (the videos of doing so) have been rocking my brain entirely too much. Just sayin’.

Anyway.

A lot of people I am watching are choosing an affirmation for the year. Usually, the affirmation is there to re-enforce their word of the year.

I’ve talked about my word of the year for 2023 here.

I have looked at affirmations. I have looked at quotes. I have looked around and thought about things.

My word of the year is be. I can’t really turn that into a simple affirmation. I be does not work for me on any level. I am being could work, but I don’t like it. I am being feels more like I am tabling to me.

Tabling, I cannot find any of the articles I read about this, but basically, this is a facile explanation of a table. Your table is made up of molecules, atoms that are constantly moving and shaking. Because those microscopic bits of the table are moving, your table can be said to be tabling. Your door is dooring. The floor is flooring. Does this mean your bathtub is bathing or tubbing—or both?

Anyway…

I don’t want to have a single over-arching affirmation for the entire year.

What feels right for me right now might not, probably will not feel right to me in three months, six months, or nine months. You get the picture there.

That is why I delved into quotes. There are numerous quotes that fit my life and my situation and/or what I am looking to bring in and utilize in the coming year. But—I love the obscure, the challenging.

I am choosing a quote, one I have recently used in Morticia, my Sunshine Sticker Co slim dot grid notebook that I am using as an artsy bujo.

It is my quote from my December set-up. I can use it as encouragement. It can seem like a koan when you read it, or at least that is what comes to mind for me.

Now, I pulled this quote from Pinterest, and there was no credit given for it. If you know where this quote comes from, please let me know. I always want to give credit where credit is due.

“The Sea speaks more honestly to those willing to drown.”

The quote itself speaks to my mermaid’s heart on many levels.

This quote for me is about honesty, being honest with yourself and others. It is about being brave, about facing your fears and your insecurities. It is about trusting, having faith in the Universe. I could go on in this vein for a while, but I won’t bore you with that.

What about you?

Are you thinking of choosing an affirmation or a quote for the year?

Let me know in the comments below.