I’ve been thinking about my one little word for 2015 for a while now. I don’t usually get caught up in the whole “new year, new you” thing, you know? I’m not much for resolutions, and I don’t really see a new year as a nice, clean slate the way lots of people do.

I don’t know why this is. Maybe it’s because I’ve been on a school schedule since kindergarten, so I’m in the habit of August being a new start and January being more of a halfway point—? Hmm. Weird, I guess, but true.

(Or maybe I’m just being cynical because my response to 2014 is pretty much “See ya! Don’t let the door hit you on your way out!” and I should be practicing gratitude and thinking of it as a chapter that has ended and that I get to start a new one, hopefully with fewer disappointments. Maybe that. Ahem.)

In any case, I really like the idea of having a focus word. Last year, my word was “intentional,” and it was a simple way for me to make some meaningful changes, mainly in how I spend my time, money, and energy. It was a good experience, and it was much more doable than a list of ideals that never happen.

Without further ado, my word for 2015 is:

As you can probably tell by the tone of this post—‘cuz if you’re reading it in your Eeyore voice, no one is blaming you, promise—I need to seek joy in my life. I think the seed for this word was first planted when I preordered Margaret Feinberg’s Fight Back With Joy a few weeks ago. I started reading it yesterday, and I learned that her journey started with choosing “joy” as her word for the year. : )

So there you have it, folks. Here’s to seeking joy in 2015!