My 2024 Word of the Year is Scrappy
I repeat this word to myself (and out loud to my wife) with every decision I encounter.
I’ve been seeing a lot of posts about a word of the year.
Something the author is using to motivate them to reach their personal goals.
A word to blame for tough decisions that will inevitably come in the coming months.
A muse to better understand and apply to their life.
So I thought I’d give it a try for 2024.
The Seed is Planted
The word I chose came from a conversation with my wife while reflecting on how much travel we did in 2023.
It was a lot.
And it cost a lot.
We used to travel on a modest budget.
Over the years (and because our greatest three passions are early retirement, good food, and travel) the money allocated for travel has grown.
After looking at just how much we spent for 2023, thinking about the nice accommodations we enjoyed, and considering the expensive locations we explored, we decided we needed to take a lesson from our younger selves.
To remind ourselves that we could travel a bit more rustic.
To challenge ourselves to travel to more exotic locations.
To see just how much travel we could squeeze out of our funds.
To be more scrappy.
The Ah Ha Moment
Scrappy.
When the word scrappy popped up in our conversation it stuck in a corner of my mind.
We reviewed our 2024 monthly and annual goals, dreamed about all the locations we wanted to visit in the next 12 months, and discussed all the local restaurants we hadn’t enjoyed yet.
And “scrappy” kept popping up.
I couldn’t shake what it meant to me.
Scrappy.
We could squeeze 10 weekend trips in between 3–4 large trips this year.
Scrappy.
We could fit a new restaurant or cocktail bar into our weekly food budget.
Scrappy.
We could invest a bit more into our Coast FI funds.
Scrappy.
We could reset how we experience the year.
The Art of Scrappiness
Scrappy might not have the same connotation to you.
I picture scrappy not in the sense of picking fights and being obnoxious, but rather in a sense of adventure.
To me, being scrappy means I can figure it out…no matter what happens.
Being scrappy is focusing on what’s most important.
Being scrappy is resetting expectations.
How does that translate to my days and weeks?
- We can eat cheaply during the week to have money for a new cappuccino shop.
- We can stay are lower rated or less expensive Airbnbs, to walk right onto the beach.
- We can spend less money on things and purge our unused-garage-filling possessions.
Scrappy equals a give and take, with a focus on what’s truly important to us.
- Financial freedom
- Culinary experiences
- New worldly perspectives
Everything else is just how we survive the week until we can do one of the above.
That’s being scrappy.
Word of the Year is Scrappy
Scrappy fits me this year.
It focuses my expectations and decisions.
It challenges me to be creative during ambiguity.
And it provides me with direction for my year and plans.
Cheers to scrappiness in 2024!
Do you have a word of the year? Please share in the comments!
