What word did you choose and why?

Serene

I chose the word Serene. That’s how I like to live my life – organically, with no drama and good energy. It feels like a very positive way to live your life, and I want to continue to create that this year.

This year I chose the word Serene. At first, I had picked several other words, but their meanings all pointed back to serenity. It’s how I like to live my life. I like to live organically, with no drama and just positivity and good energy always. I find that in life you can look at the rose or at its thorns. I’ve always been a silver-lining, bright side type of person. So, it just felt like an organic focus for me this year.

If you could go back and talk to a younger version of yourself, what would you say?

If I could go back and talk to a younger version of Nikki, I’d tell her to start planning for retirement earlier. Being self-employed it’s easy for that to fall to the wayside a bit, and while we have started saving and planning over the last several years, it’s really something that is never too early to start! As my son begins facing challenges on his own life journey, I do hope that he always remembers to believe in himself, and to be confident. It’s something I’ve always aimed to teach him over the years, but I hope that he really holds that close and remembers it always.