Every year I select a word to focus on.
The first year I chose "success". I created a little jar and put each success on a little piece of paper. At the end of the year I read them.
- I completed my bachelor's degree with a 4.0 GPA
- I lost 18 pounds
- I had my first paid photo shoot
- We got all our bills caught up
- Our home got "De cluttered" - a liberating experience
Just to name a few.
The next year I chose prosperity (we received an unexpected $12,000 check that year) and the year following, momentum. That year started great - finished my Master's degree that year. But in reflection I also saw my momentum reverse. It was that reflection that made me consider why this was and how to reverse the course. The idea led me to the year of the phrase - "Forward with intention".
Life does throw punches and the curves in the road can slow the journey. But it's those moments that we can reflect on the person we are and who we are becoming. We can embrace the trajectory or change the direction completely. We do have a choice. I learned in that year that forward may not necessarily be the direction we think we should go. It sometimes means taking the opportunities in front of us and embracing them. And intentional means that every moment in that journey brings unexpected treasures if we pay attention.
I was so excited by the revelation that I chose "Discovery" for the next word. So what exactly can a 60 something ol' lady discover? Well there is plenty. I discovered. I discovered my health wasn't as good as I thought, but I also discovered I could do something about it. And I discovered I loved training people. And that discovery has led to a business!
So now that you have the history of "the word", lets talk about the word of 2018. I chose "Adventure" and my goals were to "be open to new things and move out of my comfort zone". And move I did. I left a job that was detrimental to my mental health and causing problems with my physical health, and now am working at a place I look forward to going to - a job I honestly love. I make less money, but that'll be another adventure! I've changed my life in so many ways. Seeing a psychologist helped me to learn more about who I am and what I need - and that it's ok to give my needs priority.
So what will 2019 bring? What word should I focus on? I think I'll go with the words of Eleanor Roosevelt, "The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams". The dictionary defines the verb, dream, to consider a possibility; to imagine. And so here's to a new year of possibilities - a new year to imagine...
Dream.
What will your word be?
