Find Your Word and Focus Your Life
Here in the upstairs hallway once again I try to get comfortable, moving back and forth between seated with my back against the wall and legs out crossed in front of me with the computer on my lap…. and bending forward with the computer on the ground in a stretching position that wouldn’t impress at the local barre class. It’s been a routine, nightly. One of the few routines that stood over the holiday break at our house. Instead of our three-old-inevitably coming down the stairs to yell for me after I’ve put him in bed (in the same room with his brother) — I just decided that I was going to stay upstairs and work until he didn’t come out anymore. My Fitbit isn’t happy with me, since we aren’t counting floors this way. But my glass of wine sitting in the laundry basket is doing just fine and won’t be spilled easily.
Don’t believe me? Here’s the proof. I knew you needed a picture. Because you needed a laugh. So do I.
In this world of crazy Christmas days and frustrating toddler nights, I was more than happy to take part in a pastime I enjoy. Last year I picked my Word of the Year. It is a full-on five day workshopping of who you are and where you are right now, until you find one word that represents where you’re going this year. Okay, that may sound like a serious commitment– but it’s pretty simple all-in-all. There is an email sent to your inbox every day for five days with worksheets that help you find your word. There are a few bloggers that offer this online. I choose to use the program you’ll find right here.
Last year, I picked the word Believe in January. At that moment, I had no clue how that one word would help form my whole life during the second part of the year. In June, I lost my job and didn’t know where I was going to go or what I was going to do without completely throwing my family into a tailspin. Central Ohio is our home and I wanted to stay. So I had to BELIEVE that I could make something happen. And for those of you who followed my journey, I’ve stuck to that belief like peanut butter to sandwich bread. Even when the stickiness tended to be overzealous and sometimes hard to navigate through. It’s the only way I am where I am today– a solopreneur trying a new concept that is catching on in Central Ohio. Brand Journalism.
But enough about last year, right? My word this year SO encompasses that last sentence. While workshopping through my life, I knew I needed a word that was filled with action. But not so much that it would mean I couldn’t catch my breath in 2016. Transformation was one of my finalists. Would I have gone blonde and back to school? Maybe. Maybe not. It sounded like a little too much for me at this juncture in my life. Presence was another option. The thought of being fully present every day and sharing who I am easily with the world in my interactions… was uplifting. But then I thought to myself, who am I kidding? I have a five-year-old and a toddler. There are times when I’m just not going to be present because they need something and I can’t give my full attention to the other matter at hand. (See above information on hallway working.)
When it came down to it, I chose FORWARD.
At first I thought it was too simple, I already have stepped forward.
But when I thought about it longer, I realized– duh! I have so much further to go.
Step-by-step I have the ability this year to take risks, look into new experiences, and ask questions that I’ve always wanted to ask. I can do this in small ways on a daily basis, growing my quiet time in the morning by 10 minutes… adding a kettle bell to a workout… sending in a new job proposal. I will find a way to get my kids to sleep better. I’ll try some new techniques. I can also do this in major ways. Changing mindsets and attitudes of mine that need adjusted, finding new ways to find joy on a regular basis, and moving my career forward from what I’ve built so far.
FORWARD. So much possibility. Indicative that I am on a path. And I think I’ve said before: sometimes we don’t choose the path, it chooses us.
I’m engaged. I’m ready. I choose to step FORWARD in 2016.
If you try this, I hope you find a word that breathes life into all that you’ll do this year.
#earlyAMconfessions
