One Word

 

Focusing on a resolution or goal for the year, can be very superficial. You see so many ads for weight loss, healthy eating and travel in the new year, but I have never been able to sustain those goals and end up feeling guilty for not being able to follow through. 

Then one of my co-workers shared what she does and that is choosing ONE WORD. That word is "not based on temporary inspiration or on the latest pep talk. It's found in narrowing our focus, because we believe less is best." 

This word should permeate every aspect of our life: spiritual, physical, emotional, relational, mental and financial and how those are also interconnected with the choices that we make in our everyday lives. 

To discover your word, according to the authors Gordon, Britton & Page, there is a three step process. 1. Prepare your heart by looking in. 2. Discover your word by looking up. 3. Live your word by looking out. Using these methods, modified slightly, is how I determined my word for the year. DEVOTE

"Busyness is a disease that's robbing us of life. It brings on stress and exhaustion, and it weights our hearts with anxiety so that we become numb and calloused to the most important things in life. Busyness throws us into survival mode and leaves no time for mission and meaning." (pg.28)

To prepare your heart take some time in silence by turning off your phone, TV, music and look inward by answering these questions. What do I need? What's in my way? What needs to go? 

For me, I needed to reduce my stress, gain control of my time, take care of my health and financial security. Fear was in my way, I know the steps that need to get healthier, I know what I need to do for my finances and I know what I need to stop doing to gain more quality time for myself, but I'm fearful of what I may loose in choosing what I truly need. What needed to go, was to get rid of that fear; things that suck my time, like social media, interacting with people that do not fulfill me and being judged for my choices. 

Within the book One Word That Will Change Your Life, the second step of Discover your word by looking up, references allowing for God to direct you to your word. That may be something that you believe in and that works well for you, be it God, or whatever religion that you may believe in. However, for me I listen to what comes to me, such as: nature, my dreams, and what my intuition is telling me. I truly believe that the answers that I seek are within me and that I do not need to look to something or someone outside of myself to find what I need. 

The last step is to live your word by looking out. With resolutions, they mostly get forgotten, but with the one word, keep it visible and predominant within your day. That is why I'm sharing my One Word here. Some other ideas include putting your word on a screen saver, paint a sign with your word, write your word on post-its and post it around your house, look for quotes that include your word and share your word with others. 

I also think of the One Word as a mantra for the year. I can use my word DEVOTE while I am meditating to remind myself what I truly want to focus on for this year. My energy will be DEVOTED to what brings me health, joy and financial ease. I will be DEVOTED to reducing my stress, anxiety and fear. I will DEVOTE my time to planning healthy eating, moving my body mindfully, writing, reducing my debt and being in nature.