January 2, 2016
Today is the day before we go back to school. I'm contemplating the many days and weeks ahead as I venture into a new year. The intentions and resolutions, the new habits, the known & the unknown events that will shape 2017. Being both an optimist and a pessimist (a realist??) this beginning gives me the opportunity to view the next 365 days through many lenses. The pessimist and the optimist work together to move me forward. Each day, each hour, each minute requires purposeful decision-making to either conjure up the positive or give-in to the negative. Both eventually push me in particular directions and I am called to action. However, they can also work against one another, keeping me paralyzed for longer than I like. So, one of the New Year's Resolutions I've always wanted to pursue is "One Word for One Year". You can apply this liberally or narrowly. One word that encompasses all of your life, or different "one-words" for the multifaceted life you have: one for work, one for health, one for family, etc. This one word is the banner you fly, the mission you uphold, the scale by which you measure your thoughts and choices. In order to pursue this word and transform your life, your thoughts and actions must support this word.
I need this word! I have been at a crossroads for several years now. Professionally, I see myself effecting change outside of the classroom. Personally, I have goals that get put on the back-burner month after month. The list I have to check-off is too long. But what if I lived life, getting up daily and making choices, going to work and interacting with students and colleagues, connecting with my PLN, "doing life" with my family... that all led back to one word? Rather than conjuring up activities to fit the word, what if the word was applied to my activities, instead? When I open the refrigerator to grab that snack, or before hitting the snooze button in the morning, I ask myself, "Is this supporting _{one word} ?". When I receive unwanted news, or work to accomplish, I ask "How might _{one word} influence my reaction to this?". When faced with opportunities to network with others, or partner in ways that might change the trajectory of my career I ask "How does this fit with _{one word} ?". Imagine the different choices that might be made based on the answer to these questions!
They key, they say, is to "get it in writing". How do I support the word and make it a daily part of my life? How do I not let that word get lost and fade into the chaos? Journaling, blogging, vlogging, sharing the journey on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram...all ways to get it in writing, get it out in front, keep it alive. Literally making a banner (I seriously have a ton of them from an Amazon order that went awry!), posting sticky notes in the bathroom- the car -the kitchen, adding a banner to your desktop or your phone, engraving a bracelet with the {one word} and wearing it every day.
Ultimately, it is about reflecting on that word, your actions, your thoughts and feelings, your daily/weekly/sometimes hourly choices...reflecting, assessing, renewing, and celebrating your perseverance. You lose sight of the word, and the forward-moving work you want to accomplish, when you stop- or quit- this reflection piece. Making mistakes is part of the process, but making mistakes is not the end.... though, this is a topic for another chapter!
So, what's MY one word? What's YOUR one word? It may pop into your head immediately, or it may take some reflection and deep thought to come to the word that encompasses what you are striving for in your life. Some resources I've found below might help us come to that one word, and help us keep, protect, and rock it!
Cheers! Congrats! and Much Love to you!
Ready, set....GO!
http://www.elizabethrider.com/word-of-the-year/
http://oneword365.com/
http://myoneword.org/
http://gretchenrubin.com/happiness_project/2016/12/little-happier-one-word-theme-new-year/
http://www.myintent.org/
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