Do you choose a “One Word” each year? Keep reading for my One Word: 2019!
A Family Tradition:
About 5-6 years ago, my family read One Word That Will Change Your Life, by Dan Britton, Jimmy Page, and Jon Gordon. We loved the idea of choosing a word to focus on for the year instead of goals/resolutions that we had a hard time sticking with. We started a tradition of meeting on January 1st (we’re already together because it’s also my birthday), and reviewing our word for the previous year, discussing what worked, what didn’t, how we thought we did with our word, etc. and then revealing our new words and any thoughts behind our new word to our family members.
I love this sweet tradition. Not only does it give family members the opportunity to hold us accountable and check in from time to time to see how our new words are going (we try and meet once a quarter), but it also allows people the chance to speak into each other’s’ lives about things we may not have even realized or things we did well that we ourselves had forgotten about! It’s such a sweet tradition that I look forward to now at the start of each new year.
2018 Word: GRACE
I won’t bore you with all my words from the past several years, but I will tell you that my goal last year was Grace. Actually, it was more of a phrase: Grace, not Perfection. I’m as type A as they come. Also known as 100% Type 1 on the Enneagram. (Click here if you have no idea what that is and are interested.) Now, I happen to think that Type A people are awesome, but we are known to have a (ahem *few*) flaws. One of the most difficult things for me is rest. True rest. Like, where I’m not actually doing something while I’m “resting” kind of rest. (Does anyone else not ever “watch” tv but just listen to it as you work around the house or work on the laptop?!?!)
That Type A Mindset
Even when I’m resting, I’m usually discontent and thinking about what all I could be doing. Positives: I enjoy working, and I get a lot done. I’m successful because I hustle. Negatives: I’m tired a lot. I tend to get frustrated easily when things don’t go as planned, and I sometimes have agendas that annoy my family. In addition, I have been known to struggle when things aren’t perfect.
I’ve been on a mission over the past year to work on that. To give others AND myself Grace. I want to work hard and strive for greatness, yes, but also learn to relax. I want to really enjoy life and be present.
It was a difficult word for me to choose. Especially when I have A LOT I want to accomplish. But I feel like made good progress (as evidenced by the fact that we’re a week into January and my Christmas decor is still up!)
2018 was a good year.
When I simplified my life in a lot of areas, gave myself and others grace, took time to relax and regroup, and allowed myself the freedom to put down the to-do list for a little bit, an interesting thing happened: I found peace while also dreaming up some pretty big goals for the future. I learned that sometimes you need a break. Instead of doing all the things, you need to step back and reexamine things to determine what really matters. Then you can get clarity on your next steps….even if that means you’re headed down a path you’d never have imagined before while you were too busy doing everything to find the time to dream!
2019 Word: TRUST
With my newfound peace and clarity (just to be clear, I still need reminders from time to time to chill out), I’m entering 2019 with an incredible amount of drive, motivation, and determination. Now that I’ve identified my biggest goals and have developed a plan, it’s time to implement my new word for 2019: TRUST!
Exciting Things in Store…
My One Word Necklace:
One more thing: There is a local jewelry artist in my hometown that makes gorgeous handmade jewelry. Each year, she runs a campaign in the month of January for a ONE WORD jewelry line. You can purchase necklaces and bracelets with your word on them as a constant reminder of your word throughout the year. I’ve bought one each year! I love having something tangible to remind me of my words over the years! She currently has a discount code for all of the One Word jewelry items that runs through January 31, 2019. All of the One Word items are 50% off now through the end of January! You can use the code DUSTMADE to get free shipping on all orders $35+! Just go to www.dustmade.com to shop! Here’s a picture taken from their site that shows one kind of the dainty necklaces!
