empowered :: find your word for 2015|part 2.

yesterday i shared with you all my word for 2015: empowered! and, i also invited you to take part in choosing your own for for the upcoming year. if you haven’t seen yesterday’s post, or haven’t had a chance to begin think about your word for 2015, then click {here} to get started with yesterday’s post.

the beauty of choosing a word for the year is how it helps to bring a sense of focus + purpose to everything, if we let it. for me, throughout the past years that i’ve had a special for the year, i have just let it sit in the back of my mind or pop up when + wherever it may. but, this year i plan to do a bit more with my word. i want to have it in front of my face often, so that i don’t forget about it. this is especially important to me because i believe 2015 to be a year that calls for a lot of action, a lot of taking the bull by the horns, so to speak. and, i’m all ready for that. but, in order to make sure that i stay focused + active + motivated, i need that word of mine slapping me in the face day in and day out.

so, i started off by making a pinterest board. now, i’m not a pinterest freak, but i do love it for finding quotes + inspiration. so, i have created a board called empowered : 2015. in it i plan to gather all quotes + images that make me feel empowered, that remind me to be fearless and make shit happen. it’s gonna be my little pep talk place. cause we all need a little pep talk now + then, don’t we?

here are a few of the things that i have included in my pinterest board so far:

i also plan to keep a list of quotes in my moleskin notebook for the year. perhaps, i’ll even have a whole notebook set aside just for empowered inspiration – a place where i can write quotes, thoughts, post photos, make a collage, and document little anecdotes. you know, an old school way of keeping a journal/scrapbook. hmm… now that i’ve written this, i think i will actually do this. my love got me a moleskin notebook for christmas, and it’ll be perfect for that! 

so, if you decide to join me in choosing a word, i’ve got a few suggestions for you to consider to help you keep your word in the front of your mind:

• create a pinterest board: you can find mine {here} or in the sidebar to the left of this page.
• dedicate a journal to your word: include quotes, photos, images, stories, anything that reminds you of your word
• make your word your phone background image or desktop wallpaper
• leave post-it notes with your word written on it in different places
• set a schedule to check in with yourself at the beginning of each month, checking on your progress + setting intentions for the upcoming month
• any other ideas? share them in the comments below!

finding your word: part two

now, let’s finish up finding your word for 2015 – if you haven’t settled on one yet.

if you read yesterday’s post, you may have had a word bubble up and just come to you. it’s totally possible that you already discovered your word just by thinking about it a bit. however, you may also no know exactly what word to settle on or need a bit more time to figure it out. no worries. we’ll deal with that today.

1. ponder this again for just a second: what would the perfect day in 2015 look like to you? what would you do? who and what would you see? where would you be? what are your intentions + dreams for the upcoming year?
2. if you followed yesterday’s activities, then you should have about 3-5  possible words written somewhere. hopefully you were able to write them down + set them aside until now.  go ahead and pull out those words and look over the list again.
3. think about them and notice if they are passive or active words. have you chosen which type of word you feel that you need for 2015? do you need to focus more inwardly, on your self and your spirit/soul? or do you need to get things done and focus on things that are outside of you?
4. using the 3-5 words that you wrote down… think about the meaning of each one. how would you define each word? how does the dictionary define each word? what are other words (synonyms or related words) that come to mind for each word?
5. now that you’ve gathered your list of words + thought about their meanings, see how they feel. which one seems to make you feel warm? which one inspires you or energizes you? which one brings you a sense of calm and peace? which one feels like a gift that you have received that you’d been longing for?
6. you’re looking for that word that you have fallen in love with. perhaps one just seems to fit. trust that, and go with it. let that be your word. however, perhaps you are stuck between 2 words. well, flip a coin, assigning one word to “heads” and one word to “tails”. flip the coin and see what your immediate reaction is when you see which word the coin lands on. were you disappointed? or excited?
7. there is no absolute perfect word. but, it should make you giggle and feel excited, at least more than your other words. so, which word is it? which word feels just right to you? no explanation, it just feels… well, right.
8. but, remember this: your word may even change in the middle of the year. let it grow and move and be fluid. give yourself permission to change you mind, if you need or want to. this is for you. there is no right or wrong.
9. write your word down. look at it. feel it. runnier fingers over the letter. trust that your soul has given you exactly what you need.
10. take a deep breath and soak it in. le the word become part of you.
11. over the next few days, explore ways to use your word + to make it part of your life. (don’t forget the tips i gave you above!)

congratulations, friend! you have listened to your life + to your soul. now, if you’d like, share your word with me. send me an email (use the contact button at the top of the page) or leave me a comment below. i am so excited to have shared this process with you. and i’d love to stay up to date with you on how your year + our word unfolds. i’ll most definitely keep you updated on how my empowered 2015 goes.

for now, it’s time to embark on the last day of 2014. i wish you peace + calm + a centered being as you bid farewell to this year and welcome a new year filled with new opportunities + adventures, just waiting for you. enjoy your new year’s eve!

light + love xoxo