yesterday i invited you to join me in beginning the journey of choosing our words 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. it’s good to begin with yesterday’s post and then move on to today’s.
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 word for the year, i have just let it sit in the back of my mind or pop up when + wherever it may.
an empowered 2015
but, this past year i planned to do a bit more with my word. i wanted 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 believed 2015 would be a year that would call for a lot of action, a lot of taking the bull by the horns, so to speak. so, 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.
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 created a board called empowered : 2015. throughout the year, i gathered all quotes + images that made me feel empowered, that reminded me to be fearless and to make shit happen. it was my little pep talk place. cause we all need a little pep talk now + then, don’t we?
here’s a << link >> to my pinterest board, so you can see for yourself what i gathered there throughout 2015.
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. or go crazy + create a vision board to hang in your home all year long.
- set a schedule to check in with yourself at the beginning of each month, checking on your progress + setting intentions for the upcoming month
- wear your word, or a symbol of your word every single day. (in the photo below, the silver ring on my pointer finger has the word empowered engraved on the inside. i wore it every single day throughout 2015. and it was magically symbolic. // i received a necklace that i wished for from my parents this christmas, and i will be wearing it every single day in 2016. i just knew that it would be perfect. there is no engraving on it, but it has magical powers too, i just know it. wink. wink. i’ll share the necklace and my word on janauary 1st!)
- 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 not 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.
// envision the perfect day. ponder this 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?
// take out your possible words. 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. 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?
// define the words. 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?
// feel the words. 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?
// the one you love. 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?
// commit. 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.
// but be flexible. 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 your mind, if you need or want to. this is for you. there is no right or wrong.
// trust. write your word down. look at it. feel it. run your fingers over the letters. trust that your soul has given you exactly what you need. take a deep breath and soak it in. let the word become part of you.
// create + incorporate. 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, my 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. share your word with the world, too, if you’d like. create a blog post or a tweet or a Facebook status. take a photo that represents your word + your vision. use the hashtag #findyourword2016 and discover more people sharing in this journey.
i am so excited to have shared this process with you. i am so thrilled to have set an intention + vision for 2016. it makes every day so much more meaningful + purposeful, i believe. and i’d love to stay up to date with you on how your year + your word unfolds. i’ll most definitely keep you updated on how my 2016 goes. you’ll find out what my word is on january 1!
for now, it’s time to embark on the last day of 2015. 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!
I actually got concerned thinking about my word and my goals for 2016 a couple days ago because I’m feeling a bit disconnected from my intentions in that “everything is good way and I’m totally just basking in it.” This kind of made me feel like I’m slacking off, which sparked a mini crisis because I started feeling like I wasn’t doing anything productive. But then I realized that it is exactly my intentions (in the action sense) that I want to focus on in 2016 and even though I don’t have very specific ones, I DO have some specific things and other more general things I’ve been pondering. But none of this came together until I read your post yesterday so THANK YOU. I now have my word and a renewed focus, whew.
Meghan, I had the exact same feeling at my last life coach training weekend. Everyone seemed to have so much that they needed to/wanted to work on in their lives, and I felt like I’d plateaued. Like I was already “there”. Not at the end of transformation, not illuminated, or anything. Just at the top of this phase of my life. And, after discussing it with someone there, I realized that it was ok for me to the be a the top/end of this phase. And that it was time for me to just bask and soak it all in. To just live it. And, in a sense, that is what evolve is about for me. It is about actually living all that I have learned. Living intentionally is what I also decided to focus on – making the everyday sacred. And that is how I evolve from learning to living. Know what I mean?
So, what exactly is your word?! I am so curious and want to hear more! Love to you.xoxo
I believe I know this feeling of where you’re at – the basking in the top end of a phase, living your learned lessons now that they’re truly incorporated in yourself, and just Being in what is. I reached a similar top-of-a-(different)-plateau experience in the Fall of 2014 and it was an amazing feeling (and Evolve would have been a perfect word for that time) and I too struggled with just being in it without the striving and the goals I had previously. The concept of living intentionally and giving each moment its due by being present and acting in it makes perfect sense as a response to being where you are in my opinion and something I tried to do as well.
My word is Invest – (1) in myself to prepare for possible, action-oriented futures, (2) my time in things that are worthwhile, and (3) in things that will bring me happiness and/or are things I’ve always wanted to do. It’s a compromise in the sense that it’s an active response (as opposed to a passive one) to the stage I am choosing not to move on from, and that it’s an inwardly-focused word but I am hoping it will prevent me from slacking off entirely and maintaining a focus on big picture intentions. I think this sounds dramatic and I delayed responding because I couldn’t figure out how to explain it without doing so. I apologize both for that and the late response itself. Thank you again for helping me clarify!
Meghan, I love your word. I love the different aspects and levels and feelings of it. I am so excited where your journeys (of all kinds – inward and outward) take you this year. Lots of love and peace along the way, my dear friend. xo
My word is incredibly simple, Breathe. This past year was challenging in many ways, and too many times I got caught up and swept away in an emotional turmoil. During these times, if I stopped long enough to pay attention, my chest was always tight, and my breaths very shallow. It created an overall sense of unease, and even with my yoga sometimes I couldn’t break through.
The end of this year has been a much more peaceful time for me overall, somehow it seems that my mind, followed closely by my body, has released itself from the constant guilt/anxiety feelings. My soul is rested in a way I’m not sure I’ve ever experienced before.
As a result, I want to infuse myself with this peaceful feeling, to remember how to get back to it again when I revert back to old thoughts/patterns. By remembering to breathe, deeply & consciously, it is the first defense line in bringing me back to myself.
I am going to take your suggestion for a Pinterest board, great idea! I also have a metal sign my mom gave me a while back with this word on it, which I’m going to hang in the space where I do my yoga.
Thanks Liz for this exercise, wishing you all the best in the coming year. Xoxo my friend, from WNC.
Simple, and yet so powerful. How beautiful to hear that your soul has found a bit of rest and space in which to breathe. What a wonderful thing to bring into the new year. And, yes, I truly believe that breathing is absolutely necessary to creating and finding peace in our lives. And the Pinterest board and sign in your yoga space are just perfect. I can feel the clam, slow, deep vibes from you. It will be a year of sinking into your breath. I am so glad that it was a beneficial exercise to you – that means the world to me to hear. Wishing you all the best, and I dearly hope that we can meet next summer when I make it to WNC. xoxo, dear one.
I appreciate your encouragement much more than you could possibly know. I am the clam this year, that is my goal. To own that. We shall meet, and I will give you a big hug when we do! My Pinterest board is thriving, you can see it here: https://www.pinterest.com/ehelmich/2016-word-breathe-yoga-inspiration/ – thank-You Liz for your wonderful words & inspiration! <3
I am loving your board! I am humbled by your words. And I most excitedly anticipate when we meet. Big hugs unite! xoxo
Thanks, it was pretty easy to get going on it, and it already brings me much Joy!
I’m pretty sure now what my word will be. I’m not going to do Pinterest because Pinterest makes me anxious, but I’ll have plenty of ways that I’ll be reminding myself about my word. Reveal on my blog in the new year!
I cannot WAIT to read your post!! 🙂
I’m thinking of using my word as my password at work.
What an awesome idea!