my word of the year for 2016 /// evolve

happy new year!! happy 2016!

wow, how good it feels to be entering a new year. it was an empowering year, 2015, but i am more than happy to leave it behind. and the energy that i am already feeling for 2016… so. much. better. so good, in fact, that yesterday, on new year’s eve, my love and i both woke very,very early. i actually do attribute that to embarking on a new trip around the sun. a new start. a new beginning.

over the past month or so, as i have been winding down + going through the rituals of leaving one year and preparing for another, i have been thinking so much about what my word for 2016 would be.

i began with the word “brave”. and then i amassed a ton of other words, all scribbled down in my journal or in the notes section of my iPhone. i knew to trust the process, but i just wasn’t feeling any of the words. or rather, i felt them all. i wanted all of them.

but, i just kept gathering them. and as 2015 ran out, i still was not certain what i was going to do. but, i did my little mini-workshop on find your word, and i read the signs that were all around me, and one of the words just emerged as the right word.

the signs:

1. i got a book from my mom and dad for christmas, joseph campbell’s the art of living. i decided that it would be something that i would read every morning. a little inspiration study time. so, i opened it for the first time and began. immediately i was reading words that felt like i had written them. it was my life, my thoughts, my way of understanding and living. and, i came to the realization that what he was describing in the introduction was exactly the journey i had been on.

2. ok, now back to about a month and a half ago. i was at one of my life coach training weekends, and i put a request out on Facebook for people to choose a few words to describe me. it was part of my process of defining myself, and how i am/want to be, as a life coach. i received tons of very humbling and beautiful responses, but one of them stopped me in my tracks.

a long time friend of mine, who i have experienced quite a few very life-changing experiences with, including coming to sweden for he first time back in 1995, answered with the word evolutionary.

now, i don’t have that many friends that have been with me for a very long time, but this dear friend, and his wife, and i have been friends for almost 25 years. so, it is highly possible for them to have seen me change, grow, deepen, transform, and evolve.

i haven’t stopped thinking about that word since my friends described me as evolutionary. i took it as a highest form of praise. a compliment. and i was absolutely humbled.

3. so, as i read joseph campbell’s description of the journey of life through three stages, i realized that this was, in fact, a life that was based on evolving.

4. the final sign that i received came from my soul. as i have been soaking in empowerment, learning to live a slow, intentional life, i have felt that i have been moving from one phase to another. i have felt absolutely called to a higher, deeper, even more meaningful way of life. a life that manifests balance. a life in which i take all that i have learned, continue to apply it to my life, and begin to create a life and a way to share my spiritual story, incorporating my way of life as my work. it is time to focus outward, to teach and guide and support others as they are on their own journey.

it is time to evolve.

and, so, there you have it. my word for 2016.

it is a word that keeps me balanced and dancing between the earth and the cosmos. between practical, everyday life and spiritual mysteries + magic. it is a word that reminds me to share the message that i have learned… all of life, every single moment, every single thing, is sacred. we do not have to go outside of ourselves, or to some far off place, or seek some wise guru or god. the sacred is within. we are the guru. we are the manifestation of god. light-bearers. love in the flesh. the sacred is all around. the sacred is right here, right now.

it is a word that keeps me ever pushing on. always journeying. always open, ready + willing to be transformed.

and, so, my image of the year is a tree. because, evolving for me means being grounded, connected, attached to the earth. stable, calm, strong, and at peace. part of the world. and yet, reaching up to the heavens, being blown to + fro, freely, as the spirit moves through me. and, always growing upward. outward. and downward.

so, now. about 2016. about this year that lies stretched out in front of us. i have some intentions, some visions, as t how i feel called to live out my evolutionary year. and, it is two-fold. it involves me + you.

for me, it is all about becoming even more who i am called to be as a teacher, guide, mentor, life coach. a spiritual professional (whether i talk about spirituality or not, that doesn’t matter). it is about accepting this calling and really putting it to use in all that i am and all that i do. it is about going even deeper + higher in my own spiritual practices. becoming even more aware of the simplicity of slow, intentional living. the importance of gathering together, of living life to the fullest, of simply being with others, and of staying grounded.

for you, it means that this website is going to grow and evolve. it means that i will have more to offer. i will be changing things, adding series, and yet keeping my everyday life the focus of it all. part of my message of finding the sacred in every thing is sharing my everyday life and how i do just that. i will always place importance on sharing my story, my journey, only as an example of how i live my life. but, i will begin to offer more + more resources for you, should you want to begin your own journey towards bliss. your own journey toward discovering the sacred moments in your life, grounding and inspiring you. your own journey toward taking control over your own life so that you live life as authentically + fully as possible.

what kinds of things do i have planned?

well, i invite you to join me on your own journey of evolving. or growing deeper + higher. of discovering + becoming more + more who you were created to be. of learning to live a slow, intentional, authentic life.

i have planned a theme to explore each month. all of them building on this yearly theme of evolving. the whole year will be a journey in itself, based in three phases. from being grounded, to balancing spirit + life , to manifesting our dreams and living lives that make a difference to others.

i hope that we can not only evolve as individuals, but also as a tribe of completely different, yet like-minded people. here’s how we are going to gather together:

• monthly emails. // with an introduction to the theme of the month + resources to use throughout the month. (an email signup is coming soon!).
• photo challenges. // for capturing + seeing the sacred in our everyday lives using the hashtag #evolve2016
• mixtape. // playlists to inspire us + keep us focused.
• video blog posts. // fun, everyday videos with my love. just because!
• weekly look backs. // my way to chronicle my life, sharing with you those moments that have been sacred and magical.
• moon magic + love. // an inspirational post on every new moon + full moon. a chance to connect with nature.
• rituals. // ways to bring meaning to every day activities and mark important moments.

i am sure that i will add to, or take away from, this list of offerings and ways to evolve together. i am not asking you to take on my word of the year, but i am offering you a chance to use your own word through this journey that i am creating. no matter what your word is, you will find ways to use it within the theme of the month.

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sometimes, we just don’t know know where to begin. we have good intentions, but we don’t know how to get started. we have this amazing word in front of us to focus on, and somehow we get overwhelmed or we lose interest. that’s totally normal. so, what i hope to creat this year, is a chance for us to stay committed. to live mindfully and intentionally, with our own individual words at the heart of everything we do and are.

so, my friends, the journey begins. tomorrow, you will get january’s theme and january’s mixtape. ok. ok. the theme is intention. much more about that, though, later this weekend.

in the meantime, i wish you the happiest of new years. i wish you peace and joy and love, as we begin a whole new adventure. may it be a blessing, so that you may also be a blessing to others.

happy new year! xo

if you haven’t already, share with us your word of the year in the comments below! or write a blog post about it. or post a photo on instagram. i cannot wait to hear what you all will be choosing.