Dictionaries and dialect societies have taken up the practice of naming a word of the year. Last year some of the winners included infovore and selfie. A true sign of the times. And while I am too old for selfies (all the Instagram filters and phone angling in the world can’t camouflage my aging skin), I will call myself an infovore which according to the Urban Dictionary is a person with a voracious appetite for information.
There’s also a word of the year trend among the personal development community. Just Google picking your word of the year, and you’ll see. The idea is that instead of a resolution or a list of goals, you pick a word or a phrase that you want to embody. It should capture a feeling, an intention for your year.
Because I’m a wordy and spiritual person, I’m drawn to this idea. Once you have your word, it’s a simple way to stay focused. It’s less cumbersome than a list so there’s no excuse when it comes to forgetting. If you can’t keep track of one word, you have bigger problems. It’s more like a theme. Or a state of mind that you can keep coming back to when things start to get hairy. It’s a way of being instead of a check list of milestones.
About a year ago, I gave this a shot. I prepared myself to receive my word from the universe. I didn’t take a retreat to a cloistered locale. I propped myself up on my bed with a cup of tea and a pile of magazines.
Yes, magazines. I was skeptical. I’m going to find my state of being in a pile of advertising?
But this was the task I was given and I played along, being open, flipping through pages, waiting for something – an image, a word, a phrase to jump out and choose me. I was waiting for a feeling. A feeling of connection. A moment of clarity. A sunbeam shining down and highlighting my path. And I felt nothing.
Zip. Zero. Zilch.
Ten, fifteen, twenty three magazines and catalogs and nothing. I started to feel frantic. The faster the pages flew by the further I felt from my word.
Where are you? Why won’t you reveal yourself to me?
And then I started to feel down and discouraged. I have no word, because the universe doesn’t care and I’m not relevant and I have zero potential.
I pushed the pile of magazines under my bed. Not for me. I’ll pass.
It turns out I did have a word, a phrase actually, that captured my state of being last year and was my touchstone in some very challenging moments. A week or so after the failed magazine quest, I was listening (sometimes you have to listen and receive instead of seek and find) to an artist talk about his work, and the determination and pure grit it took for him to live the life he wanted. A phrase started to come into focus on the edge of my consciousness.
in the ring
At first I wasn’t sure. I acknowledged it. I rolled it around in my head wondering, is this it? Is this the one?
in the ring
And finally acceptance. Yes. Get in the ring and fight for it. Stop sitting on the side making excuses. Kick fear in the face. Don’t settle for anything less than living in the ring duking it out for what you want and believe to be true in this life.
I took to drawing a circle on my wrist with a Sharpie every morning as a reminder. And then I returned to my magazines to make the collage you see above trying to capture what I wanted in the ring to feel like. Overwhelmingly vibrant. Connecting. Dynamic. Engaging.
Last year was all about fighting it out. Stripping everything down to its foundation. Starting over. Back to basics. Getting rid of things that didn’t serve me anymore. Letting things die. An epic battle against myself and my old habits and stories. In the ring served me well in a year of personal transition and as our family relocated to a different city and home. Because at the end of the year, I was feeling like my collage. I had been living in the ring.
A few weeks ago I was flipping through a magazine, not seeking anything in particular, and I came across a new word. Oh there you are, I thought.
bloom
A natural next step. An unfolding. A gentle progression instead of a fight. A fullness that comes from growth and thriving. Soaking in the energy around me and using it to flourish. Strong, powerful, but instead of a warrior going into a battle, a quiet, inevitable force. A period of radiance and calm.
bloom
That’s where I’ll be this year.
It’s not too late to pick your word. Tell me, tell me – I would love to hear yours.
You are so good!!! I kicked off January with an amazing stArt. Bikram yoga on New Year’s Eve, then 3 times the next week. As I laid in savasana I recited Peace, Strength, honesty, forgiveness. I felt great. Well sick kids, sick mom and cancelled school has challenged me. I haven’t spoken those words since the first week of January. Thank you for reminding me! I have my words circling my head. Btw. There is a song by shinedown from their amaryllis album about “blooming”. May want to check it out.
Thanks Kel, will check out the song. I love your words and glad that this post helped you get them back on your radar.
Two words I have used over the past few years have been “flourish” and “adventure.” It made me smile to see “flourish” mentioned in your post. (Maybe a throwback to Dr. Christiane Northrup?) But adventure has been my more constant touchstone recently. I don’t mean the skydiving type of adventure necessarily. But everyday I seek out the little adventures – physical, mental and spiritual. Little discoveries. Little risks. Little challenges. So many adventures to be had! Love your collage! I’ll be thinking about what my word might be for this year.
First, did you know that Dr. Christine has a daughter Kate that jus wrote a book about women and their relationship with money. Loving her web site and blog right now, you should check it out. Second, discover is one of my favorite words because it has that sense of adventure your talking about but there’s this other layer of finding something magical that was previously unknown to you. Discover is a great word. And flourish. Flourish is life at the next level. Not just being but flourishing. Very powerful.
Great post! I’m tempted to just use yours–although I think I might still be stuck in the “get in the ring phase.”
I’m done with “in the ring” – it served me well and I happily pass it on to you!
New update – I have my word! A little piece of devine inspiration whispered it in my ear yesterday while I was deeply engrossed in a completely different topic. The greed of it is a little against my nature, but here it is: more. I want more. More action. More doing. More prosperity. More fun. More adventure. More connection. More clarity. More achievement. It seems fair at this point. I’m always the polite one, though, so I might end up softening it up a bit by saying “more, please.”
This is great news!!! See…it’s weird how it appears for you when you least expect it. And I say drop the please! Challenge yourself a little. With “in the ring” I just let myself be a fighter even though I am totally non confrontational. If you want more, I say go for it. All the way. Against your nature.