Setting Intentions - One Word 2018!

And with the blink of an eye, another year has passed! The recent winter holiday was wonderful. We had two weeks off after Christmas which allowed time for much reflection on the year, a renewal of energy and spirit, and time to think about my 2018 One Word. Choosing a single word to guide my year has been a tradition I have been doing since 2012. I've written previous blogposts here and here. I've never been a big fan of New Year's Resolutions, as they felt a bit like a pass/fail test; whereas, choosing a profound word to inspire and create intention in your life sounded far more inviting!

It seems this tradition is catching on with others. Originally, I heard about One Little Word from a friend who followed Ali Edwards, a blogger who leads workshops on One Little Word. In the fall, another friend introduced me to Jon Gordon, one of the authors of One Word That Will Change Your Life.

2017 was the year of Hygee! Reflecting upon the year that I had, I can tell you with all honestly, my "One Word" made a difference. 

Placing emphasis on "hygee" helped me to move beyond a year of sadness (the loss of mom) and into a place where I could take comfort in the sanctuary of life. Simply being home with my family, or time spent alone, or through togetherness with others, I felt love, joy and a general sense of well-being. Small things like nightly walks with the dog and Scott, a cozy pair of socks, lit candles, new jammies, and hearing "I love you" from either M & M - all of these things brought me gratitude, serenity and inner peace. This was much needed.

In September, I started a new position in my school district. I went from multiple roles to a district position where I support teachers and students in Numeracy in a broader sense. With any change, there is a ton of learning and challenges. There are also many positives, like developing relationships with 'new to me' colleagues. My learning curve has been steep and my pace has been insane (a result of not knowing what I don't know, wanting to do well, and the high expectations I place on myself). A pace like this doesn't leave important time for reflection and causes the work-life balance to tilt. My colleagues shared their wisdom with me, but as we know, learning needs to be experienced. And I needed to learn from my own experience.

Having four months in the new role, and understanding the power of a word to make a positive impact, this year my 2018 word is CULTIVATE. I truly believe that we create the life we want. Joel Osteen, speaks of the power of "I AM" in his book, The Power of I Am. He says "whatever words follow the words 'I am' will determine what your experience will be. You can either speak defeat or power into your life".

Generally speaking, I consider myself a fairly optimistic, positive person, but these past few months professionally, self-doubt has crept in. Similar to a first year teacher, I have felt overwhelmed, compared myself to others, and felt an overall a lack of confidence. Herein lies how my One Word 2018 originated.  Brene Brown, talks about WholeHearted Living in her book Daring Greatly which I read this past summer. She refers to ten guideposts.

Professionally, her ten guideposts struck a chord with me this holiday when I picked up her book again. I saw myself and a need to cultivate. If I want to create a life where the words that follow "I am" include "enough and happy" I needed to stop speaking defeat into my life. Things need to change; I need to cultivate.

Moving forward professionally, I will:

• accept that I do not know everything I want or need to know, while remembering that I am a learner;
  
• keep learning and will make time for learning; 
• build in time to read and write, as I value this; 
• build in time to pause and reflect as I know that growth comes from this;
• stop comparing myself to others;
• make time to connect with those in similar roles who inspire me and understand the value of using their leadership and experience to encourage, mentor, and develop others;  
• slow my pace so that I can be more thoughtful and intentional in my daily work;
• and be willing to be vulnerable and bring my voice to the table to share opinions and questions. This means being okay with making mistakes, being wrong, and being willing to present my most authentic self. 

I am looking forward to the process of letting my 2018 word guide me! I know there are things I need to cultivate personally but one thing at a time!

What word will guide you this year? #oneword2018