Starting fresh: One word, anyone?
The new year is rolling in like fresh tide on all the beaches we didn't get to visit last year, not so gently nudging us to set intentions for 2021.
Once upon a time I used to do new year resolutions. After choosing "losing weight", "stressing less" and "saving money" every other year, it began to feel redundant, uninspiring and limiting. I've got nothing against resolutions. They work for a lot of people. But if the age old tradition isn't working for you, I suggest trying something new.
One Word
“One Word creates clarity, power, passion and life-change. The simple power of One Word is that it impacts all six dimensions of your life – mental, physical, emotional, relational, spiritual, and financial.”
You may have heard people talking about the #oneword movement. The idea comes from the 1999 book "One Word that Will Change Your Life" by Jon Gordon. The book encourages readers to do away with
long, complicated goals and resolution lists and focus on one word for an entire year. According to Gordon, "One word creates clarity, power, passion and life-change. The simple power of One Word is that it impacts all six dimensions of your life -- mental, physical, emotional, relational, spiritual, and financial."
I can't remember when where or how I was introduced to the one word concept, but I've been choosing a one word as practice for the past three years, and I've found it to be much more useful and valuable than making resolutions. Choosing one word to meditate on feels more personal and meditative, and it's something simple that you can remember and carry with you every day all day-- A mantra of sorts that you can call to mind and lean into on a daily basis and as it related to big projects, new opportunities, challenges and decisions.
2020 Vision...or Not
Vision was a popular one word for 2020 for obvious reasons. But as the Covid-19 pandemic quickly escaladed and exploded, as did an unsettling amount of injustice toward black and brown humans at the hands of law enforcement, white nationalists and a tyrannical presidential administration, most of us quickly learned that what we had our sights set on might not come to pass. Though we may have lost the ability to chase those dreams in the ways we imagined, all was not lost in 2020. Though the year took much from us, most notably the precious lives of loved ones we knew well and larger-than-life heroes we looked up to, one positive thing it gave us was a hard reset. So here we are. We've got a new year. We'll soon have a new president. And we've got a new opportunity to approach this year with the lessons we learned from the last and new hope for the next.
The Road Ahead
“Spaceships don't come equipped with rearview mirrors." - Andre 3000
I chose my first one word in 2018. I picked "peace", because 2017 had been a year of pain, suffering and confusion, and my spirit needed rest. In 2019 I chose "courage" because after giving myself a break in 2018, I needed courage in 2019 to face unresolved issues form the previous two years, determine what I wanted out of life and make some difficult, life-changing decisions. My 2020 word was "focus", because after taking 2019 to figure out who I was and what I wanted, I wanted to use 2020 to lean into purpose and be intentional about cutting out distractions, noise and anything that might keep me from rising in my reason for being here. As I settle into 2021, my word for this year is "DRIVE".
I've been feeling the urge for action with direction, and so I wanted a word that spoke to my desire to manifest movement and progress towards very specific goals. I like drive, because all of it's definitions speak to exactly what I want to focus on.
DRIVE
To operate or control the direction and speed...
To propel or carry along by force in a specified direction.
A trip or journey.
An innate, biologically determined urge to attain a goal or satisfy a need.
For me, "drive" is a natural and timely next step to the time I spent in focus last year. I know what I want. I know what I have to do achieve it. Now is the time to put the pedal to the medal, shut up, and drive. It's also the time to keep my eyes on the road ahead and don't look back. I'm excited about my 2021 journey. I'm 100 percent positive that it'll be a hell of a trip.
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