One Little Word 2011
My 2011 necklace from the lovely Lisa Leonard. Get one for yourself here.
My word for 2011 is light.
This year my word sure seemed to choose me.
Most years I start thinking about my word for the following year in November or December. I think about it in passing and start listening, looking, and being open to the possibilities of a new word.
This year the word light seemed to be trying to catch my attention.
I found it in books, in magazines, in music, in conversations and in quiet moments.
So I'm going with it. It's already surprised, delighted, challenged and sparked some new things within me.
Some years I've had to look harder or listen longer or simply choose one that fit with what was on my mind and heart at that moment. There's no right or wrong. The main thing to remember is that this is your word. It's not for your child, parent, partner, spouse, sister, etc.
And what do you do with this one little word?
You live with it. You invite it into you life. You let it speak to you. You might even follow where it leads. There are so many possibilities.
I'd love to read what word you've chosen or are considering for 2011. In the comments feel free to simply leave your word as your comment or write a bit about why you are choosing this word.
In a couple of days I'll post a compilation of the words as an inspirational reminder to us all.
If you’re new to the concept of One Little Word, you can read some of my previous posts here: 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010.
NEW FOR 2011 : ONE LITTLE WORD at BIG PICTURE CLASSES
I'm excited to be offering a brand new One Little Word online workshop through Big Picture Classes in 2011 as a way to connect with and honor our words throughout the year.
Each month you'll receive a prompt with a simple creative project and a gentle reminder to check back in with your word. By the end of the year you'll have compiled the contents of an 8.5x11 album that documents, defines, celebrates and generally makes your word more visible. Workshop materials include printable elements, full-color PDF handouts, and video presentations.
People have been asking me if you have to be a scrapbooker for this class. My answer is no. Even though we are making an album it's really more of a journaling/record keeping/thinking/exploring project. I'm excited to see how people interpret the prompts and make them meaningful for their own lives.
This is not complicated and it's not time-consuming. It's simply a way we can come together to share our experience with our words throughout the course of the year.
The One Little Word classroom opens on January 1, 2011.
[...] night I spent some time thinking of my One Little Word for 2011 and came up with “BE!” Last year I spent waaaaayyyyy too much time really not [...]
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[...] in January, a lot of us chose a word, our “One Little Word”, to represent a quality that we want to strive for during 2011. I chose the word [...]
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[...] my life using the One Little Word concept shared by Ali Edwards…Truth be told, this past week I’ve been embracing love [...]
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[...] the beginning of the year to focus on, mediate and reflect upon in daily life. You can read more on Ali’s blog and it has since become a class at BPC as [...]
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[...] the person I am meant to be. - *Update – Interesting that “BE!” is my One Little Word for 2011– I will be doing a post on that really soon.- the walks I take with my [...]
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[...] way, which is also another way of saying “YES!” to living, which also has to do with my One Little Word of the year, BE!. (okay, stomach dropping, feeling a bit scared [...]
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[...] night I spent some time thinking of my One Little Word for 2011 and came up with “BE!” Last year I spent waaaaayyyyy too much time really not [...]
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I know that it is May already, but I just stumbled across your blog for the first time. Instead of making resolutions this year, I picked a word for myself, so you can imagine my delight when I found that there are so many others who do the same! My word for 2011 is FEARLESS. Too many times I miss out on great things because I am scared...to try something new, to let someone in, to speak up for myself. So this year I am focused on not letting fear be the motivating force in my life!
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So I have arrived very late at this party!! I will be signing up for the project this week.....I can't believe I am just noticing about this project....as I have picked a word for the year the last couple of years! Last years word was create, and man it evolved in so many ways throughout the year. Some I never expected! The word I have chosen for 2011 is BREATHE....And in these first 6 mths, it too has come to mean so much more than I originally thought when I picked it!
Thanks so much...I've got some catching up to do!!
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[...] my word for 2011 is grace. in 2009 i chose that as my word, unfortunately i didn’t follow through. this year i’ll be taking the class along with a handful of friends. i am excited! and i’m ready for a happy year. one full of laughter and friendships and loving myself for who i am. [...]
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[...] My {One Little Word} that I chose for 2011 was CONNECT, and I choose to intentionally connect with people, I have been immensely blessed! especially with some INCREDIBLE new friends! One of the things lead me to this word was John Maxwell’s Everyone Communicates, Few Connect. Intrigued? Watch this! [...]
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[...] one little word for 2011 was risk. I’ve really enjoyed having a one little word focal point for the year [...]
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[...] card alone makes me want to choose ‘Simplicity’ as my One Little Word for 2012. This is my favourite design for some time, for my friend’s milestone. I really do [...]
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one word...I have just tried to do this challenge on my blog! I couldnt come up with one word so I decided "OneFamilyTravelToDream" is our word for 2011!
Cheers
Lisa
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[...] last three years, a few of my close friends and I have followed along with Ali Edwards and pledged one little word. Instead of new year’s resolutions, we pledge a word to live by, to inspire us for the year. [...]
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[...] word do you declare for [...]
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[...] If you’re new to the concept of One Little Word, you can read some of my previous posts here: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011. [...]
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[...] year, blogger Ali Edwards wrote that she started thinking about her one word in November and December, “listening, [...]
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[...] concept is totally from Ali Edwards. I have found this works much better for me than [...]
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[...] getting feedback from everyone participating in 2010 she created this great word list. This year Ali’s word is “light“, which is very similar to what I decided to [...]
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[...] concept is totally from Ali Edwards. I have found this works much better for me than [...]
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Oh, I love the idea of the album! Any chance you will be doing this again in 2012? I am praying about my one word...:)
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[...] I’ve got this delightful little word jumble to get me through! I recently signed up for Ali Edwards’ One Little Word e-course and saw the “word cloud” she created for students using Wordle. She input all [...]
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Thank you Ali. I'm looking forward to your class this year. I'm learning my way around the site and originally posted this under another post, however, I think it belongs here.
My word... A friend told me about this class and the concept around selecting a word and growing with it throughout the year. That same friend had posted the below quote and after considering words like: Light, Health, Thankful, I kept running across her post... while reading for a third time the word LISTEN came to me as my word for 2012. Thank you, Jane.
“Stop the flow of your words, open the window of your heart and let the spirit speak.”
~Rumi
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[...] year, Ali Edwards does a wonderful project called One Little Word. You choose a word for the year, to signify your intentions, your goals, your thoughts + dreams, [...]
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