One Little Word 2012


Poster print via Poster Inspired.

My word for 2012 is up.

It came to me one day last month while I was working in the kitchen and the kids were watching the movie Up. My initial connection to the word stems from the part towards the end where the old man is looking at the scrapbook his wife made and a note she wrote to him at the end which says something along the lines of "Thanks for the adventure. Now go have a new one." (Found the clip here.)

That's the attitude I'd like to be working towards and embracing in 2012 - giving thanks for the things that were great about my marriage and then moving forward and welcoming whatever is coming next.

Up | ready, eager, open, awake, into a happy mood

There were so many words I could have chosen for what I want for myself in 2012. This one simply feels like a good starting place. I will also be carrying three of my past words close to my heart again in 2012: light, story, and peace.

Are you considering selecting a word for yourself (or letting one find you)? 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 2012. 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 days I'll combine all the words into a single post - super inspiring to see all the words in one place.

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, 2010 and 2011.

Above is an image of all my prompts from my album that I made for my One Little Word class at Big Picture in 2011.

Registration is open for 2012 and you're invited to join the journey.

Each month you'll receive a prompt with a simple creative, writing, or photography 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, 2012.


TODAY'S POST SPONSORED BY | Simplify 101 Online Workshops

Regardless what word you select, choosing a word means you want to make your life even better than it is today. The very essence of One Little Word is improving your life, which is why this online workshop is perfect for you. It gives you the foundation, ideas and inspiration you need to dream about a life you love, plus concrete action steps to help you make it happen! Use code: ONELITTLEWORD through January 6, 2012 to take 15% off any simplify 101 workshop (may not be combined with other offers). ABOUT SIMPLIFY 101 | Founded by Aby Garvey, the co-author of The Organized and Inspired Scrapbooker, simplify 101’s mission is to make getting organized fun!

Related Posts

Sign in or sign up to comment.

986 thoughts

  1. Rebecca says…
    01/16/2012

    For me, it has to be 'authentic'. I've struggled for many years with my perception of myself, mainly because I've been trying to see myself through other people's eyes. So this year, the focus is on finding the authentic version of myself I lost somewhere along the way. It's also about finding my authentic writing voice and teaching my young daughter about the importance of authenticity.

    Reply 0 Replies
  2. random thoughts + some links elsewhere says…
    01/17/2012

    [...] am probably not going to pick One Little Word to focus on for 2012. I have tried this three years in a row, and it just hasn’t worked for [...]

    Reply 0 Replies
  3. Tiffany Davis says…
    01/18/2012

    My word is 'CONQUER': to overcome by mental or moral power

    I want to:

    conquer my weight and health issues.
    conquer my sometimes lazy attitude.
    conquer my fear of new things and situations.
    conquer my feelings of complacincy.

    Reply 0 Replies
  4. Kate says…
    01/18/2012

    I hope its not too late to have a word for this year. My word this year is genuine.

    To make genuine choices based in what I really need or want.
    To say only those things I genuinely mean.
    To create genuine art all my own.
    To present a genuine version of myself to the world, and to genuinely like that version.
    To embrace only those things and people who are genuine with me as well.

    So that is my word.

    Genuine

    Reply 0 Replies
  5. Michele D says…
    01/19/2012

    I haven't done this 'one little word' before, but I think I just might. My word came very easily. It is declutter. It means more to me than just the physical sense. I moved in with my boyfriend and not only does he have a house full of stuff after years of accumulation and previous marriage, now there's a two-car garage full of my stuff too. Winter in Maine and we have to park our cars outside. My father used to tell me to clean my room and it will help to organize my thoughts. We need to clear the clutter in order to focus on what is most important. It can be overwhelming when we have too much stuff and too many choices and never pare it down and say no to the extra and -not as important right now-. So that is where I am. Declutter in order to focus on the most important right now. :)

    Reply 0 Replies
  6. Sulthana says…
    01/20/2012

    Bit late in the game as I just discovered Ali's blog through a tweet. I'm having trouble deciding on my little word. It's around Love and Time, but love sounds cliched and Time sounds cold but the idea is to love the things I do, love my family more, love my writing more so that I can give all those things more time - to my family, to my writing / creativity, and turn up to work on time too! Any suggestions?

    Reply 0 Replies
  7. Angela says…
    01/21/2012

    My word for 2012 is Courage. Seems like as I get older I have let myself shut down and closed off in trying things that may be hard, difficult, different or something I feel is risky or scary to me. I know this is not the way the Lord wants me to live! I'm not super closed off and I DO like to try new things but even just jumping on a bike again and freaking out that I couldn't touch the ground. Why not just start peddling and balancing - it all comes back, right? Granted, it was too tall for me but I just gave it up - telling myself I had to buy a cute girl bike. No limits - Trust in Him - Step out of the boat...

    Reply 0 Replies
  8. brave. « says…
    01/23/2012

    [...] year i chose a one little word.  this year my word is brave.  i chose this based mostly on a gut feeling after looking at one of [...]

    Reply 0 Replies
  9. Conquer – One Little Word Mini | Outstanding Mini Albums says…
    01/24/2012

    [...] So I googled it (as usual) and I was inspired to say the least. If you haven’t already, please stop by Ali Edwards’s blog and check it out! Once I read her post, I was so inspired that I couldn’t stop myself from planning a mini [...]

    Reply 0 Replies
  10. My One Little Word for 2012 | Krug the Thinker says…
    01/24/2012

    [...] to focus for a new year. The wonderful Ali Edwards, who came up with the concept, discusses it here, and I’ve been excited to see some of my favorite bloggers announce their words in the past [...]

    Reply 0 Replies
  11. 2012 Word of the Year: Persevere « atlasweddings says…
    01/24/2012

    [...] by Ali Edwards, I have chosen my word of 2012: [...]

    Reply 0 Replies
  12. One Little Word 2012 « cameron whitman photography says…
    01/25/2012

    [...] years ago, scrapbooker/designer/blogger Ali Edwards started a bit of a revolution with her One Little Word project. The intent is to select a word – that’s right, just one – that will be [...]

    Reply 0 Replies
  13. come darkness, come light | scatterbeams says…
    01/26/2012

    [...] completely recommend contemplating these questions even if you are not seeking one little word. This was a great end/beginning of year [...]

    Reply 0 Replies
  14. February 365 + 1 Idea List - CaptureYour365 | CaptureYour365 says…
    01/30/2012

    [...] are ONE LITTLE WORD prompts. They happen each [...]

    Reply 0 Replies
  15. Live. Teach. Create. | OLW2012- January Update says…
    01/31/2012

    [...] choose a word (or phrase) that you will strive for this year.  More information can be found on Ali Edward’s blog. Tweet This! Filed Under: News Tagged With: Ali Edwards, olw, one little [...]

    Reply 0 Replies
  16. Without Denouement » A Single Word says…
    02/03/2012

    [...] Schmutzie’s And 2012′s Guiding Word Is… and then reading Ali Edward’s One Little Word 2012 before I made my final [...]

    Reply 0 Replies
  17. JOY // One Word » everyday wisdom says…
    02/06/2012

    [...] to the “one word” phenom? Check out Ali’s blog for the [...]

    Reply 0 Replies
  18. Hippy Jersey Devil says…
    02/08/2012

    My word for 2012 is Authentic. I've written about why I chose my word on my blog.

    Thank you so much for this project. I can't tell you how much it means to me.

    Reply 0 Replies
  19. Joyce says…
    02/09/2012

    I changed "commit" to "enjoy". I think I have been too committed all my life. I will still commit but want to enjoy everything I do. I'm looking forward to this year with joy.

    Reply 0 Replies
  20. Josh says…
    02/13/2012

    I'm a couple months late to the party, but I stumbled upon this blog and love the concept. My word for 2012 is "goals". There's so much I want to accomplish this year, and there's so much my wife and I want to accomplish together - adopting a child, losing weight, making our home-based business successful, and so much more.

    Thanks again!

    Reply 0 Replies
  21. My Word for 2012 | Analog Girl In A Digital World says…
    03/02/2012

    [...] few years ago, my favorite scrapbooker Ali Edwards launched a new initiative called One Little Word http://aliedwards.com/2011/12/one-little-word-2012.html. At the beginning of the year you choose a word that will serve as your theme or goal for the [...]

    Reply 0 Replies
  22. One Little Word: 2012 | shurkus.com says…
    03/27/2012

    [...] have participated in the One Little Word journey for the past few years.. last year was possibilities, the year before that was [...]

    Reply 0 Replies
  23. Little Pieces » Hello Twenty Twelve says…
    08/15/2012

    [...] to do the usual – lose weight, save more, drink less wine, I am instead concentrating on one little word.  It’s a word that popped up whilst I was working through this workbook by Susannah Conway, [...]

    Reply 0 Replies
  24. This Grateful Season – Trust « Allowing Myself says…
    11/01/2012

    [...] This year I picked “trust” as my One Little Word. [...]

    Reply 0 Replies
  25. Shabari Karumbaya says…
    11/04/2012

    This is my first time chosing a word of the year. I tried to do this when my son was a year old but as a single working mother the only word I could have chosen then was "survive". This year I am picking SEEK...as in seek out new experieces, new opportunities and new friendhips and relationships!

    Reply 0 Replies

Sign in or sign up to comment.