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.
as simple and generic as it sounds to me, i am choosing brave as my word. i have been brave many times in my life. i have suffered through much and learned lessons and loved, laughed, & lived. the past few years i have realized that i am no longer brave. not the way i once was. i am afraid constantly. to hope for new, to take steps in different directions. to believe in myself the way i once did. so i am choosing brave because out of all the words sitting on my soul this is the one that will allow me the courage to be a better me. to endure another of my husbands long deployments, it will give me strength to keep being the best i can for my 3 children. it will push me to act on my creative dreams. it will help me to continue growing in my faith- being brave is often scary. i have stepped away from so much for so long because i just wasn't brave enough to move forward, to trust, to believe. but i wanna give it another go. and find all the ways that being brave can challenge me and change me and so much more. so many words connected with this one. but brave is my choice this time, i wonder where it will lead me.
Simply beautiful.
I hope you print out what you wrote here Sherry - it's very, very inspiring.
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My word for 2011 is CALM. So many things have been out of balance for me this year- from big things (my husband was almost killed in a work accident) to the little things (our morning getting ready for work and school routine has become stressful and chaotic). I need a good dose of calm!
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My word for 2011 is "movement". I have a 3 month old, and suddenly this word was everywhere for me-the need to move, the opportunities to move, and the choice to just begin moving in some way shape or form. I actually just did a blog on this-one of only 2 I've done since my baby was born. http://cozygreencocoon.wordpress.com/2010/11/23/been-thinking-about-movement/ Glad to know I'm not the only one out there that thinks themes are part of our lives.
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My word is "song"....it's symbolic for so many things in my life right now.
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My word is choose/choice. I can choose my attitude,my response to life happenings.
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My word for 2011 is PRACTICE.
for the last two years, my word has been LISTEN - to myself, my heart, my body, my family, my friends. And this has served me well. I now know a lot more about myself and my loves. BUT... I now need to act.
So PRACTICE - put my knowledge into practice, practice makes perfect, practice what I preach.
I wanted a word that made me accoutable, that was forgiving, that led to action not more contemplation.
I am ready. Happy New Year and thanks for the inspiration, Ali
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possibility... I want to find all the possibility that's out there as a mother, for my children, for my marriage, for my business, for my creative self, for me as a person & for life in general.
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This will be my first year for "One Word" and my mind immediately went to "Home".
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I think my word for the year 2011 will be embrace. A lot of changes are coming up: the end to my graduate school career, a new baby, possibly a new job for me and grad school for my husband, and most likely a move and therefore a new house.
Change scares me, but I see all of these new things as good things for our lives, and all things that are moving us in the direction we want our lives to go. So I want to embrace these changes, feeling at peace with my decisions rather than wondering the perpetual "what if?" that I have plagued myself with in the past.
I have also been pondering the word purge, but I don’t think this is the right word for this year. It is an action I will be taking as we prepare to move and get ready for the baby, but purging is an act of embracing change and the space I need to make for that change and not the focus of my year.
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Can't wait for the BPC class to start.I had a word a couple of years ago but never really followed it through. My word is BREATHE. As I thought about the words I might choose, this one kept popping into my head.
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This is my first journey with One Little Word. My oldest will be leaving for college this year. I am having a difficult time losing her, and I think this will help. Still trying to chose the right word. Change and Acceptance lead my list.
Thank you for the inspiration Ali.
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I'm signed up for the class and everything, but I'm having a really hard time picking a word this year! In October I thought I had found it - alchemy. But as the year wore on the word didn't resonate with me as much. It's very inspiring to read all these comments. Right now I'm mulling over "resonate," "organic," "roots," and "nest."
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My word for 2011 is health. My husband has chosen growth. Thank you Ali, I love doing this every year.
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[...] One Little Word for 2011- My word for 2010 was “enjoy” and it helped to remind me to slow down a bit. My word for 2011 is “reach”, and I love that so many people take part in this thanks to Ali Edwards. I’m also going to sign up for her class at Big Picture Classes to go along with this as a reminder to myself to think about it throughout the year. [...]
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Just ordered my necklace! My word is LESS.....as in less stuff, less weight, less sugar........
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This will be the first time I have done One Little Word. My word is going to be HAPPY. I am a 33yr old woman, mother to 4, wife who has never been truely happy. I have finely decided to be happy, with my family, my home, myself.
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I've been choosing a word each year for several years now and this is the first time it has been slow to come to me. So I don't have a word yet. I trust it will come, but it is so hard to be patient and not just pick something that sounds good!
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My word is reconnect...it has been comming to me in the last few weeks...I am thinking about reconnecting to things and people...re establishing links...with things I used to do like horse riding, walking and reading...and reconnecting with friends and family...but more about strengthening those relationships...
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After three years of finding a word easily, I had to think about it a bit to find a word that really sums up the different things I have in mind - but now,as I found it, I am very confident that it will guide me through 2011 in all areas of my life.
It is "well-being": a contented state of being healthy and happy.
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My word is PEACE
in my mind, my heart, and my soul
I was think for a long time about words like thankful and appreciate as I feel I am never just happy with what I have but then in the shower ( as is so often te case) it came to me... What I need is to find peace and with this everything else will follow..
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My word for this year is "peace" 2010 has been hard and I'm hoping to find some sort of peace in the coming year. Peace for my children, my home, and my everyday life.
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Hi Ali,
My word for this year is thankful. I need to always be thankful for special people in my life and everything that God gives me everyday. Excited for the new year to begin. See you in class.
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~ trust~
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I keep coming back to the word lighten - as in lighten my load, my home, my attitude etc. Think I'm going to go w/ it.
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I have never chosen a word before, and after thinking about it for some time, I have decided on the word "strengthen." I need to do this in several areas of my life.
I am also taking your class and am excited about it!
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