One Little Word® 2014
Make your word visible: Order your own word from recycled matericals created by artist Colleen Attara here.
My One Little Word for 2014 is thrive.
This year, more than any other I can remember, I'm starting off the year with questions. What does it mean for me to thrive? What does it look like? What does it fee like? Are there areas in which I'm already thriving? What's realistic vs. visions of what I have in my head of what it means to thrive?
Open was an awesome word for me last year. It was a touchstone as I navigated my way through growing pains and man oh man did it work in a million different ways I could not have imagined when I started 2013. More often than not when faced with a decision, I chose to open more rather than closing off which was my number one intention last year. That said, I feel like I've been spinning in circles a lot this past year. I've been reacting vs. being proactive and have been dealing with a variety of issues related to stress and growth (totally all part of my own life journey).
To me thriving is optimal living. It's being present and awake and stepping up to be my best self physically, emotionally, spiritually, creatively and within my relationships.
It's not a quest for perfection. It's an opportunity to continue choosing to let go of things outside of my control and to figure out who that best-me-right-now really is.
It will be a whole new journey and I'm here to tell you I welcome it wholeheartedly.
Bring on 2014.
This year I invited my friend Elise Blaha Cripe to film a little video about her experience with One Little Word. One of the reasons I admire Elise is that she is awesome at follow-through and documentation. I've loved reading about her experience with her words over the last few years on her blog and she inspires me consistently with her projects and her real-life reflections.
Here's Elise in her own words:
Thank you Elise for sharing about your own journey here.
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.
SHARE YOUR WORD THE COMMENTS | I’d love to read what word you’ve chosen or are considering for 2014. 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.
If you’re new to the concept of One Little Word, you can read some of my previous posts here: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013.
ONE LITTLE WORD® 2014 | To help keep your One Little Word® more visible throughout the year I offer a year-long workshop featuring one prompt per month. Read all the details and sign up here. Registration is $5 off until December 31.
My word is APPRECIATE.
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[…] to live each day with intention using one small, powerful, daily reminder. It is called “One Little Word.” A blogger I respect and admire, Ali Edwards, started “One Little Word” in the […]
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CALM is my word. (It was going to be organize, but CALM is calling to me in every way, so CALM it is.)
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I love your word - it was the first word I chose 6 years ago when I first did this challenge! Wishing you success this year in achieving your goals and dreams! This year I chose "focus" for my word. There are so very many distractions in life lately and I struggle daily to stay on a chosen path to accomplish a goal. I want to focus on what is really important and eliminate as much of the "white noise" as possible. I want 2014 to have meaning for me and be one I remember as a good year.
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This is my first experience with OLW and I'm really looking forward to the experience. My word for the year is "appreciate". I think I've spent too much time allowing things to happen around me that I've missed out on the opportunities to create memories. My mom has Alzheimer's and is slipping pretty quickly. I'm so afraid of that happening to me that I want to take time to appreciate everything before it's gone.
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I have chosen PRESENT as my OLW. I wanted a word that embodied patience, and forgiveness and living in the moment like my word last year, Savor. This word I think is perfect for that.
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My word for 2014 is SURRENDER. This is the 4th year with Trust, Grow, and Enjoy being my previous words. This year's word drew me in quickly letting me know that I need to work on me less and my relationship with God more, which in turn will be rewarding to me. Full circle.
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My word found me this year, and I am pretty excited about what it might mean and bring for me. It is FOCUS.
Cresta, that was my word for 2013. great word! it totally changed how we did life this year. i can't wait to hear how it works for you!
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For 2014, I have chosen a word that builds on 2013, a reminder to get out of bed early in the morning and capture a beautiful sunrise before it is gone, to open my mind at work and in the classroom and to push through the bad knowing I will emerge better for the wear. Not easy, but necessary.
My one little word for 2014? Shine
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This is my second attempt at OLW. I tried two years ago & my word was "Reconstruct". I got a little behind and then my whole world dumped upside down...and two years later reconstruct is still the word. However, as I thought about whether to join this year, the word HEAL came to me and has kind been sticking.
So here I am with "heal..or Healing"
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My one little word is DIRECTION. I've written what is becoming almost an essay on the different connotations for my album, but most importantly I'm choosing not to plan every moment of my life, but deciding on the direction I want to move in.
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I remembered about OLW when I was reading Elise's blog the other day. I've never had a word before, but, started to think about what word I would choose if I were to choose a word. Then, it came to me...
REDUCE. There are so many things that I need to reduce. We are struggling with huge debt - and we're working at reducing it. I'm suffering from high blood pressure, and arthritis in my spine, and losing weight will help me greatly - again - reduce. SO much stress - reduce the stress. There are so many things I need to work at reducing...but, for now, that's a starting point.
I hope, that by having a word to focus on, it will help me to actually achieve some goals I've never actually reached in the past.
Thank you, Ali! Happy New Year, to all!
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[…] chose the word reach as my one little word for the year. You can learn more about choosing a word here, but the gist is you choose a word to sort of guide you through the year. I think reach served me […]
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This year, I chose the word PRACTICE. I've chosen words for probably the last 3 or 4 years and I honestly cannot remember most of the words that I'd selected. This year I thought about it much longer and I'm hoping that it sticks throughout the year.
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My word is choose. Next year might be rough for me, but I will choose my attitude.
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Leap.
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This is my first OLW. I chose CLEANSE. My girlfriend invited me to do a food cleanse in January and I started thinking about all the other aspects of my life that needed cleansing -- physical and mental. Looking forward to this journey.
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I am joining in with your class for the first time this year and have chosen CHANGE as my word. I have blogged about it here. I am really really looking forward to all that this class and twenty fourteen have to bring into my life.
http://thejanellewindcollection.typepad.com/the_janelle_wind_collecti/2014/01/one-little-word.html
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I'm thinking about this for the whole month and I'm pretty sure I'm going to have a two little word. It's kind of cheating , but I feel that I have two parts in my life, the work life and the private life. I give my private/ personal life th word BREATHE. I'm inspired by Ali to find a word that has mutiple meaning . To breathe can mean I need to take in and appreciate things around me, or simply be thankful that I'm still breathing. Treasure my life, to slow down, calm down, relax, embracing the surrounding . Breathing out can mean letting go too. Letting go of expectations, letting go of anger, fear etc.. I feel that if I invite this word into my life, I will be a more wholesome person :)
On the other hand, as a student going to be a teacher, I find myself needing some strength to overcome this transition . I give myself the word INFLUENCE. For being a student for 23 years , I'm finally stepping into the society, working with kids of the future generation. I have always been the one receiving. And being influenced. Now it's time for me to learn to be influential. I need some strength to push thru this hurdle . Influence means to be a role model , to guide and being able to take care of my students. I have not gone into much research of this word, but I'm pretty sure it will help me :)
Thanks Ali for this wonderful class !
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So I posted a word earlier and I kept repeating it all day. Thinking. Repeating. The word would not stick to me. My husband said another word today that jumped out at me and stuck to me. The more I said it the more it stuck and I realize that THAT is the WORD. My word for 2014 is "Enjoy" Enjoy the process.
Enjoy raising a 2 and 4 year old.
Enjoy raising a child with autism.
Enjoy being in a loving and committed relationship
Enjoy learning. Going back to school has not been easy at my age.
Enjoy my imperfections.
Just ENJOY the process.
Thanks Ali.
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Intentional. I'm so looking forward to living a more intentional life in 2014
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2013 was focus. I focused on what mattered, specifically in going organic, choosing family over non important stuff, exerising and faith. This year it's "growth". i want to continue to focus on these areas and grow in all i do.
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CONTENT
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[…] Ali Edwards has developed a program that involves choosing a word that you would like to focus on for the year. Something that means something to you , or will direct you in the way you live your life. […]
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Vision.
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