One Little Word® 2015
My One Little Word® for 2015 is give.
The process of choosing a word, or letting it choose me as is often the case, is always interesting. For me it often starts around October - words begin popping up here and there via reading or conversations or overhearing something on the radio. I tend to do a lot of listening and thinking and trying each one on for a minute or two or a couple days or longer.
I know there is no perfect word, there's only choices and paths and possibilities.
This year the word give showed up in October if I remember correctly. It came in more like a whisper - some years my words have been so loud as if they were making it so they couldn't be ignored.
Give began with the idea of giving to others and the question of what is it that I currently give. I'm pretty sure it was sparked by my trip to Washington DC to attend the ONE Campaign's AYA Girls And Women's Summit. There was a shift in my thoughts and a vivid reminder that it's not just about me and my own stuff - it was such a powerful opportunity to reflect on my place in the larger world and become educated on some of the issues facing girls and women in Africa.
Over the last few months since it first made itself known, my thoughts about the word give and what I want to focus on in 2015 has evolved which is something I always welcome as I choose a new word. Give, for me, is so much more than the process of "handing something over."
Give love. Give kindness. Give time. Give patience. Give to others. Give to myself.
On a certain level, the word give for me is rooted in connection and openness and awareness and willingness. What do the people around me need? How can I connect with them through the process of giving of myself? Over the last year I've lost some of myself in work and the transitions and I want more than anything to reconnect to the things/people/places I most value.
Another level/definition of the word give is the idea of bending and being flexible. It's a nod to living in the gray areas and working on lessening my constant grip on the black and whiteness of things. My ability to be black and white is at the same time very much a strength in some areas and a weakness in others. Discerning the difference between when to give and when to hold firm is something I'd like to explore this year.
The third level of give for me is in giving to myself. Giving time to myself. Giving patience to myself. Giving kindness to myself. Giving love to myself. I like the combination of the connection with others and the connection with myself. It's an opportunity to fine tune and get clear and make choices that align with what I care about most.
I'm also interested in exploring give up, give away, and give in - all three of which I see as positive steps/ideas vs. the negative way they could be taken.
I'm looking forward to experiencing a new journey with a new word in 2015.
PS | That awesome little whole heart pocket talisman is from my dear friend Liz Lameroux's shop Soul Mantras. Check out all her lovely offerings here.
PSS | Listen to Elise Cripe and I chat about One Little Word® on her latest podcast episode here.
SHARE YOUR WORD THE COMMENTS
I’d love to read what word you’ve chosen or are considering for 2015. In the comments feel free to simply leave your word as your comment or write a bit about why you are choosing this word. Next week I’ll combine all the words into a single post – it's become tradition and 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, 2013 and 2014.
JOIN ME
To help keep your One Little Word® more visible throughout the year I offer a year-long workshop featuring one creative prompt per month. Read all the details and sign up here. Registration is $5 off until December 31.
DECIDE
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My word for 2015 is CHERISH
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My word for 2015 will be LIGHT ... I will be striving for lightness of heart and mind, lighter in weight, lighter in posessions, more light in my day (I tend to hibernate in my dark apartment too much) and looking for light with my camera. Here's to 2015 everyone :) Best of luck with your word!
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My word is change. 2014 was full of unexpected change, which resulted in unexpected growth but left little room for intentional growth. 2015 will be full of intentional change and moving forward with my life!!
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My word for 2015 is joy. I was reading my Bible a few weeks ago and came across this verse: "I pray that God, the source of all hope, will infuse your lives with an abundance of joy and peace in the midst of your faith..."(Romans 15:13). Although I have much to be thankful for, I have a tendency to see the glass half empty. I want to see and celebrate the joys, both big and little, everyday. I want my life to be characterized by an abundance of joy, even in the face of challenging circumstances. I want to bring joy to my family, friends and co-workers. I want to make a conscious choice to engage in life-giving, joy-bringing activities, to use the time I've been given more wisely.
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My Word for 2015 is Deliberate. Best put in words by Thoreau..."I wished to live deliberately." I want to live deliberately, with conscious thought for how I'm living and what I'm putting out into the world. This word seems to fit in so many ways right now.
That's my word too! Would love to connect!
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My word for 2015 is EMBRACE. I turn 40 in March and I have decided to focus on embracing who I am and who I want to be. Embrace my story. Embrace my creative side. Embrace my inner chef. Embrace my geeky side. Embrace my struggles. Embrace those around me. I can't wait to get started.
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My word is FORWARD. After 4 years of being in transition I'm ready to move forward and see where the momentum takes me. This is my 6th year with OLW and I'll enjoy the journey.
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My OLW is notice. I debated between grow and notice for a long time, but in the end decided that if I am living with notice, I will also grow.
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Best. Best me. Best efforts. Best life. (Coming from a year where my word was 'courage' to move on from an abusive relationship and face life as a Single Mum). Best. Best. Best. Do the best I can do at all times. For my two littles.
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My OLW for 2015 will be "ME". I'm a stay-at-home/play-at-home mommy who daily puts the needs of the boys first (I have 2 sons 6 & 3 and the hubby :D). I have let my passions (scrapbooking, crafting, going out with friends, exercising) go while nurturing theirs and it is time that I take back ME!
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Nourish
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My 2015 word is "CHARISMA". I absolutely love everything the word stands for and it is me giving myself permission to be fully who I am. I plan to work on owning my charisma.
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My word is Choose. This year I want to be more aware of the things I choose each day - my attitude, my words, my focus, etc - I so that I choose things that are the best. Choose seems like it will be very empowering to me and enable me to be to be more mindful, to focus and to achieve my goals.
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My word is be.
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My word for 2015 is CHOOSE. I want to be more deliberate in what I choose to do with my time, my energy and my life. I want to make an effort this year to choose the things that support my goals and desires long term.
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Healthy
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My word is WORK...Body of Work, Work from the Heart, Make it Work...
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My word is "unfold"
Beautiful!
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My word is CREATE. I went the last two years without OLW and the time is right for this word to be in my life. At SO many levels.
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my word(s) for 2015 is FREE UP as in free up myself - release all the restrictions I've placed on myself over the years and live; free up space in my house to have the things we really want and to do the crafts we really want. I chose the word as an extension of my 2014 word - simplify. In putting "simplify" into practice in 2014 I realized I had to do more. I had put a lot of rules on myself over the years on how to be, live, act. I had to relax, let go, free up myself. Plus it reminds me of home - Trinidad the island I was born on - where free up means let go, especially at carnival time where you're encouraged to dance with reckless abandon - be totally in the moment. Once the word chose me and I accepted it, it's been popping up all over.
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2015 is going to be CREATE. I think it is a word that can incorporate many of my past words, and I want to CREATE a lot of change in 2015 that will help me and my family grow in many areas.
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Crystallize
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My word is Focus - so I was excited to see that as the first word listed by MKWYOMING. I want to focus on getting things done, trying new things, making time for the right things, and more. The idea is born out of a TED talk where the speaker talked about focusing on something for 30 days. So all I know right now is that for each month I want to pick one thing and focus on it for 30 days. But I also hope that I can focus on and complete the OLW challenge this year, instead of losing focus part way through as in the last two years.
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My word for 2015 is sacred.
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