2019 Word Of The Year

With 2019 rapidly approaching I’ve been doing a lot of Reflection and Introspection. It has been a while that I knew something wasn’t right and it was time for me to enact a change. At this point I hadn’t even thought about what my 2019 word of the year would be. I just wanted to change what I was doing. Something wasn’t working. But before I could change anything I had to first figure out what was wrong.

You know the saying “trying to fit a square peg into a round hole?” That was me to a T. I was trying to do all the things but achieving none of them. I was working hours every day but had nothing to show for it.

I really wanted 2019 to be a better year so I made an immediate commitment to work on changing and fixing what wasn’t working, right away. Not to wait for the New Year, but rather when the New Year rolls around I would be all ready and refreshed to kill it!

So, I took a long hard look at my schedule. First, I saw that while trying to work when my kids were walking in from school was unfair to them and me. They wanted my attention and kept interrupting me. I was “working” but due to distractions, not able to do much. Plus, never focusing on making a decent dinner was so unfair to all of us. The first change I made was not working from when they came home until dinner was on the fire. It gave me time to focus on them and then they’d give me some time to work until dinner. Immediately I saw results. They were happier. I was happier. Everyone was happier all round.

The next thing I took a look at was my nights. After bedtime I’d go back and attempt work, but it wasn’t working. I wilt at night. Like literally WILT, try talking to me and all I’ll give you is a blank stare. I was working to the early hours of the morning and again I didn’t have much to show for it. Then it dawned on me. I am NOT a night person. I am a TOTAL morning person. I’ve always known this, but when my kids came along, what worked best for me got sidelined because, well kids, and I all but forgot what my natural inclination is. I used to get up and do my homework in the am, used to prep my lessons back when I was a teacher – I mean even these days the amount of times I whip up fresh muffins in the early morning just shows how much of a morning person I am.

I decided to shift my schedule. Get to bed by 10:30/11 and get up at 6am (vs 12:30/1 and up at 7:30). It’s a process to shift myself but it’s slowly working and I get SO much done waking up early. Like more the double then if I stayed up at night.

I was on a roll, making changes that worked for ME verses what everyone else deemed norm was so empowering. The next thing I took a look at was stuff: programs, training’s, groups, tools, purchases. Was I in them, buying them, following them because that’s what everyone was doing and it worked for them? Or were they really what I needed? VERY quickly I saw how much I was spending out of FOMO and they were not for me.

I began working through my list and quickly removed what wasn’t for me and again, SO redeeming.

As I was working through this process, which in a sense is fulfillment of my 2018 word I started to think about my 2019 word, by this point I knew what I wanted to portray in my word and now I needed to figure out what it would be. I wanted my word to show that in 2019 I was going to work on doing what works best. Being attentive to the process and aware of how we are each different and need different things.

So, now, to choose my word. I chatted with some friends and discussed what I wanted my word to portray. We threw some ideas around and discussed whether they con-notate what I wanted. Discipline – seemed a little on the negative side, I wanted my word to be a positive word. Emerge – kinda worked but not so much. Adapt – Very specific, almost too specific. Flexibility – also didn’t seem right. Grace – giving myself grace.

And then we had it, by chance one friend said “You are being intentional in what you are doing” and THAT was it. Intention. Intention is my word.

Living with Intention. Being Intentional in all I do. Intending to do what is best FOR ME! Intention in doing what works for me. Intention in day to day life. Live with Intention. How ironic that in December Origami Owl has a necklace that says just this?

I am so excited to enter 2019 with my new word: INTENTION

Have any ideas of a Word of the year for yourself? Drop me a comment below!