I just read over my 2017 Word of the Year blog post, and sometimes I amaze myself with my own words—prophetic, intuitive, well-versed, genuine. Last year was my 10th year picking a word to guide me and ALCHEMY served me very, very well. Where I couldn’t readily find magic and wonder in the world around me, I created it. There were days (weeks! months!) where I turned water into wine. I tasked myself, in a world gone mad, with being the embodiment of love, grace, and strength—and I delivered. These deliberate acts of transmutation allowed me to tap into a much deeper ability to know and trust myself. I grew. I served. I took control of the things that were within my power, and I lovingly let things outside of that sphere of influence go. I said no when no needed to be said. Those gentle, consistent nods to my boundaries and my spirit led me to an inner peace I have not yet felt in my adult life. I shed old skin, old hurts, old ways of being, and regenerated anew. I left 2017 feeling like a shinier, newer, more grounded, and more confident version of myself. 2017 was truly a year of personal transformation and inner magic. I didn’t hesitate to tear it all down and build it back up again when needed—personally, professionally, and socially.
Fast forward to this year, my 11th year of this practice. My 2018 word came to me during one of my quiet, reflective periods in the middle of December. What did I want to attract in the year ahead? What did I want to achieve? How did I want to live each day? Those questions reminded me that we are all gifted the power of choice. It is a privilege born to us all. SO WHAT DID I WANT TO CHOOSE FOR MYSELF IN THE YEAR AHEAD? I wanted to ENRICH the soil that I so lovingly tended last year. Last year I took a backhoe to the clay. I tilled it and I composted it and I made it all rich and robust. The extra love and attention to all that was important made my metaphorical garden soil incredibly fertile, and this is the year where I expect to see massive growth.
The word ENRICH came to me because I want it to be the North Star for my decision-making process in 2018. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines ENRICH as: to make rich or richer by the addition of some desirable quality, to add beauty to, to make something more fertile, restoring parts of things [e.g. nutrients] lost in processing, and increasing the proportions of a desired ingredient. In terms of what that looks like for me in the coming year, it boils down to this: I get to decide. I get to decide which tasks ENRICH the quality of my life (and say no to the things that don’t). I get to decide which changes need to be made in order to ENRICH the quality of my business. I get to decide what I need to do in order to add beauty to my life and to the lives of those around me. Do more of this, take some of this away. A pinch of this, a dash of that. ENRICH. ENRICH. ENRICH. It is rolling right off my tongue and it fits like a glove.
Part of knowing what you will say yes to means knowing what you will say no to. Increasing the proportions of a desired ingredient and decreasing the proportions of the undesired—it’s as simple and as complex as that. This word is perfect for the MIND*BODY*SPIRIT connection I am cultivating.
More books. Less TV.
More writing. Less typing.
More activity. Less inertia.
More networking. Less hiding.
More quiet. Less noise.
More support. Less sabotage.
More building. Less browsing.
More action. Less procrastination.
More faith. Less doubt.
More adventure. Less repetition.
More abundance. Less Scarcity.
More love. Less anything that does not resemble love.
This practice has been such a gift and I believe it to be one of the strongest proponents of my growth. These words give me constancy—they are daily reminders to live in a way that fills my soul. Instead of eliminating things (a la New Year’s resolutions), my words are a roadmap for inviting things. It’s a much more powerful and positive way to live life, don’t you think?
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