One Little Word 2016

Each year I choose a word to colour my year- to help me shine a perspective on the year ahead that will help me grow and change, help me become more me. Past words include...

2008: Focus

2009: Healthy

2010: Brilliant

2011: Better + Habit

2012: Simple

2013: Story

2014: Be (Present)

2015: Together + Nourish

 

 Some years are definitely better than others (I loved Story and Simple) and while I felt pushed to choose to Together for 2015 a huge part of me resisted in return because I really wanted to be alone a lot of the year. And to be honest I completely forgot that I had declared Nuture as a co-word... go me, in one ear and out the other.   

This year I did one of those silly facebook app things... you know "choose out of these random options and we'll tell you your personality" type questionnaire things. The one I did told you your word for 2016. The one I got was way to pie in the sky for me... totally absurd. Then I saw the word in other places- it kept popping up all over, and not just because it was Christmas either. I started to give it some consideration. What would it mean to view 2016 through the lens of this word? How would I incorporate it into my life? How would it benefit or improve me? How would it be for my family if this is my word? What do I want to get out of 2016? Could I really do it? Could I really use it? I collected some images and quotes and got more and more comfortable with the word. I reviewed some alternatives... nothing stuck, not like this word. Nothing jelled like this word. It's a big word I'm still not entirely comfortable with it. In fact in the sugar filled emotional haze that is post Christmas and end of year reflection I'm not even sure I can begin to do justice to this word... I'm downright fearful that it will be another year of word neglect and failure to change on all fronts.

But I can't ignore the signs and I've already done a lot of work to set up the word, I've even ordered the jewellery for goodness sake- so it only remains to dive in and do my best to honour my word and pull it (possibly kicking and screaming) into as many aspects of my life as I can. So without further ado I introduce my One Little Word for 2016......

 Artist: Yulia Brodskaya

"Joy is what happens when we allow ourselves to recognize how good things are. Joy is not necessarily what happens when things unfold according to our plans." -- Marianne Williamson

Here's the jewellery I chose to remind me every day....

It's a ring... I hope it's comfortable. I also hope I'll be able to 'squeeze' it a bit smaller too because I really hope that I'll be able to choose the foods that bring my body joy this year and finally lose a bit of weight.

I have taken to choosing a symbol in the past few years for my word as well, last year was a triangle, a heart for Be, and a camera for Story. This year it's a bird, specifically a Blue Fairy Wren- a WA local that Will and I have had the pleasure of spotting more than once in 2015... even in our own garden in the last few months of the year. I love them and they and their QLD cousins the Splendid Fairy Wrens bring me a lot of joy.

P.S I also brought this ring too, couldn't resist and well, I wouldn't want to change too much...

 ♥