One Little Word 2011
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My 2011 necklace from the lovely Lisa Leonard. Get one for yourself here.
My word for 2011 is light.
This year my word sure seemed to choose me.
Most years I start thinking about my word for the following year in November or December. I think about it in passing and start listening, looking, and being open to the possibilities of a new word.
This year the word light seemed to be trying to catch my attention.
I found it in books, in magazines, in music, in conversations and in quiet moments.
So I'm going with it. It's already surprised, delighted, challenged and sparked some new things within me.
Some years I've had to look harder or listen longer or simply choose one that fit with what was on my mind and heart at that moment. 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.
I'd love to read what word you've chosen or are considering for 2011. 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 of days I'll post a compilation of the words as an inspirational reminder to us all.
If you’re new to the concept of One Little Word, you can read some of my previous posts here: 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010.
NEW FOR 2011 : ONE LITTLE WORD at BIG PICTURE CLASSES
I'm excited to be offering a brand new One Little Word online workshop through Big Picture Classes in 2011 as a way to connect with and honor our words throughout the year.
Each month you'll receive a prompt with a simple creative project and a gentle reminder to check back in with your word. By the end of the year you'll have compiled the contents of an 8.5x11 album that documents, defines, celebrates and generally makes your word more visible. Workshop materials include printable elements, full-color PDF handouts, and video presentations.
People have been asking me if you have to be a scrapbooker for this class. My answer is no. Even though we are making an album it's really more of a journaling/record keeping/thinking/exploring project. I'm excited to see how people interpret the prompts and make them meaningful for their own lives.
This is not complicated and it's not time-consuming. It's simply a way we can come together to share our experience with our words throughout the course of the year.
The One Little Word classroom opens on January 1, 2011.
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1654 comments
My word is Diligence. The choice comes from a discussion of the chant "Ubi Caritas" in choir rehearsal last year. Diligamus is a form of the verb diligare and signifies love of friends, esteem, respect, caring. To me diligence toward a task, goal or friendship denotes the care, respect and love that goes into everything important that we do.
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I like this word...I'm struggling to find mine this year and this resonates with me.
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Live is my word this year. Its part of my mantra of Live Laugh Love, but with losing my mom this year I feel the sense that I need to live more. That will include laughing and loving, but I am going LIVE, not let time and work take all the fun out of my life.
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Solace. That's my word for 2011. This year has been full of stress and distress, and I've found myself consumed by fretting and worrying. In the New Year, I need to find refuge from all of that, especially since the situation causing it isn't likely to improve much.
I've already signed up for One Little Word on Big Picture, and I'm looking forward to getting started.
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Home is my word. I had been tossing around several words and I kept coming back to home and it kept arising in various spots and standing out. So, we chose each other. I can't wait to start the class and keep the word more present in my life this year. I do also want to get charms for each of my words (soon).
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now this is a great idea!
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My word is "intentional". I went to be more intentional about every part of my life. From being more active and eating right, to really listening for God's will and purpose for my life. I have felt like I was just floating along in life for too long. Looking forward to your class.
Synonyms: conscious, deliberate, intended, knowing, purposeful, purposive, set, voluntary, willed, willful (or wilful), witting
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HOPE
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My word is "YES." I feel i have been saying no alot lately. No to getting together with friends because of time, no to trying new things, no just because i didn't want to do something. So this is the year of yes. Yes to having more life experiences and my word should stick with me because every time i have to make a choice, i will try to make yes my answer.
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WELLNESS
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My word this year is CREATE. As in, I create my life, rather than just letting it happen to me. I create my circumstances. And maybe, just maybe, this is the year my husband and I create a family together.
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I really hope that you do get to create a family this year too!
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Openness. To be open for new influences in my life, to be open for new experiences, to be open for new impressions, to get out of my comfort zone and to embrace the unknown, to be open for new ideas, to be open for new social contacts, to be open for a new way of living.
I hope that in to be more open to myself I will feel more comfortable around things that are unknown to me. I've lived a very secure life and have lived according to the 'rules' of that life, but now I would like to start living my own life, with my own decisions and my own choices. It feels very deliberating to be able to do so!
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Breathe - My word for 2011. I really need to let things go and thought if I can remind myself to breathe it will be okay. Have signed up for your class and made my title page. I even bought a pretty strawberry color cover (WRMK album) and when I opened it I was hoping it was going to smell like strawberries. :) it is absolutely beautiful.
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UNBURDEN, both physically ("stuff") and psychologically (I had a falling out this past year with someone who, as it turned out, was not really the friend I thought she was. And although it was a long time coming, I have had trouble leaving it all behind).
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my word for 2011 is life. I chose this word because we are expecting our first child early April and everything in our house is revolving around this breath of fresh air coming into our lives.
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Open
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Ali, your word light. was my word a few years ago. Check out my OLW canvas projects to see the way I created a way to focus and remind me of the light.
Thanks for leading us in this, looking forward to your class!
http://dianemarra.typepad.com/
http://www.adorehimcreations.com/
http://www.etsy.com/shop/adorehimcreations
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Hi Ali,
I am still thinking and mulling my word over....the fore runners are simplify and purge...they go hand in hand. We are looking to move closer to my husbands work. I would like to make this transition as smooth as I can for me and my family. To that end I need to simplify our home and my life...
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My little word for 2011 is......Balance....
Too much of a good thing can definitely be too much sometimes and I've experienced that first hand recently. So during 2011, I'm going to do my best to strive towards a place where I can truly balance work, school, family, and yes, even my hobbies. This is definitely a realistic goal since I've had a great opportunity to cut back my hours at work, spend more time with the little one, and go back go school. I'm also going to take balance a little further into my workouts and try to get on a regular schedule and add back in some pilates into my workouts. My expectation isn't perfection, just to try and find a good balance each day. I really believe that recognizing the balance in our lives is a good way to self-reflect, which for me, is just so important to being happy and really appreciating the little things in each day that are so special.
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My word for 2011 is "Refine" - “To free from impurities or unwanted material; to improve or perfect by pruning or polishing; to free from what is coarse, vulgar, or uncouth; to make improvement by introducing subtleties or distinctions.”
This applies to so many areas of my life...eating, exercising, school, work, relationships, simplifying....
I'm very excited about 2011 and where my OLW will guide me!
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My word is Balance--whether that be home and work, the budget, my diet, my time. Things seem to always be out of sync and not where I would like it.
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Pregnant with twins and already mother to a 2yo, I was looking for the right word. I looked at the list of words Ali posted last year and when I read NURTURE, it all just clicked!
I'm going to do a lot of nurturing this year:
- nurturing (=feed and love) these two babies during my pregnancy and then during their first months
- nurturing (=raising up/educate/spend time with) my 2yo
- nurturing (=protect/develop) my relationship with my husband: I need to make time for US in the next few months/years!
- nurturing my body now to stay healthy during my pregnancy then after the birth to get back in shape
- nurturing my soul/creative mind: trying to find a few minutes here and there to keep doing what I love
I'm really looking forward to Ali's class and to what this new year (and this new word) will bring!
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