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
I've been doing this since 2007: my words have been open, flow, accomplish and horizon. For 2011, my word is HEALTH.
Rinda
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My word for this year is THRIVE. I kept pushing it out of my head trying to let another word find me and this one kept coming back.There are so many areas to thrive in this coming year. Thrive in school adn finish my masters which has been my dream that I put off to have children. Thrive in my marriage, thrive in my job I love. Iam excited to see where this word will take me this year!
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After a year long battle with breast cancer, I have decided my word for 2011 is peace. 2010 was filled with fear, chaos, stress and change. Next year I want to find peace inside and out.
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I have two words for this year: Patience and Present. I really need to bring the art of patience back into my life with my kids! And I feel like so much is focused on schedules and activities that we are constantly rushing from one thing to the other. Rarely am I present to absorb what is happening NOW. It always seems to be about what I have to do next.
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I love this OLW thing!! My word this year is 'BLOOM'. For me it means get healthy, eat less, move more, grow and blossom, and being content in my own skin!!
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Very well said. I have similar intentions.
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My word for 2011, "change". This word chose me sometime late in September. 2011 will be a year of change for me, moving, changing jobs, perhaps changing careers, relocating away from where my grown children are, no longer living alone but sharing my life - so much change to embrace and grow with.
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Perhaps "encourage"....
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Last year my word was surrender; it chose me!
My word for 2011 is RADICAL:
radical faith, radical witness, radical truth (seek it and speak it), radical discipline, radical change, radical courage, radical love, (so that I can make) radical impact
I have already had many confirmations that this is THE right word for me at THE right time! ...And my husband has kind of adopted it as his word as well.
Thank you for your inspiration...Am very, very excited about the class, too!
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I love how bold that word is - awesome choice.
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I think my word is going to be believe as well. I believe things will get better in 2011, that work will "work itself out", believe that I can do things I never thought possible. I would love to take the class, but I just can't right now. I love this concept - thank you, Ali!
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Every year that I have chosen a word it has been such a fantastic thinking process and a positive outlook to my life. the first year was breathe, then home, then believe, then faith and this year I am choosing PEACE. Inner peace, outer peace, peace to all the pieces of my life. :) Peace Out!
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I remember my Dad was about the age I am now when he coined his "one" little word-attitude adjustment. I like how "perspective" captures that phrase. PERSPECTIVE
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My word is "Letting Go"
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I've been thinking about embrace
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My word is "organize".
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"focus" because i need it and my family needs it. i wrote it in a line of a comment somewhere (maybe here) and it all of a sudden became my focus. i just don't know what to do with this word to make something happen. which is why i will be signing up for your class at bpc. soon. as soon as i can focus on it....
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Health. Last year my word was balance, and I learned that to find real, lasting balance, and to deal with inevitable imbalance, I needed to be a healthier person. So my goal in 2011 is to become healthier physically, spiritually and emotionally.
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Let go. Okay so 2 words! Last year my word was change and it helped me accept the changes I knew were coming into my life. This year my words are "let go"...a follow up to change. The hard part is over...the changes happened and now I need to let go...let go of expectations, let go of familiarity, let go of perfection, let go of waiting until just the right moment, let go of disappointments, let go of grudges that the other person doesn't even know I harbor and it weighs ME down, let go of trying to be somebody I am not, let go of all the burdens and negative thoughts I have been carrying around for ever, let go of what could have been or what should have been...the list goes on and on...my two little words may take me two years to complete but I am going to let go of that thought and embrace the ability to let go.
Love this time of year Ali...THANK YOU!!!
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I am considering release as my word, and I resonate a lot with what you wrote here. Release has the same idea as letting go, but it also feels like breathing too, which I like. Good luck with letting go!
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My one little word for 2011 is less. I want less clutter, less stress, less obsessing over trivial things, less obligations. My goal is to focus on clearing out the clutter, both physical and mental, so that I can have more joy, more space, more carefree moments.
Looking forward to your OLW class and embarking on this journey in the new year. Happy new year to you and your family Ali!
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My word: balance. I'm really excited about your class with BPS as well!
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My word for 2011 will be "listen." I have found that I need to listen in so many ways: to my body and what it needs; to my friends and family, as I have a bad tendency to interrupt; to my 10-year-old daughter who talks ALOT; to my husband who really doesn't ask for things with words.
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