One Little Word® 2014
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Make your word visible: Order your own word from recycled matericals created by artist Colleen Attara here.
My One Little Word for 2014 is thrive.
This year, more than any other I can remember, I'm starting off the year with questions. What does it mean for me to thrive? What does it look like? What does it fee like? Are there areas in which I'm already thriving? What's realistic vs. visions of what I have in my head of what it means to thrive?
Open was an awesome word for me last year. It was a touchstone as I navigated my way through growing pains and man oh man did it work in a million different ways I could not have imagined when I started 2013. More often than not when faced with a decision, I chose to open more rather than closing off which was my number one intention last year. That said, I feel like I've been spinning in circles a lot this past year. I've been reacting vs. being proactive and have been dealing with a variety of issues related to stress and growth (totally all part of my own life journey).
To me thriving is optimal living. It's being present and awake and stepping up to be my best self physically, emotionally, spiritually, creatively and within my relationships.
It's not a quest for perfection. It's an opportunity to continue choosing to let go of things outside of my control and to figure out who that best-me-right-now really is.
It will be a whole new journey and I'm here to tell you I welcome it wholeheartedly.
Bring on 2014.
This year I invited my friend Elise Blaha Cripe to film a little video about her experience with One Little Word. One of the reasons I admire Elise is that she is awesome at follow-through and documentation. I've loved reading about her experience with her words over the last few years on her blog and she inspires me consistently with her projects and her real-life reflections.
Here's Elise in her own words:
Thank you Elise for sharing about your own journey here.
Are you considering selecting a word for yourself (or letting one find you)? 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.
SHARE YOUR WORD THE COMMENTS | I’d love to read what word you’ve chosen or are considering for 2014. 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 days I’ll combine all the words into a single post – super inspiring to see all the words in one place.
If you’re new to the concept of One Little Word, you can read some of my previous posts here: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013.
ONE LITTLE WORD® 2014 |To help keep your One Little Word® more visible throughout the year I offer a year-long workshop featuring one prompt per month. Read all the details and sign up here. Registration is $5 off until December 31.
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938 comments
I just came across this about 30 minutes ago and immediately fell in love with the concept, paid for the course, and here I am!
My word is: Progress.
I like the possibilities this word holds, and I get overwhelmed with life sometimes. I think it will be a great reminder that even the smallest steps are a sign of progress.
Planning a wedding, two small kids, new job, new house, new business, all around craziness! I have a feeling I'll be making a lot of lists this year!
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My word For 2014 is NOURISH. This is my 5th year doing OLW and I love how my words have stuck with me. I love that "Nourish" has so many facets to it. For self spiritually physically mentally and for relationships excited for our OLW journey together :)
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I think mine is going to be Relax. With a stressful job and a busy home life, I need to learn how to relax and hopefully keep my headaches at bay :)
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Compass
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My word is patience. This is our first year of homeschooling, so I need lots of patience. :)
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CALM - I have done a lot of reflection lately, with Brene's course and in general. I think I have struggled with anxiety for a long time and never recognized it. Thinking back to being a little girl, I can see where anxiety hindered me. Now that I know what it feels like, I want to stay 'calm' in the face of anxiety in 2014. It will probably be a year of transition and moving, or staying and accepting, either way, I need to be calm...
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LIVE.
So many ways to live and so many things to live for.
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This will be my 7th year of picking One Little Word. My word for 2014 is CONNECT. I'm looking forward to seeing the ways in which this word fits into my life and enriches it, as the other words have done and continue to do. They were; learn, create, enjoy, draw, play, and balance. Now here I come to CONNECT.
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Discover
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For the first time since I heard about One Little Word on my friend's blog (Le rose et le noir), I've chosen a word : HOPE.
I feel like I've taken too many blows this past year, because of a series of deaths in my family and then my husband losing his job. I feel hopeless and that's very disturbing. I want to shake myself out of this dark state and invite hope back into my life, as you so nicely put it. I don't want to lose hope, I need it and I'm gonna work on finding it again.
So thank you Ali for inspiring me!
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WORK
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Light.
As in, ditching heavy burdens. To let my heart be light. To look for the light in my photos and my work. To feel light on my feet and be active and lively. To open the curtains and let the light in. To let my light shine.
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Very well said. I love it!
love this idea
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As soon as I saw yours it resonated with me. THRIVE is perfect. I want to lose weight, but not by punishing myself with harsh diets and strict exercise regimes. I want to heal some physical injuries. I want to do well at Uni. I want to nurture my family and be nurtured by them. Awesome. Turning my face to the sun.
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Mine is STRENGTH. I want to be stronger physically, but I also want my inner strength to be stronger and more visible. I think this word will serve me well in 2014.
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My word is Decide.
This quote from Grey's Anatomy inspired me:
"We're all going to die. We don't get much say over how or when, but we do get to decide how we're gonna live. So, do it. Decide. Is this the life you want to live? Is this the person you want to love? Is this the best you can be? Can you be stronger? Kinder? More Compassionate? Decide. Breathe in. Breathe out and decide."
I feel like I have been in a holding pattern for the past several years. I need to decide what it is that I want and move forward.
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Enough.
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MOMENT found me, mainly because I want to be more aware of trying to live in the moment, but also capture the moment, seize the moment, spur of the moment, etc. Trying to let go of yesterday and not stress about tomorrow.
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And forgot to add that Elise's video was great. I love that these words stick with you and continue to work alongside your new word:)
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My word for 2014 is Create and I'm so excited! At first I though it was just an encouragement towards the artistic - Create a poem, a painting, a song, a story, but now I think it extends to much more - Create moments, moods, possibilities, opportunities! 2014 is looking pretty amazing right now!
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This is my first year of doing this and the more I think about it and after all the suggestions I've read it feels like create is the top runner for me also. For me I want to be more creative but also need to create the life I want. Create moods that affect those around me positively, create the body acceptance I want and create an environment I want to live in.
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Connections
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Bold
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