One Little Word® 2016 | Whole
For 2016 I'm going with "whole" as my One Little Word®.
Since 2007 I've been choosing (or letting a word choose me) a word to focus on over the course of a year. I love the process of walking with a word for 12-months and seeing how it works in my life. Some years it's been super visible and other years it's been a slow burn below the surface. I tend to choose words that have layers of meanings and can be applied to my life in various ways: physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. I love learning more about the word throughout the year and taking the opportunity to reflect each month via the process of working on the prompts from the workshop and via taking action on the things I'm inviting into my life.
If you are interested in hearing me talk more about One Little Word® and my choice of word this year, check out my friend Elise's Get Crafty podcast where we both share our words for 2016 and talk about our experiences living with a word. She also includes a link in the show notes to a past episode where we talked about the process as well.
A lot of times I begin my year with a question or two related to my word. This year my questions to myself are this:
What does it mean to be whole? What does that look like and feel like?
I'm interested in investigating "the pieces of the whole." What are the pieces of my own life that work together to create the "whole" and in what areas do I need to be letting go and in what areas do I need to hang on tighter to create a more "whole" life for myself? And where does acceptance fit into this? Lots of great questions for me to explore and wrestle with and ponder and learn from.
I'm also interested in investigating more emphasis on whole foods - maybe try Whole 30. And I want to continue making yoga a priority as I work on the "whole" of myself - the physical, the mental & emotional, etc.
Two specific quotes that are resonating with me related to "whole":
“I am a broken person. And I know exactly where my cracks are and how deep they run. I don't pretend to not be a broken person and therein lies the big difference. Because the truth is, we are all broken in places, but it is those who know exactly where and how they are broken, who also know exactly where and how they are whole! And we may not be whole in all places and in all ways, but we take whatever wholeness that we do have, and we make good of it. And we try hard to work on the broken parts, and we ask for help when we need it.” - C. JoyBell C.
“I want to die living. And I want to be remembered as one who lived with purpose, joy and feeling. I want to spend my time learning what goes into a whole and happy life, then building that life the best I can.” - Steve Goodier
Some years I'm super clear at the start what I want to invite my life and what I want to work on throughout the year. This year is less concrete but feels "just right" for 2016. Remember, there is really never a perfect word - there are any number of words that can work for any one of us in our lives at a given time - don't get hung up on choosing something perfect.
I have no idea what will happen in my life in 2016. I know, because I've been around the block a time or two, that it will likely be a mixture of awesome and tough - those beautiful highs and lows that we all experience throughout the course of a year. My hope is that this word will play a role in my continuing quest to fully live the length and width of my life.
Let's do this.
PS | The lovely "whole" heart talisman featured in the photo above is from my friend Liz Lamoreux's Soul Mantra shop. She'll make one for you too - order a custom bracelet, necklace, or talisman here.
SHARE YOUR WORD THE COMMENTS
I’d love to read what word you’ve chosen or are considering for 2016. In the comments feel free to simply leave your word as your comment or write a bit about why you are choosing this word. Next week I’ll combine all the words into a single post – it's become tradition and 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, 2013, 2014, and 2015.
JOIN ME IN MAKING OUR WORDS VISIBLE
To help keep your One Little Word® more visible throughout the year I offer a year-long workshop featuring one creative prompt per month. Read all the details and sign up here. Registration is $5 off until December 31, 2015. I've also created a selection of products to help you document your journey with your word - check those out here. During the One Little Word® 2016 Kick-Off ordering period (between now and 1/31/16), items featured on this One Little Word® 2016 page are eligible for free shipping domestic and $5 international. If you add any other items from the shop to your cart, normal shipping rates will apply to those additional items.
Focus
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strong
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TREASURE.
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Mine is Nurture too! But I am a grandmother adding one more precious boy this year. I want to be intentional in the way I love those around me. And it's time for me to nurture those dreams that are lurking below the surface. Thanks Ali for the encouragement and of course the inspiration you share.
This was my word for 2015.
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Focus.
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Practice. I'm always striving for perfection, which is something I need to let go of. I tend to be to hard on myself at times. I want to keep in mind that I'm always "practicing" what I'm doing, and making progress in whatever I'm trying to achieve. Thanks for all your inspiration Ail!!
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CREATE. This is my third year doing this project and this word has been in my face for the last three months. CREATE relationships, space, healthy habits, myself, adventure (last year's word), and to be creative (photography, writing, scrapbooking).
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Breathe. . . I tend to run on overdrive most of the time and it's time to stop and breathe in many areas.
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Simple.
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Connect. I want to explore, appreciate, and develop the mysterious and beautiful connections that life offers us.
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Cultivate picked me this year - for me it encompasses intention, care and practice...on the the things I want to work on in my life.
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Progress...time to deliberately move forward.
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Sounds like we need to plan a yoga retreat :)
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Believe is my word
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Breathe.
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I got it, it came to me while listening to the podcast. What do I want to invite into my life? Bunch of things swirling around. I keep thinking about Pam Baldwin's powerful layout from one of the classes, but it somewhat still didn't fit. My word is patience. I need to be patient now, with myself, and this process as I work towards getting well. It was important to me that it didn't be all about my situation. This is a word that will serve me throughout the year, and I want to learn from it. Right now, I'm getting stronger, and better, but still can't walk alone. And I ask the therapist, every day, but it's not there yet, I'm not ready yet, to work on doing it alone. The answer is always no. But someday it'll be yes, and I need to be patient, especially with myself. Thanks. Michelle t
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Enjoy.I am at the stage of my life that I want to enjoy the everyday little things in life!
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I'm still debating...practice or patience? Patience was coming to me, patience with my little kids, husband, waiting for the things to come. But with practice, I can practice patience, make habits a practice, practice kindness, practice giving. I feel like patience is a bit more limited, but it is focused and practice is more open to a variety of applications. It is my first year of OLW so practice might be a bit better for me...hmmmm. I'll give it a few more days to decided.
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Quiet - I in so many ways need to quiet my mind and thoughts. I catch myself in situations where I speak up and maybe I just should shut up. I also want to find quiet in my life. I am running constantly and would like to find those few moments of not thinking and just being quiet. ~Ann
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Persevere. From my favorite Bible verse the past couple of years. Hebrews 10:35-36.
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RENOVATE. I want to allow God to change my life from top to bottom, from the inside to the out this year.
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Joy- I want to focus on creating joy in my home and for my family, bringing joy to those who's lives touch mine, being joy for those who may not see it on their own, and focusing on the joy that is all around me every day. I want to choose and live in joy.
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My word is work. I went back to college in 2010 at age 53 and graduated in 2014 with a BFA in painting. I'm building my business of selling art and 2016 will be the year to focus on that, and actually switch from hobby to career. I'm so happy to have OLW, I know it will help so much with keeping on track.
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Share
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Build
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