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, 20132014, 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.

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387 thoughts

  1. MirandaWedekind says…
    12/30/2015

    My word is Create. I want to create more, more scrapbookpages, more artjournaling. Create changes in my work. Create new opportunities in my life. Create a healthier life. So lots of things to Create.

    Reply 0 Replies
  2. LisaM2424 says…
    12/30/2015

    "Fountain, not a drain." This phrase found me yesterday. I've already used it several times, like when someone cut me off in traffic my first reaction was to honk at them and be super annoyed. Then I asked myself, "are you choosing to be a fountain or a drain?" It completely changed how I reacted to the situation, and how I felt. I also like to have a theme song to go along with my word each year, and so my song will be "Come Thou FOUNT Of Every Blessing." ♥ ♥ ♥

    Reply 0 Replies
  3. angymuse says…
    12/30/2015

    CREATE
    create a life i love
    create love
    create memories
    create stuff
    create warmth
    create joy
    create create create

    Reply 0 Replies
  4. jchurch2 says…
    12/30/2015

    My word is FOCUS. I want to focus on loving myself, looking after myself by eating properly and getting some exercise. I want to focus on the positives in my life with fibromyalgia. I want to focus on getting my blood sugar level down and skipping the whole diabetes thing. I want to focus on me.

    Reply 0 Replies
  5. lu_and_ed says…
    12/30/2015

    I just chose mine, and blogged about how last year's word literally changed my life (literally, I got a divorce, contacted my son's bio dad & moved half way across the country thanks to last year's word!). https://luanded.wordpress.com/2015/12/30/one-word-to-shape-2016/

    Reply 0 Replies
  6. fluidsign says…
    12/30/2015

    RESET. This year I want to restore myself physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

    Reply 1 Reply
    1. ScrappinMyHeartOut says…
      12/30/2015

      I like this!

  7. ribosome13 says…
    12/30/2015

    PRESENT.

    Reply 0 Replies
  8. papergoddess says…
    12/30/2015

    Boundaries. A concept I need to revisit in order to make sure I am taking care of myself first.

    Reply 0 Replies
  9. peanutshell says…
    12/30/2015

    My word this year is "gently". It came to my a little while ago and I was surprised how firmly I knew it was this years word. A very different experience from last year.

    Reply 0 Replies
  10. fannyathome says…
    12/30/2015

    Rise.

    Reply 0 Replies
  11. tammywyn says…
    12/30/2015

    PLAY

    Reply 0 Replies
  12. Donna_Clements says…
    12/30/2015

    TRUE: as in true values, true meanings, true friends, make my dreams come true, be true to myself

    Reply 0 Replies
  13. SarahCB1208 says…
    12/30/2015

    Balance for 2016.
    I chose Happy for 2015 and it was such a perfect fit! Hoping for the same for 2016!

    Reply 0 Replies
  14. Mjsjackson says…
    12/30/2015

    Focus.

    Reply 0 Replies
  15. psu06295 says…
    12/30/2015

    Sing

    Reply 0 Replies
  16. blossom77 says…
    12/30/2015

    MUST. My word chose me as I read the book,'The Crossroads of Should and Must' by Elle Luna;

    "Should is how others want us to show up in the world — how we’re supposed to think, what we ought to say, what we should or shouldn’t do. It’s the vast array of expectations that others layer upon us. When we choose Should the journey is smooth, the risk is small.

    Must is different—there aren’t options and we don’t have a choice.

    Must is who we are, what we believe, and what we do when we are alone with our truest, most authentic self. It’s our instincts, our cravings and longings, the things and places and ideas we burn for, the intuition that swells up from somewhere deep inside of us. Must is what happens when we stop conforming to other people’s ideals and start connecting to our own. Because when we choose Must, we are no longer looking for inspiration out there. Instead, we are listening to our calling from within, from some luminous, mysterious place."

    Thank you Ali for sharing OLW with all of us. OLW has shaped a big part of me as a human for the last 9 years.

    Reply 3 Replies
    1. AliEdwards says…
      12/30/2015

      Oh that is a ridiculously awesome quote. Thank you.

    2. deedee328 says…
      12/30/2015

      Wow! That's a fantastic quote. Thanks for sharing.

    3. amygleason says…
      01/01/2016

      Thank you for sharing!

  17. emadcox says…
    12/30/2015

    Invest. Investing time, energy, myself. Investing in friendships, my health, my kids, my passions...

    Reply 1 Reply
    1. ScrappinMyHeartOut says…
      12/30/2015

      Great word choice!

  18. Kimpage says…
    12/30/2015

    surrender
    --as in getting out of my own way

    Reply 0 Replies
  19. lauracaroline says…
    12/30/2015

    How interesting that you should select whole! That is the word that I chose for myself last year. Specifically, I selected the Greek term "teleios" which is often translated as "wholeness" or even "perfection" but a professor (and Greek scholar) explained to me that the nuance of the word is "that where the inside matches the outside"--where there's no dissonance between who you are and the person you present to the world. That really struck a chord with me. This year, I'm waffling between two terms: courage and mindfulness and haven't quite decided. We shall see which one rises to the top over the next few days!

    Reply 2 Replies
    1. AliEdwards says…
      12/30/2015

      Oh yes - where the inside meets the outside :). Exactly. Thank you for sharing what you learned. Love that.

    2. deedee328 says…
      12/30/2015

      Love this perspective of whole being "where the inside matches the outside".

  20. crystalbella77 says…
    12/30/2015

    CREATE

    Reply 0 Replies
  21. Madeline says…
    12/30/2015

    FUTURE Because I don't know what my future holds for me as my husband is not well and we take one day at a time and keep moving forward

    Reply 0 Replies
  22. zoeyscarpelli says…
    12/30/2015

    My word for this next year is Metanoia. The first word I though as soon as I purchased the class.

    Reply 0 Replies
  23. lindalovescreating says…
    12/30/2015

    Present.

    Reply 0 Replies
  24. jdj247 says…
    12/30/2015

    PrOgReSs....

    Reply 0 Replies
  25. princessmemo says…
    12/30/2015

    Margins is my olw for 2016. After seeing what "build" did for me and my family, my husband and kids are joining me. Husband's word is revivify, and kids have discipline and obedience. Very excited for 2016!

    Reply 0 Replies

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