One Little Word® 2017 | Connect
Another trip around the sun is coming to a close.
My overwhelming feeling at the end of this year is wholehearted thankfulness. For the whole of it. The hard parts and the easy parts and the parts in between. It's something we can count on - that crazy mixture of highs and lows and normals - throughout the 365 days we call a year in our lives.
I absolutely loved focusing on the word "whole" as my One Little Word® for 2016. It is a word that I will carry with me for the rest of my life - "open" is another one that I feel strongly about. Whole challenged me in the ways I needed to be challenged and wrapped me up in goodness in so many other ways. I loved asking questions about the different pieces of my own whole and looking deeper into what it means to me to feel "whole."
It's crazy when I think back on all the words I've had over the years (I started this practice in 2006):
- Play
- Peace
- Vitality
- Nurture
- Story
- Light
- Up
- Open
- Thrive
- Give
- Whole
For 2017 I'm choosing to explore my life through the lens of the word "connect."
I'm ending 2016 and beginning 2017 by connecting directly and in person with my immediate family (parents, brother, sister + all their families) at my parents house on the coast. I'm already including "connect" in daily thoughts as I go about the regular stuff of my life - asking myself how I'm connecting with this and that and especially focusing on what I can disconnect from (love the angle of including the opposite of my word).
This blended family life is offering me a whole lot of opportunities for connection and I don't want to miss those. We've all been sinking in to this "new normal" around here - life is such a series of "new normals" isn't it? We get used to a situation or a piece of our lives and then something changes - for better or worse - and then we are forced (either kicking and screaming or accepting or a crazy combination of those emotions) to adapt to the "new" normal. What I have learned over the last so many years is that we are always riding that wave - either in the beginning or the end or somewhere in between. It is life. It is our life. What we get to choose is how we respond and live through all those moments.
In 2017 I hope to specifically investigate areas related to connecting with myself, connecting with others (especially family and community), connecting with work, and connecting with nature/outdoors (I feel a strong pull towards that this year). I also plan to focus on the idea of disconnecting in order to make sure I'm living in alignment with my highest values.
If you'd like to hear me talk more about this topic, check out a new podcast I did earlier this week with Elise about our words from last year and this year. It's a very candid conversation about what's worked and not worked related to both choosing and living with our words.
My wonderful little heart shown above is from Liz Lamoreux and is called a Whole Heart Pocket Talisman. It's a wonderful way to keep your word close throughout the year.
SHARE YOUR WORD IN THE COMMENTS
I’d love to read what word you’ve chosen or are considering for 2017. 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, 2015 and 2016.
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, 2016. I've also created a selection of products to help you document your journey with your word - check those out here (stamps will be restocked later in January and we have a pre-order happening for an additional restock of the blue albums that will arrive in late March/early April). During the One Little Word® 2017 Kick-Off ordering period (between now and 1/31/17), items featured on the One Little Word® 2017 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.
Prosper
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Kind
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unfinished; both in the sense that I am unfinished, and that I need to focus on the unfinished business in my life that bogs me down & creates anxiety.
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My word for 2016 was Joy. This was my first year participating in the project and I didn't do so well keeping up.
My word for 2017 is Try. :) I am hoping to keep up better this coming year.
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Shine.
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Walk
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Forward.
Move forward physically, move forward in making progress toward some goals, BE more forward when it comes to speaking with others and sticking up for myself. When I want to wallow, get over it and move forward instead.
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FORWARD
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Last year was REST. Now that I have accomplished that in so many ways, I am choosing RESET. I don't need a transformation but I am definitely going to reset in several areas in 2017.
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Love this process. So glad to see the concept of one word spreading to many different audiences across the nation. This year will be important to focus on throughout the 12 mos. which is why I am excited to be back to this community.
2010-Stretch
2011-One
2012-Breathe
2013-Wait
2014-Finish
2015-Celebrate
2016-Play
2017-HEAL
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Courage 2017
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Notice. It's something I need to do mindfully. My inspiration for the word comes from Mary Oliver's "Sometimes": "Instructions for living a life: / Pay attention. / Be astonished. / Tell about it."
Love your word :)
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Flourish is my 2017 word
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BRAVE
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Change - it started happening in 2016 and will do more of it in 2017.
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Fresh
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2013- (my first time choosing a word) SOLUTIONS
2014- BETTER
2015- SYNERGY
2016- STRONG
My word for 2017 will be RESPECT.
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possibility
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I've been hearing a few words calling to me over the past month. The one that keeps coming up is SHARE.
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Patience
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My word for 2017 is Action. My goal is to perform the actions I need to take , and examine the consequences of my inactions as well.
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Change.... last year was cultivate...Ali I wish I could tell you how this project changes my life and so much this last past year! I was reminiscing and reading over last years prompts and found this quote from the beginning of last year: "Part of Cultivating a Good life is recognizing what needs to change in your life, and then changing it" Never thought my word would connect with my new word!!
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Pause
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Trust
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2016's word didn't really make an impact on my year, so I had already decided not to participate in 2017. But then I read your previous blog post about OLW and I was struck by the word BRING. Like out of nowhere struck. And there ya go. My word for the year is BRING.
BRING as in--
what am I bringing to my conversations with others?
what kind of attitude am I bringing to a situation?
am I bringing my all?
And also--BRING IT.
And BRING it on.
So thanks for doing this project, Ali. I can't wait to see what 2017 BRINGS!
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