One Little Word® 2022 | Pause
Since 2006 I've been choosing a single word to walk with over the course the 12 months from January through December. I call it One Little Word®. It's a personal growth/reflection project that uses memory keeping as the vehicle to help us live with intention.
My past words have included:
- Play
- Peace
- Vitality
- Nurture
- Story
- Light
- Up
- Open
- Thrive
- Give
- Whole
- Connect
- Space
- Habit
- Less
- Heart
For 2022 I'm going to focus on the word pause.
I’m currently in the process of welcoming “pause” into my life. It’s a word that’s speaking to me and I’m actively reminding myself that I don’t have to know why and I don’t have to have any answers right now besides saying yes to the adventure. Most of us alive right now have experienced some degree of pause over the last few years - for me this is more about pausing before reacting, pausing before making decisions, pausing to take it all in, pausing to celebrate, pausing to make sure I'm living the way I want to be living. I'm looking forward to seeing what I learn from this word in 2022.
You're invited to join me in choosing word and working to make it visible in your own life in 2022.
SHARE YOUR WORD IN THE COMMENTS
I’d love to read what word you’ve chosen or are considering for 2022. 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, 2016, 2017 and 2018.
JOIN US IN MAKING OUR WORDS VISIBLE
Since 2011 I've been offering a One Little Word® online workshop that's goal is to help you stay connected to your word throughout the year. It's not complicated and it doesn't take a lot of time and we have a wonderful community of people who come together to share the journey. Each month you receive an email reminder to head back to the classroom for some sort of creative prompt/writing reflection from myself or the OLW Team (in 2021 this became a Team effort). As with most years, the majority of the prompts will be similar to past years as I find that I enjoy the process of doing the same prompts with different words each year - it's never the same. New videos are recorded each year that include our personal reflections on the process with our new words.
You can read all the details about this workshop and sign up here. You can watch a video walkthrough of some of my past album projects here to get an idea of past prompts. Registration is $5 off until December 31, 2021.
SHOP THE COLLECTION
I've also created a selection of products to help you document your journey with your word - check those out here.
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THANKFUL
This is my tenth OLW. I will turn 80 this year and I am so very thankful for my family, my health, everything in my life. My favorite word over the years was the one I chose in 2015 - TREE. I know unusual. But think of trees in places you have lived, places you have visited, in novels, in poetry…I still find wonderful quotes about trees and life.
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I strongly considered Story then leaned towards Space but I think I have finally settled on TIME as my word for 2022. How am I spending my time? How do I want to spend my time? What do I want to make time for in my life? Put time into things that matter. Time for the next chapter.
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My word is Journey. Our girls are graduating this year - one from college and one from high school. We sold our house in Vegas and are moving to Michigan to retire. I am also taking classes to be a wellness coach. Journey is showing up in in my life in many ways, starting tomorrow when we go to Disneyworld tomorrow for my older daughter's 21st birthday!!
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Pause is such a great word! I am choosing “be” as my word for 2022.
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Care. I started OLW 5 years ago with Breathe, followed by Discover, Accept and then Move with the companion words Brave and Kindness. This year I feel I need a gentle approach with a word that demands less, but that I can explore in more depth than the others (as they all had such a great scope of learning). I believe Kindness will be continuing as my companion word too.
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My word is NURTURE
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My OLW is DIRECTION. Direction in the little things. Like...what direction do I want this conversation to take? What direction do I want my eating habits at this meal to take? What direction do I want my thoughts right now to take? My symbol for my word is the ARROW and my companion word is PROGRESS. This will be my TWELFTH year participating! I'm so looking forward to 2022 and what this word will bring! Thanks so much, Ali!!
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Seek: seek the things in my life that will bring me peace, strength, joy, courage, and most importantly faith.
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Shine
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Unfold
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ENOUGH. Because I have enough stuff. I have enough time. I have enough energy. I am doing enough. I am enough.
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CURATE. As in "deciding what I want to have in my life and what can (and therefore will) go". My companion word is create.
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Breathe
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Daily
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create and action as a companion word. I need to create time,art, space etc, but this takes action
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TRUST is my OLW 2022.
Ist's about learning to feel what is right for me and finding my path.
Yes. Yes. Yes.
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Invest
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Joy
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COMMUNICATE
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I spent some time over the holidays deciding on a word and I came up with Pause also! what a coincidence! I guess after nearly 2 years of covid we all want to stop and appreciate the little things even more...
Looking forward to seeing where this word takes me, and others who have chosen it.
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This is my second year of OLW. I am going with the word "create". It may seem obvious, but I kept returning to it. And I decided that I can travel with it. Yes, I do need to create art every day to feel whole. But I can also create space (right now I am purging like crazy) - and hope - and opportunity - and a really good life. So I'm not going to fight it. Create it is.
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BECOME
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FAITH as in take a leap of faith, have a little faith.
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