Word of the Year and so much more….

It is that time of year that excites me. Not with New Year Resolutions, but with an openness to receive a theme, a focus, a symbol for the upcoming year, full of possibility.

This is my seventh year of having a word or phrase of the year. Honestly, a few of those years, having a word theme didn't make much of a difference. Others, as in this year, 2015, the word has influenced every aspect of my life and kept me focused. Today I’m asking why? A few things I’ve learned about a word of the year are:

~ Having too long of a phrase or more than one focus means I am less likely to remember and apply the word of the year to my life

~ There are different seasons in life, and it is not up to me to make something happen. My task is to trust God and work with what is happening, what is open to me, and be open to projects and life not looking just how I think it should.

~ Feeling pressure to “just pick a word” doesn’t work for me. It means I am focusing on the pressure to perform rather than listening to God for direction. One year, a close friend never got her word for that year. At the end, she said she needed to rest from it and that was okay. Her following year was an amazing adventure.

~ Beginning to ask and watch for a word around Thanksgiving, the end of November, helps me ease into the idea of a new word, and reflect on the current word of the year and how it played out in my life.

~ Sometimes there comes more than a word. The past few years, I have symbols that represent the word and the year. Being a visual person, the symbols are incredibly meaningful to me. I love research and finding layers of meaning, so this part feels like a treasure hunt to me. This year my word AIM has been one of the most meaningful. The symbols that have accompanied the word have brought more purpose and focus.

~ There are other things that may bring meaning to the word of the year. A few years ago my daughter said she had a song of the year. What a great idea! I smiled as I imagined her whistling her song throughout the year. I have had a few songs over the years, but when I’ve said I am going to pick a song of the year, it didn’t stick. I learned I don’t have to have the same categories each year  to carry throughout the year.For 2015 I've had a book of the year:

Inner Compass

by Margaret Silf. I read it over two times, and has many underlined passages, extensive thoughts written in the margins, and dog-eared pages. I know I will be revisiting it again.

This coming year I have an animal of the year, because as I was receiving the word, I encountered an animal in an unusual way and then researched the symbolism of the animal. One other year, I had an animal, but not because I planned it. It kept showing up in unusual, hard to miss ways over a period of 18 months. I may have a triad of colors for this upcoming year, but I’m still waiting for more input on that.

I do have a quote of the year for 2016 I will share. It has already influenced how my husband and I are looking at traveling plans for the year. It is the last line of one of my favorite movies,

Dan in Real Life

:

“Plan to be surprised.”

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2016!