Word Of The Year

Choosing a Word Of The Year is something I've heard about before. It seems like it's been a thing for several years now, at least according to my awareness. Of course, I'm often behind haha. But I like to hear about an idea and let it just wash over me, seeing what sticks, before I fully commit.

It's just like my experience with gratitude journals. I had heard of that idea many times before ever trying it. Then I got to a low point in my life and figured it couldn't hurt, so I started writing down a couple of things I was thankful for each day. I wrote in that journal several times a week for a couple of years. Then I wrote in it once a month or so. Then I wrote only every now and then. But I kept it. And I kept writing in it. When I ran out of pages, I turned the journal upside down and wrote on the backs of every page. I started that journal in 2008 and finished it almost a decade later. It was a regular routine that became an ingrained practice that slowly transformed my thinking over time. I don't currently keep a gratitude journal but keeping one for so long permanently changed my perspective on life.

But back to Word Of The Year... This is an idea I've heard about for a couple of years now. Had I formally selected a WOTY in previous years, it might have been Grieve (2012 - 2015), Accept (2016 - 2018), Create (2019), and Self-Confidence (2020). But really, I only know that in retrospect. Although, I did have some of those words consciously in the back of my mind while the years were happening (i.e., Accept and Create).

This year I formally selected a word. I invested $5 in myself and used this resource by Dominee at Blessing Manifesting. Honestly, I love this resource. The author posed a lot of good questions that I hadn't thought of before, and, yes, I sat down with a pen and some paper and actually wrote down my answers. Her questions helped me to reflect, articulate goals, and think of qualities that I want in my life. 

It was an interesting process working my way through her guidebook. The author gives you ideas for your WOTY and encourages you to honor your WOTY on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. She reminds you to consider many aspects of your life: physical wellness, relationships, finances, hobbies, etc. and how your WOTY influences them. She also gives suggestions for things you can do (crafty and otherwise) to remember your WOTY. I don't want to give away her content for free so I'm just sharing in general what her mini guidebook offers, in case you're interested too... 

I enjoyed her guidebook and I appreciate having a WOTY to give me direction, a WOTY to come back to so I can remember what's important to me. While working my way through the prompts, some words that came to mind were love, nourish, quiet, and release. Other words that I particularly liked included stillness, declutter, and rest. Words I thought of that surprised me were humble and discerning. 

With all that said, I chose more than one word for this year hahaha. But they all work together. It's just what feels right for me. So my 2021 WOTY is in/inhale/inspire. 

In reminds me to go inward. 

How am I feeling? What am I thinking? What do I need? What do I want? 

Inhale reminds me to breathe. 

It reminds me to stop and take a slow, deep breath. There is no rush. There is no hurry. This is my life and I am doing the best I can with each breath I take.

Inspire reminds me to breathe again. 

Literally. Inspire means to inhale and to give inspiration. 

At first, only the word inspire was coming to me as my WOTY, but it felt too lofty. I feel too tired for myself; how can I possibly inspire others? But then I remembered that inspire also means to inhale, so I thought maybe it was an appropriate WOTY for me. 

And then I had another thought... I want to be inspired to get the mundane done this year. I want to pay my bills and run my errands. I want to cook dinner and eat leftovers. I want to keep the house a little bit cleaner. I want to finish changing my name back on everything after getting divorced. I want to finally get my stuff out of storage and move it to where I live now. I just want to get shit DONE. And I'm gonna need some inspiration to do it all.

It all begins with where I choose to put my focus, my intentions, my breath. In. Inhale. Inspire. 

And on a completely different (but also totally related) topic, I sewed this pillowcase yesterday.
Sewing mends my soul. Beautiful things come together, stitch by stitch, one breath at a time.