2019 is My Year to be….
It is New Year’s Eve day and with the anticipation of a new year, people often think of New Year’s resolutions. Resolutions are often personal promises to our self. Twitter compiles a list each year of the most popular New Year’s Resolutions: They include:
5. Be a better person/self-improvement
4. Be happier
3. Lose weight #fittertwitter
2. Eat healthy #meatlessmondays
1. Visit the gym
My friend Janet Frood, of Horizon Leadership started me on the quest to pick a word and find ways to practice living into that word. In 2017 Janet chose the words “BRAVE BEING”. BRAVE because she was “choosing intentional disruption for the sake of growth and change in her life and business” and BEING was her “intention to cultivate energy to be present, grounded and connected”. I appreciate the way Janet picks a word and then articulates the how and the why of her word. Thank you, Janet!!
In 2018 I chose the word COURAGEOUS
. I lived into that word in a significant way by coming forward and sharing publicly, for the first time, about the sexual abuse I experienced as a teenager by the Director of the summer camp I attended since I was a young child. In 2018 I reconciled the path I’ve walked with the existence of those paths that forked off behind me. I think the word courage chose me for 2018!
Joshua Becker who writes for the website “becoming minimalist” suggests, “Rarely do people look back on their lives and savor their professional achievements. Instead, they celebrate the impact they have had in the lives of others”.
Maybe in 2019 you can find ways to seek significance and anchor it with a word.
At the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg there is an exhibit to Honor Canadian Citizens. The Government of Canada bestows this symbolic honor on people who have made extraordinary contributions to the promotion and protection of human rights and dignity. Included in this exhibit are pictures of Nelson Mandela who led the struggle to end racism and apartheid in South Africa. Tenzin Gyatso who you may recognize as the 14th Dalai Lama and spiritual leader of Tibet who has worked tirelessly at fostering peace and non-violence; and Malala Yousafzai who set a courageous example as a teenager by risking her life to promote education for young women. Each of these individuals chose significance rather than success. Maybe your word for 2019 could be SIGNIFICANCE, EXTRORDINARY or KINDNESS.
The “The Book of Joy” recently popped up into my Lending Library outside. I loved the book when I originally read it and its words are profound! In 2015, Archbishop Desmond Tutu travelled to the Dalai Lama’s home in India to celebrate His Holiness’s 80th birthday. When they were together, they wanted to answer the question – “How do we find joy in the face of life’s inevitable suffering? The book was written about their one-week experience. One of the eight pillars of Joy in their book is Generosity. In the book the author talks about the two of them – “They are big hearted, magnanimous, tolerant, broad-minded, patient, forgiving and kind”. This they say is about “being less self-centered, less self-regarding and more self-forgetful”. Maybe your word for 2019 could be ACCEPTANCE, TOLERANCE, JOY or GRATITUDE and you could find ways to find it, understand it or make it a part of your daily life.
So why not try it! Pick a word or a phrase – something that provokes inspiration – that stretches you. Pick a word that speaks to you, resonates with you and calls you to action. I like writing the word on a tag, use it as a bookmark, hang it on a bulletin board or a door handle. Claim the word as your own!
For 2019, I’ve chosen the word – DISCOVERY. As an adult, I completed my undergrad and my MBA at Bluffton University. Bluffton has shaped me and choosing one of their four values is a significant way for me to remind myself of where I have come from and more importantly where I want to continue to go.
Happy New Year!