Last year, I made some New Year Resolutions, it’s what I’ve done every year. I also do this countless times throughout said year. I make lists of goals and I set out to achieve them. I achieve some, I fail at others. Often I’m brutal to myself when I fail, and it brings me down for a while, makes it hard to see the things I have accomplished. A long time ago I heard about the idea of removing the resolutions from the equation and rather, choosing a word to embody your upcoming year. The idea sounded wonderful but for a goal oriented person like me, it seemed too flimsy, too vague.
How could I track something like that?
This year, something has shifted in me and I feel drawn to this idea of one word. I decided to read up about it and how one goes around deciding on that magical word. Already for a few days a word had been presenting itself to me in different ways. Just randomly throughout the day this word would come into my mind and I’d almost cock my head to one side trying to immediately decipher, why? I would let it pass only for days later for this word to come back at me, a request from the Universe for me to listen to it.
I listened but I didn’t understand.
I read about this step by step process for choosing the word and thought, what the heck, I’ll give this a try. Feel free to give it a go yourself! The steps were rather simple. First I had to visualize myself at the end of the year and describe what I saw. The step talked about things I would accomplish but again, I was trying to get away from that type of thinking so I just described what I saw in my mind. Almost with a laugh my pen began to move and it didn’t stop. What I saw, was beautiful, and the scene calmed me, it made me smile. It was a lovely moment where I could see through this magical window and observe this wonderful woman and all that she was and had become.
Step two asked me to “Delve into the qualities and characteristics that she embodies” so I did just that, I described this person and without much thought wrote the word that had been making itself known to me for some time now. I almost gasped when I saw it, because that was it, all along. The exercise helped me understand why this had to be my word of the year, but the Universe already knew, it had known for a long time and I believe throughout this year gave me many moments to show me the importance of this word and what it could do for my life and for me.
So my word of the year, is balance.
balance
bal·ance . ˈbaləns/
- An even distribution of weight enabling someone or something to remain upright and steady.
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A condition in which different elements are equal or in the correct proportions.
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Keep or put (something) in a steady position so that it does not fall.
This year, I will embrace this word, and allow it to shine through all areas of my life.
I will end with this excerpt from my journal and the last phrase I wrote regarding this exercise:
She lives in harmony with all that is around her and adapts quickly to restore the joy and balance in her life, no matter the circumstance.
Until next time,
Mariangelica
Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash
