As I sat down to write this I was thinking about what my word for 2020 was going to be, and by the time I had written, ‘Thinking about my word for 2020,’ it had come to me. Of course, it is going to be ‘vision,’ and I don’t think I’m going to be a pioneer choosing that one.
Now, for those of you wondering just what the heck I am talking about, having a word for the year is like choosing a theme for the year ahead. It can be a word that reminds you of something that you want the year to bring or something you want to focus on. It’s like a little reminder to yourself about what is important to you and what you want to highlight for the year.
I first heard about doing this through a couple of podcasts I listen to. I think the first time I heard about it was on the ‘Happier with Gretchen Rubin’ podcast. They (Gretchen and her sister Elizabeth) also do an ‘18 for 18’ or ‘19 for 19’ to-do list for the year. I am looking forward to the episode where they will reveal their ‘20 for 20’ lists and also their recap on how they went with achieving their 19 for 19. Until right now I hadn’t thought of doing my own 20 for 20 but I think it would be a great idea. Last year I started the practice of writing down my goals and then doing a weekly goal review. It certainly helped me to stay on track much better than I ever have in the past. I will start thinking about my ‘20 for 20’ now and put it up here on the website in a future post. I had better get on with it as there are only a few more weeks before the new year begins.
The second podcast that I heard about having a word for the year was the ‘Thriveology podcast by Dr Lee Baucom’. I totally recommend both podcasts and the great books that both Gretchen Rubin and Dr Lee Baucom write about ways we can be happier and thrive.
My word for 2019 was ‘choice’. I chose this word for several reasons. In an overarching sense, it served as a reminder that I am in charge of my life and it is up to me to achieve my goals. It also served me in smaller ways. It reminded me to choose the best options for myself on a daily basis. It reminded me to make better choices (most of the time) for my health and fitness goals. That it was my choice to eat (all the) cheese and crackers or not or to do the workout or go for the walk.
Having the word ‘choice’ as my theme for the year reminded me that I could choose my attitude towards life and all circumstances. This really helped me. It reminded me that I had the power to respond to life, situations and people and their situations in a thoughtful way and not to just react.
This was really interesting as it brought up more learning in this area. I learned about the Think, Feel, Act Cycle and this really amped up how empowered we can be with regard to choosing our thoughts, feelings and life results. I have written about this in a past post. Click here to read more and here. I also learned about The Drama Triangle and The Empowerment Dynamic.
These are very common relationship models where we tend to act out certain roles by default when placed in certain situations and how we can use choice and awareness to break negative cycles. I wish I had started learning about all these things years ago. Oh, the time that I have wasted.
I also added the word ‘choice’ to my daily gratitude practice. I always finish each entry with the same sentence to cement each day’s practice. This year I have finished my gratitude practice with the words, “I am so happy and grateful for this fresh new day full of love, choice, opportunity and abundance.” This served as a daily reminder that choice was my superpower for the year and I feel it really has been.
I am excited about the superpowers that the word ‘vision’ will bring me in the coming year. At this point, I am hoping to get clarity about future opportunities and income generation. I also want to practice creating a picture of what I want to manifest in my life and really be able to see it and feel it in my imagination. As with this year’s word, ‘choice’, I’m sure ‘vision,’ my word for 2020, will teach me way more than I anticipate at the beginning.
I’d love to hear from you if you’ve ever had a word for the year and what they’ve been. Tell me in the comments below.
What is your word for 2020? What do you hope it will bring you?
Links to explore:
- Happier podcast
- Thriveology podcast
- The Empowerment Dynamic
- The Drama Triangle
- The Think, Feel, Act Cycle and how we can use it to be happier
- The Think, Feel, Act Cycle – deep dive on circumstances
- Three different ways to start a gratitude practice
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- The Think, Feel, Act Cycle – A Deep Dive on Thoughts - August 19, 2020
- What is life coaching? - July 7, 2020
- Presence - June 2, 2020
