Choose Your Word for the Year and Transform Your Life
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january 14, 2017 the start of my journey to action
Is there a specific day in your life that you remember as a game changer? And if you can’t think of a specific date, can you think of a time when you made a choice that changed the trajectory of your life? January 14, 2017 is that day for me. It’s the day I chose to stop whining about my life and do something about it. I remember starting 2017 extremely frustrated with myself and my life. I had many big dreams and nothing was changing. I was a chronic dreamer with no action towards what I wanted.
Dreaming is good for envisioning and creating, but it’s what you do with those dreams that counts.
So on January 14, 2017, I decided to change that. I knew that without Action nothing would move forward. So I declared that 2017 would be my Year of ACTION. I was never one for making resolutions. I found they weren’t making a difference in my life and often took me backward instead of forwards. It wasn’t until I started choosing a Word to define my year that things began to change.
Words are powerful and create our world.
Having Action at the forefront changed everything. I joined a yoga studio after years of hopping studios. I always thought it was too expensive to join and that I wouldn’t have the money to pay for it. I committed and got a monthly membership. I signed up for trips and meditation retreats without knowing where the money would come from (and the money came). I got clear that I was playing it safe in life, and knew I needed to take the plunge and leave my job of 10 years. I signed up for Yoga Teacher Training again not knowing where the money would come from or what I was getting myself into. I moved out of my apartment with my roommate and moved into my first solo apartment. Action propelled me forward in so many ways.
At the beginning of 2018, I was feeling pressure to out-do the previous year. I had taken so many actions and seen so much momentum in my life. This is the place where resolutions often fail. We begin to compare what we want to what others have or to our former selves. I wanted freedom in many areas of my life and sensed it was going to be a big year. I chose BOLD FREEDOM for 2018. These two powerful words conquered more than I ever could have imagined. I left my career and company of nearly 11 years, moved out of my first solo apartment after only being there 3.5 months, sold my furniture and most of my possessions (including my car), bought a one-way ticket to Australia and set off on a 6.5-month adventure around the world where I traveled on my first solo nomadic journey across 4 continents, 11 countries, and 65 cities. I became a self-made international model with photoshoots in Mexico, Colombia, and Argentina; put myself out there and went on dates (something I’ve shied away from my entire life); and tried more experiences and opportunities than I likely wouldn’t have tried otherwise—including hiking 55 miles by myself in Patagonia and climbing a mountain. Bold Freedom broke so many barriers and old patterns in my life. It was an epic year, and it all happened inside of my Word of the Year – Bold Freedom.
As a yoga student and teacher, I know the power behind setting an intention for my practice each time I get on my mat. It shifts my energy and mood to whatever I create as an intention. I may be tired and not feel like moving, and if I set the intention of “being present” then my focus shifts from being tired to being present.
Where we focus our attention is where our energy will flow.
Choosing a word or two for your year will set the tone and cause you to create more than you would’ve had you made a list of multiple resolutions.
How do you choose your Word for the Year?
Get still and quiet. Meditate. What is that you want to create for your life? Where are you frustrated or not seeing change? What do you need more or less of? Tune in and see what surfaces.
Write down your options. What on your list resonates with your most? What will make the most difference in your life for the year?
Share your Word or words with people in your life. Tell others what your intention is for the year so that you are speaking it into existence. Words are powerful. What we say often creates our reality.
Don’t be surprised when things start shifting in your life just by declaring your Word. Choosing your Word is like the Law of Attraction – the ability to attract into our lives whatever we are focusing on. When you state your word or intention out loud, you are subconsciously carrying it with you wherever you go.
For 2019, I chose SERENDIPITOUS ABUNDANCE, and it is already showing up. I have already found new work opportunities, had my first podcast interview with the amazing Miriam Buttu on her podcast The Power & Potential, and expansion of followers on my blog (thank you!). And it’s just the beginning of the year.
Declare your word and watch the magic begin to unfold.
What is your Word for the Year? Let us know in the comments. Let’s make 2019 the BEST year yet.
you have the power to create your reality. photoshoot in buenos aires december 2018 with doloresestaph