Releasing Your Word for the Year

 
soar

Taking time

 

I waited until the time was right, until a chink of light and space emerged naturally.

 

This is the fifth time I’ve chosen my Word for the Year and it’s a ritual I adore. I relish the hidden gift that arises from my own innate wisdom and know from experience that I will learn greatly from this word as the weeks unfold.

 

This time, the build was slow. I followed the same process I’ve captured in my updated Word for the Year guide and allowed the time that it required. Patience is the name of the game, resisting the urge to make it happen in the blink of an eye. No, this has its own dynamic and won’t be hurried.

 

At the first cut I had almost 20 possibilities – each of these resonated in one way or another. Each spoke to a particular part of my life. I set them aside and returned to look at them again the following day. It wasn’t difficult to delete around half of them. They were important, yes, but I was looking for urgency, warmth, excitement – something a little mysterious and surprising.

 

The following day I looked again. Waited. Nothing truly stood out. But by now I trust the process enough to know that would change. It was particularly foggy time for me, but I knew the fog would lift and clarity would replace it.

 

Taking space

 

After another couple of days, I picked up ‘The Empowered Entrepreneur’ by Elizabeth Cairns and gave myself permission to break away from my laptop, from the schedules, planners and sequences I was struggling with. I snuggled into a soft chair and gave myself up to reading the chapter on SPACE. I knew immediately I’d struck something significant. 

 

The design of the book pleased me. Text was given room to breathe and it was a pleasure to focus on the ideas, the beautiful illustrations and to enjoy the tactility of turning these well-crafted pages. I knew this was exactly what I needed. I could feel myself unwinding and recognizing my own needs and immersed myself in leaps of imagination and – space.

 

Returning to my list – reduced now from 10 to 6 words:

 

*trust *delight *effortlessness *simplicity *space *rise

 

I could see how some of these words connected to specific areas of my life, all were resonant, but none was actually THE WORD. I  welcomed the chance to sleep on it again.

 

Taking notice

 

When I woke this morning, a new word came into view. One that hadn’t appeared on my original list, but it immediately made sense in every part of my life. I could see how the Word for the Year year process, the word list, my reading, patience, my reflective mind and embodied wisdom had conjured this one up for me. It rang perfectly true.

 

My Word for The Year is: SOAR

 

I can see the connections it evokes and notice the excitement and inspiration this word provides. It encompasses each of the 6 words on my shortlist and evokes harmony between them.

 

Taking inspiration

 

In a rush of creativity, I reached for my sketchbook, wrote the word in the centre and started playing with associations. This lovely, creative, playful activity assured me that this is where my wellbeing, growth and inspiration will lie in the months ahead.

 

There are ideas of simplicity, mastery, naturalness, freedom, adventure, new perspectives, fun, authenticity, vitality, trust – in fact all my highest values are here, along with a guide towards a more authentic expression of my purpose and how I want to live my life.

 

When I’m scrabbling for the next business trick, another course I don’t actually need, or feeling confusion and uncertainty, I know by grounding myself in this word - SOAR – I will find the answers I already have within me. And I will share those with the people I love, the clients I serve and the communities I’m part of.

 

As midwinter is upon us and the end of the year is in sight, I’m inspired, content, complete. And I’m confident that I have everything I need to live a full and rich year ahead. In fact, to SOAR.

 

That’s the magic of choosing your Word for the Year!

 

What’s yours?

 
Becky Kilsbywords, wordfortheyear, vision, balance, thrive, inspiration, fulfillment, happiness2 Comments