One Word 2020 - Flourish

Do you choose 'One Word' for the year ahead?

I did this for years and then life got busy. Last year my chosen word was not embraced and held close to my heart, as before. 

So, this year I am changing that. And the same word speaks to me:

 Flourish

It means: To grow or develop in a healthy way, to thrive and be in a healthy state, to be successful and do well.

And it feels right, because last year I focused on improving my health. I released 3 stone and have seen benefits that I had not anticipated. Like, having more energy, and feeling fitter even if I have not done any exercise to achieve this. 

I have a clear memory of walking up a long steep hill with a friend. We chatted as we walked until I suddenly felt on my own. Looking back I saw my friend way behind, pausing to catch her breath. What made this memorable?  Because once that would have been ME! 

I was the one who would call out to my husband and son that I'd catch them up. 
I was the one struggling to breathe as our walks became arduous. 

No more!

And the change has impacted on other areas of my life too. My GP always told me that I would find it more difficult to reduce weight because I have an underactive thyroid. We sometimes believe stories we are told and that feeds into our self belief. But it wasn't true!
So many myths and stories have been dispelled and while my body has reduced I have grown in so many other ways! 

So, here's to 2020! 

My year to Flourish and keep flourishing! 

Just One Word for 2013

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Have you chosen ONE WORD?  I have done this the past two years and have found it a powerful experience.  First year was 'INTUITION'.  I knew it would be a difficult time in one way or another and sometimes to sit still and just listen can be powerful and what is needed.  So it was a good reminder to do just that, and I found I can trust my intuition.  It has made me more confident, more relaxed, more self reliant.

My word for last year was PROGRESS, and again, how well chosen.  So many personal, practical, and creative projects had been started.  It felt much was in progress and I wanted it to continue; for it to be a positive year, with some of these things finally coming together towards completion.  And they have!!

 

 

My utility room is finished. 
And with it the dining room and kitchen. 
It has involved walls being knocked down and rebuilt, radiator and sockets moved, and redecoration.  My kitchen doors have been replaced (Thank you Ikea!!  I would recommend their kitchens and after service 100%). 
And I bought a bookcase from a local antique shop.  Well, that turned out to be a labour of love but after hours and hours of preparation and repainting, I love the finished look and it was just what I was after:

I have also painted and upholstered chairs and I have a table and other furniture I want to upcycle.  After years of living in limbo, not certain whether to make some drastic changes, it has finally started to fall in place. 

Phew!! 

It feels like a big relief, and it has been progress indeed, in so, so many ways.

So, what of 2013?

I still have lots of plans....  lots around the home and to do with my creativity.  But I am also doing lots personally.  I want to be fitter and more healthy, so I kicked the new year off by setting up an online group and aim to get Fit For Fun!  I am doing this with others and we will support, encourage and motivate each other.  I am using the 5:2 programme, and I'll be posting more about this another time. 

Since July I have been working through Julia Cameron's book - The Artists Way. 
Have you heard of this? 
I bought the book years ago, and was totally inspired. The corners are dog eared and I have high lighted pages and written notes in it.  I wanted to engage with it, use it.  But somehow it got hidden on the shelves among my piles of other books until an online friend invited me to join her group and to work through the book together.  Instead of completing a chapter a week, we are doing a chapter a month.  Much more manageable and realistic!!  There have been other things in my life that have also caused a shift in thinking and relating, but I can truly say this book has been AMAZING!  This also deserves a post in itself so I will save more for another time. 

So, back to my question: what of 2013?  Well, after much thought my word just has to be:

 

 TRANSFORMATION 

                 noun:

•       to make different
•       a change or alteration,
•       the act of transforming or the state of being transformed
•       a marked change, as in appearance or character, usually for the better.

.... because so much has changed and will continue to change this year.  It's all positive and exciting. 
I hope your New Year has got off to a good start too, and I would love to hear what your word is, if you have one.

Just One Word for 2012

I have struggled this year to find one word. Yes, lots came to mind and they were good words.  Inspiring or powerful, but somehow they did not completely fit what I felt.

I knew 2011 was going to be a challenging year with lots of decisions and choices to make.  

And so I chose the  word 'intuition'.  It was a reminder that I just need to sit quietly and listen, rather than to act straight away.  And I learnt that if I didn't follow my head, or what other people said, I could trust my intuition to guide me.  

And so, I sat with not having a word  to start this new year.  Hoping that it would come to me when the time was right.  And it did.  Last night.

Progress

It's not a word that I had considered or even thought of.  But it felt just right.  And last year I made a lot of progress.

For one thing I was redeployed and my role within a new service  has involved lots of adaption and a big learning curve.  It has worked out much better than I expected, and it continues to be a time for development and change.  And I am looking forward, rather than to the past. 

And my home.  Well, yes that is still work in progress, with the kitchen and utility room unfinished.  But change has happened since I posted here.  Lots of change infact.  And it

continues to happen.

                                                             In all areas of my life.

But, because change can happen slowly and progressively I don't always  acknowledge how hard I have worked throughout the year.  But I am giving myself a pat on the back right now, and recognising that progress has been made and that 2012 has started out on a much more positive footing. 

And the more I think about the word, I like Progress.

Yes, I really do. 

I wanted a word that recognised change, movement, and growth....   how far I came last year in practical achievement and personal growth.  And the work that is yet to come.... the planned and the unexpected.   And the dictionary defines it just so:

noun1.

1. movement forwards, esp towards a place or objective

2. satisfactory development, growth, or advance

3. advance towards completion, maturity, or perfection; the steady onward march of progress

Progress sits comfortably.  It is not static or stuck.  Yes, I can happily live with this word, because it is positive, inspiring and it has energy.  Thank you, intuition.....


Before I go I want to share these two posts.  Because they describe how other people chose their words.  

So, I wonder if Alexa, at Trimming the Sails will leave you thoughtful and moved, like I was?

Or, Layla, at The Lettered Cottage will make you smile with her tale of a movie?

And finally, I wonder if you have a Word for the Year, and if so, what inspired you to choose?

 Because what ever it was, I hope it brings you guidance and inspiration throughout 2012.

1.1.11

How did you celebrate the New Year?
My celebrations were quiet but that was okay. It was what I needed at this time. We lit a lantern to mark the transition and I loved watching it inflate and float away into the distance. A tranquil start to the New Year which felt good.

MY WORD FOR 2011 ~

I have been blogging for 6 months now. Still learning as I go and today I discovered some people choose a colour and a word for the New Year. I like this. It gives focus and intent. And my immediate thought went to the word 'intuition'. Sometimes when I get busy I stop listening and trusting myself. But I know my intuition is reliable when I am open. Take last night. I was trying to think of someone's surname. I had been told it, once upon a long ago, but I never have need to use it. I went to bed, trusting that the name would come to me if I stopped trying to think of it. And guess what? I woke in the middle of the night with the name shouting at me. It almost felt impatient, as though I needed reminding that I can relax and rely on my intuition. And so there can not be any other word for me this year. I know it will be a year of change, especially in my professional work, but I will be calm around this even if, at this time, it is not of my doing or what I want. Of course, intuition is just what I need in my creative work too. To be open to new experiences and playful.

MY COLOUR FOR 2011 ~

In her blog today Susannah Conway asked what colour I have picked for the coming year.
My immediate thought was 'green'. She then invited me to follow a link, where Bridget Pilloud asks questions which lead you to a colour. Guess what? The random questions picked green - but not just any green. The exact shade that I would pick from a paint chart! I was then asked to choose a name for my colour. I could choose one of the given names or one of my own. I picked Willow. I love lots of things about willow trees. It is also the middle name of my granddaughter. And the colour my summer house is painted. And the colour of my craft room. Bridget asked me to describe my colour to someone who can't see it.
This is what I said:

This colour embodies warmth and connectedness. It is a colour of growth and harmony, a natural balance. Not hot, not cold. It is the colour I need in order to go off at tangents, to step outside of and come back to. It is nurturing and fulfilling. Willow is a stable colour and comfortable to live with. If I could have chosen from a paint chart, this is exactly the colour I would have picked. Or did it pick me?

I'm not sure how I will use the colour and the word during the year. But I will be thoughtful. I have joined: Sketchbook Challenge, so perhaps I will create something to remind myself and to keep the focus. But rather than think too hard, I will go and sleep on it.

Have you chosen a word and colour for 2011? Do tell!