If there’s one thing I love about a New Year, it is the opportunity to make lists – lots of them. I can’t wait for October December to come by so I can finalize my monthly and yearly goals for the next twelve months. (I used to have daily and weekly goals too, but find that those get forgotten in the current chaos that is my life.) I also have income goals, resolutions for my blogs, home, health and other hobbies.
In all the years that I have been drawing up these lists though, I never thought of having a ‘theme’ for the year. That changed, however, when I read the latest post on the talented Sage Cohen’s blog. Today, she asked:
What is your word for 2011?
I think having a single word to define or organise your goals could be the most important thing you do at the start of a new year. For Sage, her words have ranged from Author-ity (for when her first book came out), to Prosperity and now, for 2011, she has chosen Grace.
This sort of theme hovers over all your other resolutions, constantly reminding you of where you need to go and what you need to do in order to meet that goal.
I thought about this all day today. And came up with this.
My word for 2011 is <drum roll, please>
I think this summarises what I need to do this year if I want to get any of my goals met. If I want my writing to be better, varied and more interesting, I have to get out there, step out of my comfort zone and talk to new people. I need to travel this year, if I want to write about travel. I need to experience new things if I want to write about new things.
This year, I want to take more risk in my personal life, in the way I interact with my family, with my baby. I certainly want to take risks with my appearance – experiment with clothes, buy new footwear, wear the dresses I have admired on other women. I want to exchange internet time (ha, you say) with taking photographs. And I want to challenge myself to do all those decorating tasks I dream about all the time.
Suddenly, with that one word, it all seems possible.
What’s your word for 2011?
The Frangipani Journals 
I want to say contentment… but that’s not the right word… satisfaction? peace? i think i know what i want but i can’t find that single word to encapsulate it… will be back when i do!!!
[…] 4th, 2011 § Leave a Comment Chryselle, over at Frangipani Journals wrote a post a couple of days ago that got me thinking. The post posed the […]
[…] So as a first step, I introduce to you, erm, myself, my word of the year. I got this idea after reading Chryselle’s blog post about her word – or lack of one for this year (last year, her word was RISK). […]
‘Stretch’ is a wonderful word, Charu. Here’s to your success this year!