ALL ON A WORD
“Words are singularly the most powerful force available to humanity”
If 2020 has taught us anything, it is that life can change on a dime. I believe it exposed a lot on what people depended on, what gave us security and maybe even identified this façade that we can control everything. More than anything, it forced us to hold onto something substantial to maintain our sanity.
Our lives are a mashup of good times and fighting to stay above water. On top of that, we are blurred by situations that have us feeling hopeless, lost and confused.
However, what if there was a way to change not the situations we encounter, but our perspective?
I'm about to hit you with a cliché, but, as we know words are powerful things. History is remembered by the actions that were documented and the folktales that were sung. Creation itself for those who believe was created on a word. Words single handily make or break us and yet we use it so loosely. Growing up, it was my own words that was painting a false narrative of who I was and I believed it, stimulating my low self esteem. On the flipside, it was also the means for me to push past the status quo and shift the trajectory of my life. Simply put, words have a power and a force to them.
So imagine positioning a word that sets the stage or the tone for your season or year? A word that challenges, inspires, comforts and guides you? I'll let you ponder that for a second.
________________________
Let's get into SETTING THE TONE.
We can't sleep on this especially this 2021 after 2020 slapped us around. When I say set the tone, I am saying establish the direction you want to go. Establish what you want to see or manifest REGARDLESS of what will happen. We cannot afford to allow life to bully us around because at the end of the day ISH IS GOING TO HAPPEN beyond our control! And that’s on periodt!
What is in your control is your perspective, your attitude and your vision! Set the tone; a determination that regardless what occurs, I will still my focus to see this through. It is not wishful thinking, it is how you anchor yourself or remind yourself what matters. A lot of us walk through life without an aim and a focus and it places us in a lot of unnecessary cycles that we actually have the tools within ourselves to remove or fix. This is where this mindfulness exercise " One Little Word" or your FOUNDATION word comes into play.
Now I don't know where this concept exactly came from, but again if you grew up in a religious environment this concept of themes is very popular. Aside from that, I came across "One Little Word" from a woman called Ali Edwards and I loved how she emphasized the importance of a single word. She states:
" A single word can be a powerful thing
It can be the ripple in the pond that changes everything
It can be sharp and biting or it can be rich, soft and slow"
For her, this single word challenged her to have something to focus on, to craft with, reflect on and use as a reference point that she could document throughout the year. There is no limit to the type of word you want to choose, there is also no "right" word. It is completely contingent on you and what you're aim is. For some, in 2021, their word may be peace, boundaries for others it may be open, adventure or inspire.
___________________
Personally this exercise changed my life for the better. In 2020 my word of the year was to be "Expectant". I had felt disappointed in life so many times, irrespective of how ambitious I was and when it came to my faith, I really did not feel like God was hearing me or having my back. It is really where my faith started to wane because I would pray with a lot of doubt. Until in one of my times of meditation and prayer, I felt God pushing me to be “expectant”. To challenge my faith to see God come through for me. This then motivated me to be bold and specific with God in what I wanted to see. I couldn't just generalize what I wanted, I had to step out of my fear and say it plain plain! What ended up happening, is that it created the space for me to plan my goals in alignment with my word, it became a reference point when life was getting uncertain, it became my testimony at the end of the year that I could account and detail that it indeed came to past.
______________________
My words this year are: Distinction & Maintenance. Therefore my goals will be aligning in how I can be a woman of distinction in my career, in my creative spaces etc. Maintenance is the understanding that it is one thing to obtain something in faith but it is another level to maintain what you have asked and remain potent.
We state these words so we can see a new thing, set a new standard not based on the past, or mistakes or who was or was not there. We are training our minds to seek this with INTENTION. If you are looking to make progress in whatever sphere in your life, you need intention. As a reminder, we train our minds and tell it what to focus on, so if we intentionally position this word in our mind we will see it manifest, IRRESPECTIVE OF TIME, OBSTACLES, SITUATIONS, GOOD TIMES AND BAD. I have to emphasize that once again these words are anchors.
An anchor is not moved by the pressures, waves or temperature of the water. It steadies the boat to protect the lives of those who are on it. These words we establish take on this role and the idea is that it will not be changed or moved by the tides of life. they remain throughout and are reminders and indicators of what we want to see. They are guiding tools, seeds we plant in our life that are watered by our actions.
_______________________
Here are some words that you can thumb through. The important portion of this is taking this word and pondering , meditating/ praying about it. Let it settle , ask yourself why is this word important, what do I want to manifest from this.
POTENTIAL WORDS: Balance, focus, thrive, open, play, organize, joy, peace, innovation, gratitude, integrity, action, rise, family, enlighten, Be, Brave, Fearless, Journey, Forgive, Create, Perseverance etc.
I am excited to hear your words, drop it in the comments below!
XOXO
