On New Year’s Eve, I thought that maybe I wouldn’t pick a word for 2019. Normally words come to me… and frankly, nothing was even close to popping into my brain.
It’s always in those moments of release that the word shows up, and in minutes… CLEAR appeared and found its rightful home as my word for the year.
This is OFFICIALLY the 5th year that I’ve selected a word to guide me through the year (see the very bottom of this post for links to the years’ past.) Each one always seems so different, but always has two things in common.
- I always choose a positive word (or define it in such a way that seems positive.) I want it to be a freeing word, one with levity and fluidity. I don’t want it to be a harsh or constrained word in any way. This year’s word definitely signifies freedom, am I right?
- I try to select a word that’s different. I love a commonly used word that I can define personally and in my own special way. Example: 2016’s Embrace – – More than just a hug…
CLEAR: Even saying the word makes me exhale and let me shoulders fall a little, and I know it’s 100% the right word for the year and what I hope to accomplish.
Clear Time for What’s Most Important
I’m starting off 2019 in kind of a strange place. If I’m honest, I’ve found myself to be a little more on edge and not in the mood for nonsense of any kind (which may be why the word Clear resonated with me so deeply.) My calendar consists of a finite number of hours that I can fill how I choose, and I’m being a little more picky than normal now.
Rather than attend every social gathering that comes up in the months ahead, I want to be a little choosier. Rather than waste time watching television, I want to spend my days connecting with people, writing notes of gratitude, or even organizing my life.
Clear My Mind Regularly
I fell in love with meditation a few years back, but I’ve fallen out of the practice. Except for an occasion Headspace tap in the night (they have the BEST fall back asleep meditation), I haven’t meditated regularly in a long time. In 2019, I’d like to get a regular practice going again. It’s so good for my body-soul-mind, and there’s really no downside. I also have a meditation chaise in my office just waiting for me to relax there again.
Truth: I meditated yesterday after my facial, and it was GLORIOUS. It’s definitely time to get this going again..
Clear Time for Giving Back
This one has been on my “list” for years. I absolutely know that there is more I can be doing for my community. There are groups that need an extra set of hands, an extra mind to brainstorm with, and sometimes just a person to be there. I can help!
I plan to start shopping for a non-profit to work with in the new year and am super excited to see what type of difference I can make out there!
Clear Out the Clutter
In a slightly Marie Kondo way (but not fully, because I have yet to read her book or watch her Netflix special), I’d like to go through my home again and remove some of the excess. I have too much. There are days where I wonder if I need to move to a new place… and then, I realize that I’d have plenty of space if I just had less things!
2019 will be the year I truly clean out my guest room closet, the downstairs closet, and tackle that master bedroom closet. There are plenty of tools to use to sell/donate/remove things we don’t need. Marie (allegedly) says that you should get rid of everything that does not bring you joy. I look forward to seeing what I can accomplish with that in the year ahead!
Clear Time for Physical Activity
By now, you know… I don’t enjoy working out. If you ask me if I want to go work out together, even with a friend… it’s not high on my list. I also know that I feel 100% better when I have some movement underway. I want to dabble a little and find something that’s fulfilling. It’s out there, I know it. It just has to be.
I read something recently on social media about categorizing working out as play, and tying it to enjoyment. I like that philosophy. For me, exercise has always felt like punishment, and it’s time to clear out that previous belief and make way for something fun.
If nothing else, I’d like to be traipsing around that lake I love more often. I do just love being out there in all its beauty.
Clear Out the Crazy Aunt in the Attic
Queue up the Johnny Nash classic “I can see clearly”…
In the fall of 2017, I went to a Geneen Roth seminar and was introduced to the concept of the Crazy Aunt in the Attic. While you may not know it by this name, it’s that voice in your head that’s not helpful. It’s the one that holds you back or criticizes what you do. Geneen refers to it beautifully as the “crazy old aunt in the attic.” In 2019, I’m planning to work to silence her a bit. I also plan to remove some of the old “boxes” that are up there while I’m at it. Sometimes you have to unpack and purge a little bit to move forward… and there’s no time like the present.
So… that’s it. My word is CLEAR.
Have you chosen a word for 2018?