Did you know that choosing a word for the year is a thing now?
It’s a hot topic of conversation in my social circle.
I have heard some really interesting words from friends and clients, like;
Abundance, integration, boundaries, present and unstoppable.
My word is love.
So, what’s the point of this? How does having a word serve us?
Allow me to explain from a coaching perspective.
Our brains will do what we tell them to do. And if we don’t tell them what to do they will work on default. This is usually not a good idea as most of us have a very negative default setting.
Negativity is normal and is just another way that our brain
Seeks pleasure
Avoids pain
Conserves energy
Also known as survival.
But if we want to go beyond survival and be intentional and create the life that we know we were meant to live, then we will want to tell our brain exactly what to do.
And an important part of that process is to know WHY we want our brain to do that.
Our word is our why. Our word helps us to focus on our goals.
Our word helps us to make decisions based on what we really want and what will really serve us. Every decision I make revolves around my word. It trains my brain to think the way I want it to.
For example:
Accomplishing my goals this year is going to require me to take some new and very uncomfortable actions and probably fail, a lot.
In order to keep trying, keep learning and keep taking action, I want to make sure that I am loving myself hard as opposed to being hard on myself.
Love is fuel for action.
Judgment is fuel for inaction. (Procrastination)
And frankly, I’ve had enough judgment and procrastination for a lifetime. But that is for another blog post...
So as I make decisions about time management, relationships, work priorities and even fun, I’m always choosing my thoughts, feelings and actions based on my word.
I will ask myself, does this help me love me and ultimately love others better?
Imagine what your life would look like if you truly lived your word every day this year? Think about all the different areas of your life (relational, spiritual, financial, health, and career) and imagine yourself living that word each day.
My word is love. I want to make the world a better place by loving myself powerfully so I can powerfully love others.
What is your word and why?