Happy New Year!
It has been quite the start, but we have a long way to the finish line. For a few years now I have decided to choose one word I would like to invite into my life and place it on a sticky note. I follow Christine Kane and absolutely love her energy and inspiration. My word last year was "purpose". At the beginning of the year it seemed appropriate, but as the year progressed I just forgot about it as I was wrapped up in remote learning. In closing the year, I realized, in my roller coaster of a year, I did find purpose and meaning to what I do each day. I make a conscious effort to be mindful and spread kindness.
Our words matter... Years back I learned the difference between "have to" and "get to", "can't" vs "how can I" and "what if". For five years, I had a long commute to work and would find myself saying " I have to get to the daycare on time or I have to go here or there..." these words created additional stress while sitting in traffic that I had no control over. Once I changed my language to " I get to" it created a sense of control, pride that I was able to accomplish something that had meaning. We tend to place limits on ourselves, or hear our kids say "I can't", while it may be true you can't do something at the present time, but most things can be learned or there may be other ways to experience it. Swapping out "how can I" also creates a shift in the thinking process. "What if" can be tricky, as it can be taken negatively or positively depending on how its used. For instance, "what if I lose my job" makes you fearful and may cause anxiety, but saying "what if I find the job of my dreams" those words establish hope and a bit of excitement. It is a work in progress instilling this in my children, but when I hear it, I try to reframe it as often as possible in them and in myself.
I invite you to experiment with a word of the year.
