As I sit here (still in bed and in my pjs) on this, the last day of 2015, I’m wondering where the time went. How are we already at the end of another year? Every year that passes, I learn more and more how important it is to stay ever present because time flies by and we never know how much time we truly have. Time is our most valuable commodity and yet we spend a lot of it in anger, in resentment, and without gratitude, instead of being present and at peace.
For many of us, a new year means a clean slate and a fresh start, but for others it can be a painful reminder of loss or where we’ve struggled along the way. The one thing I believe we all want in a new year and yearn for is peace. That “peace” can look very different to each and every one of us. Maybe it’s peace with ourselves and who we are, maybe it’s the peace your faith gives you, maybe it’s financial peace, or just peace in your relationships. We want to work toward improving certain aspects of our lives to achieve this feeling, but most of the time, it’s hard to know where to start and motivation could be lacking.
A couple of years ago, I really started working on being more intentional and being present in the moments. Being more and doing less. It’s a daily practice like anything else. It’s not perfect, but it definitely serves as a constant reminder of what is truly important. Around the same time, I started choosing words to help guide me through the new year, rather than making a long list of resolutions that were completely unattainable and would leave me feeling like I hadn’t accomplished anything at all. If you know me, you know it was nearly impossible to abandon any sort of list. I thrive on them. I love to cross out and check off. My lists have lists. You get the picture.
I could never pick just one word that encompassed everything I was looking for. It got harder and harder to pick just one. I always felt like it would take a few to really explain my desired feelings and to help remind me of what I’m striving for. One word just wasn’t cutting it. This year, when I was thinking about what I wanted for 2016, I stumbled on a blog post that spoke to exactly how I was feeling. You can read it here I realized that just like I can’t use one word to describe myself, there also isn’t just one word that can define all the ways I want to grow in 2016.
In 2015, my words were Create and Forward. They are just words, I know, but words are powerful. This past year, I constantly reminded myself that I wanted to Create things, whether it was doing crafts with my kids, making my own art, taking pictures, writing, or playing music. I wasn’t perfect at it, but the objective was to make the effort. I paired it with the word Forward, so that I would be reminded to move in that direction in anything I did that year. It helped me to let go of the past and live in the present.
This year I have three words and based on the blog post I cited above, I realize they work well together for what I’m trying to achieve. My ultimate goal is always peace, so the words guiding me to a peaceful 2016 are Blaze, Abundance and Truth. How will they help me find peace? I chose Blaze because I want to Blaze a new trail, taking on new endeavors and adventures. A blaze is a fierce and bright flame. I hope to shine a bright light in the new year for myself and others! I chose Abundance, not because I want a large quantity of material things, but because I want an abundance of all those things that you can’t put a price on … hugs, kisses, memories, love, peace … I could go on and on. Abundance in all things of importance! Finally, I chose Truth because I want to continue to be authentic in what I say and do. I want to stand up more for Truth. I also think that my own truth, the truth of who I am as a person, got a bit lost during motherhood. Raise your hand if that happened to you? So I hope to do some more self discovery in the new year and figure out what I’m all about.
The truth is that any words you choose can help guide you to the peace you seek. It doesn’t matter what struggle you may be going through. We always have something to be grateful for and if you give yourself positive things to focus on, you will experience personal growth that will inevitably help you find that still, quiet place inside. That place is peace. One of my favorite quotes about peace sums it up perfectly!
Wishing you all a prosperous 2016!! Let’s hope we can all grow a little bit in the new year. Peace be with you!
