Monday, January 1, 2018

#OneWord

When perusing Twitter about 3 days ago, I came across a post and several users tweeting with the #OneWord.  I had not heard of this hashtag or the book, so I began to investigate.  Intrigued as I was, I downloaded the book, read it, and was hooked.  At the close of a year and the onset of a new one, it is commonplace to seek resolutions, seek change, and honestly, seek ways to be and/ or do better, but I also knew that I wanted something realistic that could work.  Several things struck me as I read One Word That Will Change Your Life by Jon Gordon that I found interesting and insightful.  He noted that 87% of adults make New Year's resolutions (206 million people) and 50% of them fail by the end of January; most are long forgotten by summer. I can certainly see that, as it has happened to me quite often.  As stated in the book, "people do not remember paragraphs or even sentences. Such complexity lead to procrastination and even paralysis. One Word is sticky and memorable. We've never forgotten our word!" 

Initially, I thought of a word, (Pause), but wanted to delve into the book, give myself time to think,  and really be sure that I had chosen the right word for me for 2018.  As Gordon noted, there is a three-step process in finding your word:  1.) Prepare your heart  2.) Discover your word  3.) Live your word.

So, as I finished the book and reflected on 2017 and looked ahead to 2018, PAUSE just kept coming back to me.  In fact, no other word entered my thoughts with any sense of purpose as Pause did; therefore my #OneWord is PAUSE!

Here are a few of my hopes about my word and 2018:
I want to PAUSE more often (be more reflective rather than reactive)
I want to PAUSE more often (enjoy the little things, small moments, and yes, smell the roses)
I want to PAUSE before saying yes all of the time (when I really do not have time to execute a task)
I want to PAUSE (pay closer attention to the now)
Finally, I want to PAUSE (and take better care of myself: mentally, physically, & emotionally).

So, as I finish this first post in 2018 and I've shared my word publicly, it is my hope that I will truly PAUSE throughout 2018.

May the new year be all that you hope for and may you be your best you!  

No comments: