I Chose a Word for the Year

Bringing focus to my days helps me accomplish what truly matters.

I talk to myself all day long. Not out loud, of course. I wouldn’t want anyone thinking I was crazy. Inside my head, there are full conversations, musings, and meditations happening constantly. So much so that I don't always know what to focus on in any given moment.

Yesterday I was pondering how I can partner with God in bringing the kingdom of heaven to earth. I have a desire for people living ordinary lives to experience extraordinary peace, joy, and love. I want to see my neighbors and anyone I come in contact with on a daily basis released from bondage, cured from their sicknesses, and healed from their emotional wounds.

Hmmm...Sounds very spiritual, heady, and lofty, doesn’t it?

But I’ll have you know that I was simultaneously considering how to get the laundry done amidst all my other household duties, why in the world I chose to homeschool my children when I’d really rather follow my own whims most of the day, and why I am no longer able to drink milk without immediately having diarrhea. I also wondered how to get my 4-year old to stop teasing her brother, how to persuade my husband to be more romantic, and how to overcome my nervousness about some upcoming events. Add all this to ruminating over regrets from the past, realizing I forgot to take the chicken out of the freezer to thaw, and oh-my-gosh-I’m-gonna-run-out-of-gas on the side of the highway, and it makes for a very interesting thought life. Oh, and all that was before 10am.

Attempting to sort through the wild tangle of thoughts and put the most precious ones down in writing is a challenge. The musings of my heart that I may want to revisit or could possibly help someone else must be written because they are fleeting like the wind. Except when they're not. Sometimes they won’t leave and I’m positively haunted until I write and rewrite and try to make some sense out of the swirling opinions I often hold onto as if they are law.

At the end of last year, I was telling a friend about all this brain madness and she suggested I choose a word for the year to help me concentrate. I read some blogs about choosing a word and, to be honest, it sounded a little too cheesy or hokey for me. And yet, I was also intrigued. Maybe this could work? I decided to give it a whirl. I thought and I thought and I prayed and came up with a word - intentional.

We all have dreams and desires, goals and objectives, but none of them will ever be reached if there is no solid plan of some sort. Having that word, intentional, seriously kept me grounded all year. Every time my thoughts went on a wild goose chase, I asked myself, “Am I being intentional right now?” Or “What is the intention here?” It was extremely helpful in bringing me back to reality and really being able to focus on what was important in that moment or situation. I was able to be intentional about spending time with each of my kids and my husband, I was far more careful about where I put my money, what we worked on for school, and even caring for the belongings in my home. Of course, having this word did not bring perfection, but it allowed me to be centered, to train my mind on what I truly purposed to do rather than be all over the place and then feel like I wasted my days.

So as the new year is upon us, I chose a new word for 2021 - cultivate. As I prayed and considered a new word, I decided I wanted to be more disciplined this year in developing some new and better habits. But I also know that I can be hard on myself so I needed something that wasn’t going to feel harsh or leave me feeling scolded. Cultivate is related to nurture, encourage, enrich, and prepare. That’s more gentle and I know I will need to be gentle on myself in 2021 while also challenging myself. I love this word and how it also makes me think of gardens. I love to garden too so it’s a match!

Will “intentional” go away? Certainly not! It’s still there in the background. I’m simply adding another layer to help me focus even more this year.

Have you ever chosen a word for the year? How does it work for you? Let me know in the comments.