Word of the Year

So it is the beginning of 2016 and I'm feeling like my mojo is slowly returning: I'm running again (even logging my miles back on daily mile), I'm wanting to write again, and I'm just feeling overall motivated to make 2016 a great year. 

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So when Liz Lamoreux re-posted a blog post about "word of the year" 
(http://www.lizlamoreux.com/be-present-be-here/a-word-of-the-year-a-practice.html) .  It got me thinking about figuring out my "word of the year".  Despite thinking it was a great idea I was struggling with what the "word" would be.  I just couldn't come up with it and thought here we go again another crazy "chattynatty" idea that isn't going anywhere. 

But then my friend gave me a daily devotional for Christmas and the first day I sat down to read it a word kept on hitting me "PEACE".  This devotional written by Ann Spangler starts on Jan 1 talking about what steps are involved in creating something/anything.  The first step is to "envision exactly what it is you want to create, and second involves making sure that your life is aligned with that vision so that every day you can do something toward achieving your goal."  She later in the page writes "if you want to live a life of greater peace, you need to begin by envisioning what that life will look like". 

Now at first glance I really didn't think "PEACE" was my word of the year, because honestly I'm not a very peaceful person.  I'm a person who is easily agitated, some would call loud, emotional/sensitive, irritable, and constantly moving in multiple directions.  None of these descriptors really are in line with what I think "PEACE" is.  So I didn't really think twice about "PEACE", but then I received an email from First Day Press and they again struck me with having the same main theme of their post "PEACE".  Maybe this was my word. 

I went back to thinking about what Liz said in her post from 2013: "how do you want to feel"- Well I know how I don't want to feel: tired, easily irritated, angry, agitated, stressed, did I say angry (also known as hangry= hungry+ angry). 

At the beginning of this year I felt really irritable and then I felt unhappy because of how agitated and irritated I felt. I was coming off the holiday highs and starting to feel the New Year's blues. Maybe PEACE can help me lose these feelings or at least downgrade their presence in my life.  Now what to do...

In "This is My Year" package Liz has for sale on her website- and no I'm not getting any commission from her just really like this blogger and her shop.  (http://www.soulmantras.com/myyear/this-is-my-year-package) She talks about asking yourself these questions: How do I live in a way that is true to who I really am? What shadows are you living under?  How can you be more true to yourself? 

So I was feeling "PEACE" as my word, but then solidification came two days later when I read devotional on Jan 3 and it talked about "No matter what happens whether life is hard or easy, each of us will enjoy more peace if we can learn to lean into the relationship we have with God our father". 

Further solidified, by finding another blog post  by Little Bits of Granola when looking for meal planning ideas.  One of her highlighted posts was, you guessed it, a post on her "word of the year".  (http://www.littlebitsofgranola.com/2016/01/01/2016-word-of-the-year-intention/).  Side note- guess I am out of it, because unaware of so many people who practiced some form of "word of the year".  This blogger gave the following suggestions in regard to what to do with that "word of the year". 
-"it helps you make decision and act as a reminder of what you want to do and what you want to accomplish"
- she suggested doing a "mind map" adding branches for each area of life you want the "word of the year" to touch
-also to think about how to bring that "word" into each branch of life/area that you want to improve
-then work on creating action steps to make this happen

I plan to do this "mind mapping" exercise in the next few days and hopefully this will give me ideas and direction for my "word of the year" ----PEACE.

If you decide or already have a "word of the year" I'd love to hear it.