and I'm back today to share the 2nd part of the extra long blog post and give you a little more insight into my selection as well as share with you an amazing resource I have found. So let's start with the resource first…
In 2011 I chose "FRESH" and called my "word for the year" my "focus word".
I skipped right over even picking a word in 2012 and then...
I selected the word PUSH for 2013; referring to it this time as my "action" word.
I was thinking this whole brilliant concept of choosing a specific word every year to help stay focused or motivated was something that only I was doing. Then... I discovered something in December... the resource I promised to share with you...
I highly encourage you to get lost in Ali's blog...
and maybe you'll be inspired to sign up for the "One Little Word Workshop" too?
I think the workshop is going to be a great tool for me this year as I focus on my #olw.
Okay…now onto the "insight" portion of my post:
I can tell you I NEED my "one little word" this year in a really bad way! I was originally thinking I had come up with NAVIGATE all on my own but I'm starting to believe I have been on a journey towards this word for some time now. (and maybe it found me?)
To be honest, the day I determined what my word should be a completely different word popped into my head while I was in the shower later that day. (I do a whole lot of thinking when I'm in there for some reason - in fact, I often find I wish I had a waterproof notepad I could put within my reach because I'm typically reaching for my phone - praying I don't drip water all over it - so I can hurry and use the "Voice Memo" feature to record my idea before I forget it). Anyone else do that?
Anyway, despite the shower inspiration, I stuck with my original word NAVIGATE and later that day I was reading through Lara Casey's blog - this post specifically - and when the idea of picking a "song for the year" was mentioned I thought - "Great idea! I'm so on this" - because you all know how much I love music and I'm inspired by it all. of. the. time. Ironically though, the song Lara personally chose is a song my girls and I happened upon a few weeks back on our way to church one day. While we were driving that day it came on and I shazamed it, later downloaded it from iTunes and have been singing it in the car and at the house ever since. It's called "Oceans". When Lara mentioned it in her blog post I was like, "Oh cool! That's the song the girls and I found recently!" And then is struck me like a bolt of lightning! HELLO!? Oceans? Navigate? I knew right then with all of this talk of "sea captain" and "ships" and "vessels" and "finding my way" that not only was NAVIGATE absolutely meant to be my word for 2014 but "Oceans" is definitely meant to be my song. It couldn't be more perfect, actually!
Check out some of the lyrics:
You call me out upon the waters
the great unknown - my feet may fail
And there I find you in the mystery
in oceans deep - my faith will stand
Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders
Let me walk upon the waters
Let me walk upon the waters
Wherever You would call me
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger...
How cool is that whole connection? I'd found my song weeks before and didn't even know it!? I think when stuff like that happens it's kind of freaky-cool.
So with all of that said, I have been agonizing over some things that have been REALLY eating away at me for the last few years. yes, I said years. I've pushed the feelings to the side or just simply didn't have time to deal with them and will admit I didn't have the tools to effectively deal with them. And that doesn't mean I'm saying I have the tools now. All I know is I'm coming across as being rather vague to say the least, but these are all thoughts about my business, my life, my family, my relationships, the direction I'm going, the person I am, the mother I am, my children, my blog, my creative energy, my faith…it's about ALL of it.
I have a secret too. I don't trust my "gut" or my "heart" or my "intuition". Situations from the past, truthfully only the last 8 or 9 years, have scarred me in an almost debilitating way. Many times situations I attempted to remedy or major life decisions I have had to make ended up with dramatically different results than my innocent little heart could have ever expected. I'm not sure if it's that the results were "bad" per se but just that they were much different than I had anticipated and the feelings from the results were kind of foreign so I just wasn't sure how to really handle these particular things. (and still don't know on
So…another "freaky-cool" thing occurred - I was side-swiped by inspiration from ANOTHER song just the other morning - a very unexpected song. It's a song I've heard many, many times through the years and to be honest I never paid attention to the lyrics because the voice of the person singing it kind of annoys me. I usually skip right over the song to avoid having to hear it which makes the fact that I was listening to the lyrics the other morning quite bizarre. Please don't think I'm crazy but it's another freaking Disney song
Where Do I Go From Here
They do what they must for now
And trust in their plan
If I trust in mine, somehow I might find who I am
CHORUS
But where do I go from here?
So many voices ringing in my ear
Which is the voice that I was meant to hear?
How will I know?
Where do I go from here?
My world has changed and so have I
I've learned to choose
And even learned to say goodbye
The path ahead is so hard to see
It winds and bends but where it ends
Depends on only me
In my heart I don't feel part of so much I've known
Now it seems it's time to start,
A new life on my own
It's so crazy how perfectly the lyrics tie into the place I'm at in my life right now. "So many voices ringing in my ear…which is the voice I'm meant to hear? - the whole "not-trusting-my-gut" thing.
If you didn't recognize it, that song was from the Disney movie Pocahontas. Wow, right?
As you can see I've got some serious navigating to do.
I cannot continue to spin in circles or doubt my decisions. I've got to get to a different place.
So here's the Art Print again I shared the other day…
Now that you FULLY know the significance of my selection of the word NAVIGATE, does it look different to you? I love it. And I will navigate my way through the waters….darn it!
Here's what I think the word NAVIGATE will enCOMPASS for me over the next year…*wink*
Stay on COURSE - move past the
Stay calm in the storm and focused on the LIGHTHOUSE guiding me. (my faith)
FIND my way.
MOVE towards simplicity.
Self-DISCOVERy
SAIL beyond my limitations.
CHART out my course to arrive at my ultimate destination.
Manage my relationships with my "CREW" - my kids.
Control my COURSE or position...
EXPLORE all of my options...
Be ANCHORED in who I am...
TRAVEL forward fearlessly
Maintain good care of my VESSEL - my body, mind and spirit
MAP out my everyday tasks to ensure I'm intentional with my time.
Keep the WIND in my sails - by taking time for me
CAST my net in the right places for ongoing inspiration
Throw the unnecessary things OVERBOARD.
Stop WALKING THE PLANK with overcommitting, guilt, should-haves, comparing, negativity, fear, inhibitions, etc.
Be the STEWARD of my relationships, my business, my focus…my life!
And lastly, find creative ways to log my journey - I'll call these my CAPTAIN'S LOGS - Ha! My grandfather actually kept one of these in the foyer of his home to log visits from guests he and my grandmother had. His service in the Navy always kept him a sailor I guess. *wink*
I kind of like the thought of being a sailor myself this next year, like my grandpa was. You all know how he was my hero. (See this post and THIS POST), If I do well enough, I may jump rank and actually BE the captain of my ship when it's all said and done. He'd be really proud of me for that!
KEEPiNG iT REAL
I might be counting on hardly anyone reading this post since it's so long-winded.
Therapeutically speaking, it would kind of be nice to be able to put this all out there on the blog like I have today but not really have anyone read it because GOSH! That's a lot of stuff I shared! *blushing*
SCHTUFF DRIVING ME NUTS RIGHT NOW:
1. Leftover crafting stuff all over the studio.
2. Christmas decor that still needs to be put away.
3. Three large trash bags filled with stuffed animals and baby dolls that I collected from Ella's room the other day (promising her I wasn't throwing it away…but REALLY wanting to take it to the curb - and yes, instead of being politically correct and saying I'd like to donate the items to charity I'm telling you I just want it all in the trash. I want it gone. I don't want to put it in my car or wait for it to be picked up by a local charity truck, I want it gone now - forgive me for not being concerned today about our landfills).
4. Thanksgiving decor STILL stacked on a small table in the hallway leading to the garage - still waiting to be packed away and stuck back in the attic.
5. Thank You cards that have been signed by Ella and are waiting to be put into the envelopes that still haven't been addressed.
6. Half finished projects.
7. Projects that haven't been started.
8. A printer that hasn't been working properly for over 2 months now - it makes some loud, awful sound every time you print with it and doesn't feed the paper correctly.
9. An exercise ball in my office I'm using in place of a chair because my back aches terribly if I sit for extended periods of time. (Heck, my back hurts no matter what I do anymore).
10. Piles of paperwork I don't want to go through sitting on my desk - getting in my way, no less.
I could go on but I won't…because I'm going to NAVIGATE my way through everything and all will be well!
Have a great weekend everyone.
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