We are in the middle of the silly season and the year is coming to an end. You have been filling your thoughts with your loved ones and wondering what would be the perfect gift to show them how precious they are to you. Christmas is a time of family and friends, a time of love and laughter and more importantly it is a time for living. It is also a time of memories: making them and remembering them. It is a time of year when bygones and regrets are put aside and we just take the time to give of ourselves to those we love, whether that be in presents under the Christmas tree or the precious gift of your time spent with those you love and cherish.
Soon after Christmas it is time for the year to end and for a new year and fresh beginnings to start. It is a time of resolutions and goal settings. It is a time when the mistakes you have made in the year or the paths you missed are put into retrospect and you have new paths before you. For many it can be a time of cross-roads.
For me, 2010 has had its ups and downs. Much of the time it has felt like a year-long roller coaster ride. But like every roller coaster ride at the fairground, the ride must come to an end and you must get off the roller coaster. That time is almost upon us all.
What does 2011 hold for us? What new paths and new adventures will be shown? What goals will light our way? I have been giving this a lot of thought this month. However, being a writer, unless I put what I am thinking into words the thoughts can remain just those … thoughts. Instead I want to make my thoughts about this concrete and breathe life into them. So this brings me to this post.
I am subscribed to a blog of Christine Kane. I receive regular newsletters and posts from this blog and this creative artist and singer never fails to inspire me. The latest one I received this week came with a pdf worksheet. The topic is: Word of the Year. In this worksheet, Christine shares something she was inspired to do annually at this time of the year by a friend of her’s and that was to find a word or words to theme your New Year. So instead of making New Year’s resolutions which never seem to last past January, you choose a word, words or a phrase to guide you down your paths for that year. She tells you to consider 3 elements before you choose your word or your phrase for the year.
- Authenticity – choose a word that is Authentically YOU
- Awareness – be Aware of your Intention to first choose, then live your word
- Clarity – be Clear about the What (your word) and the Why (your motivation)
So, taking the inspiration from Christine Kane I am going to set you all a challenge find Your Word or Phrase for 2010. Write it down in your journal or cut out letters and put it on your cork-board above your desk. Once you have chosen this word:
- Think about why this is the Perfect Word for you this coming year.
- If you embraced and lived this word daily through 2011, what would be different in your life?
- In what way do you already/would you like to live or embody this Word?
- In what ways do you not live or embody this word?
- If you intentionally used this word as your mantra and focus every day of the year, what energy would you attract or create?
- What old patterns or beliefs have kept you from living this word until now?
- List at least 3 things that trigger you to run away from this word – be specific.
- List at least 5 possible “Pattern Interrupt” habits you can practise to counter your triggers in #7.
- List at least 5 new Proactive habits to support your intention to live this word and to inhibit the triggers that may hold you back.
- List 5 goals – big or small – that you would like to accomplish this year in 2011. These goals must be based or rooted in the word/phrase you choose.
- What is your Home Run? The Big Dream for 2011 that is motivated by your word.
- Seal your intention: Call a trusted friend and tell them about Your Word. (Or if you are brave enough, write a blog post about Your Word/Phrase of 2011.)
My Words of 2011 are:
- LIVE
- LAUGH
- LOVE
I am going to take the next week to decide the How’s of these words for my life, my creativity and my goals in 2011 and I will be back to blog about them for the New Year post.
Until then, I wish you all a peaceful Christmas season filled with precious memories and moments punctuated with love, laughter and blessings of abundance.
God Bless.
© All rights reserved Kim Koning.
Related Articles
- Countdowns, Christmas & Closure… (crazygoangirl.wordpress.com)
- The Choice of Words for the Coming Year (confidentwriting.com)
- Is Christmas about Love or Money? (crystalsquest.com)
Kim Koning 
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