Tag Archives: intentions

Enliven me, 2019!

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It’s that time again! Time for me to reflect on the past year, and time for me to choose my One Little Word to guide me throughout the year ahead. You may remember this practice from a post last year.  This year, I’m doing a bit more reflection than usual, and will engage with Ali Edwards in her One Little Word class. It will allow me to intentionally live and express my word and create something meaningful that will last a lifetime and beyond.

But first, a wrap up. Last year’s word was Create and I feel like I want to remember a few things that stand out as I reflect on this word.

I created an environment that inspired and supported my creativity. My office/studio is totally fresh and new, and I enjoy every moment I spend here.

I created spaciousness in my closets and drawers and files and cabinets. And maybe even more importantly, I created spaciousness in my schedule.

I created opportunities to build my business in new ways and increase my income.

I created scrapbook layouts and mini albums for myself and for others.

I helped to create Hygge in our home, and created beautiful spaces for us to enjoy every day.

I created new systems and processes to manage the workflow, which inspired new systems and processes for the near year to come.

I created opportunities to partner and create with others, to celebrate with friends and to enjoy the place we live and the places we love to visit even more.

I created a deeper love and trust in my relationships, leaning in to my own authentic voice and listening for that voice in others.

There’s even more, but I feel like you get the picture and I’ve documented enough to be able to reflect even more on this first day of a brand new year.

After much thought, the word I’ve chosen this year is Enliven. I was leaning toward another “E-Word” (Enough) when I received an email from my team leader at inviteCHANGE, where I am a part of an amazing group of coaches. She wrote, “Congratulations Laurie and it’s so fun to witness you enlivened and vital!”

When I am feeling enlivened, I am exhilarated and feel like I am operating at my highest potential. It’s a total elevation – a place I rise up to. And I think it is there that I am the most inspired and intuitive, probably because I’m connected to my magical child. I want to connect with her much more often.

After seeing mentor’s email, I knew that Enliven was just the right word for me in 2019. So, I’m going to take this on and carry it with me. Who knows what this new year will bring? How can it be anything but spectacular with this One Little Word by my side?

What’s Your One Little Word?

 

 

My wish for you in 2012

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This is one of my favorite times of the year.  A chance for me to purge the old and welcome new possibilities exists in this somewhat magical gap between one calendar year and the next.  We incorporate many rituals in my household, including those that are familiar like eating black-eyed peas and not putting up new calendars until after midnight. We also cleanse old energy from our home by lighting a smudge stick of sage and cedar and passing it through each room of the house. We put dimes under our threshold for prosperity and we open the windows in the East just before midnight to allow fresh, creative air to pass through our home, ensuring a successful and adventurous year. If our pantry is full at midnight, we believe we won’t hunger in the near year so grocery shopping is essential if our stores are low.

As 2011 comes to a close and 2012 begins, millions of us will take at least a few moments at some point or another to reflect on our accomplishments, our challenges and our hopes for the year ahead. Resolutions and intentions abound in the minds of those who strive to change old habits or create new ones. Fears about whether those resolutions will stick surface in our thoughts as we silently wonder if this will be the year we achieve our ideal weight or pay off debt. Self deprecating thoughts sneak in unbidden, yet familiar. Whether this review is something you enjoy or dread depends largely on the process and your state of mind going into the review.

This year, I used a process created by Rosetta Thurman, the Happy Black Woman. Her Review/Preview questions were similar to the ones I usually use and allowed me to feel complete about letting go of the old and embracing the new.  I value her work and hope you’ll take a look at her blog here.

I’m not a huge fan of resolutions. I do think an intentional practice of considering what’s working and what isn’t is important. Change isn’t always easy to maintain so don’t be hard on yourself.

I do know one thing for sure – if you do what you’ve been doing, you’ll get the same results. If you’re really happy where you are, you’ll be all set and probably don’t have need for a long list of resolutions.  If you want something better in your life, change something – even something small. Often, the mere fact that you take one baby step causes a momentum that will surprise you.

In my opinion, another really important piece about this process is the ability to see that there is possibility. I’d like to share a quote that closes one of my favorite novels – Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. The characters have both been on an incredible adventure that altered the course of their lives significantly. They overcame huge obstacles and found that they were completely in love and felt incredible hope for their future together. The author closes the book with this one very simple and yet powerful thought expressed by the narrator of their story.

“And the world was all around us, new with possibility.”

May the possibilities of 2012 be more than you could ever have imagined for yourself.