Word of the Year
Every year I choose a word for the upcoming 365 days of my life. This word will live at the forefront of my mind and help guide me to what the year is going to become. One year my word was “Brave”, and because of that word I tried things that scared me, and you know what? Things happened. Some things worked out, some things didn’t but it was pretty incredible how that single word helped to define that year of huge growth for me both personally and in business.
The year I decided to stop working and stay home with my kids was “Trust”. I was letting go of what I thought my life should look like and instead giving my dreams to God, trusting that his purpose was higher than mine. That was a hard year, but I learned so much by slowing down and being present with my kids every day. Last year the word was “Awaken”. The verse in Pslam with the cry of “Awake my soul!” guided me that year. I started to do things for me and ask myself what I wanted to do instead of what others needed me to do. Truth is, I got a little lost in being at home with my kids all the time. Don’t get me wrong it was still a great year, but I did put myself way on the back burner of priority. The hardest part was they never asked me to do that. Looking back now I know that had I taken better care of myself that year at home my kids would have benefited so much more. It’s like I tell my kids all the time: We’re all learning here.
This year my word is “Move”. I didn’t have a specific verse for the year, but I knew as the calendar flipped to 2025 that this year would be one of movement and change. It started with my husband deploying in January. After I dropped the kids off at school that first day he was gone I went into the garage and cried my eyes out as I did push-up after push-up. At the beginning of this year I had to move to keep myself from simply sitting down and crying all day. Bit by bit it got a little easier, and now here we are, almost halfway done with the deployment. I am still moving, but now it’s in other areas of my life. It’s too early to see what is going to happen, but I am excited. Maybe it’s because it’s spring but the dismantlement of the status quo feels nice after a stuffy winter. The garden is being planted and there is finally space for new things to take root and grow. The funny thing is that all of these words kind of go together. To be able to move you need trust, to be able to trust you need to be awake and to do any of this you have to be brave. I guess that’s what life is though right, moving along one word on top of another, one year after the next. It’s building upon each and every lesson and experience we have along the way.
And all it takes to start is to move.
-HR