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| Photo by Catherine Singleton via Creative Commons |
Instead of making a New Year's Resolution, I adopt a Word of the Year. If you have not heard of this concept, you can read this post by Jess at her blog Cultivate & Navigate.
Basically, selecting a Word of the Year (WOTY) helps people to avoid failing in the ways the New Year's Resolutions often end up. Instead of focusing on a specific behavior, the WOTY (aka focus word) can take on different shapes and meanings over twelve months. It's an act of meditation that encourages changes in thoughts, words, and behavior. What that looks like specifically can transform from day to day.
I like that better. When I selected a New Year's Resolution, I often gave up four to six weeks into the year. Over the last nine years, I persist through the entire year thinking about my focus word.
I usually pick something that will stretch me. I may not always incorporate the focus word into my character completely, but I usually learn a lot about myself and adopt some strategies for self-improvement along with self-awareness.
I will, however, confess that last year's attempt for adopting meekness was a total failure.
I had no idea how deeply I strive to profess my strengths. I do think this has a lot to do with childhood trauma as well a the fact that I move around a lot and seek to establish my credibility in a new neighborhood, congregation, work place, and city. I want people to know right away that I have some strengths that can benefit the communities that I am joining.
(I understand that what looks like confidence is really fueled by some deep insecurities. UGH!)
I was hoping that over the last twelve months that I could move the needle a bit on being more meek. Instead, I mainly learned in technicolor how this is a huge stumbling block for me.
This makes me more grateful for friends who stay by my side despite my tendency to be competitive and to declare my skills and my knowledge. I think they can see that under all that bravado, I can be a caring, service-oriented person. Again, I am very grateful for my friends--long term ones and brand new ones--that offer me grace.
I'm an oldest child, a teacher, and not a part-time librarian. I'm an insufferable know it all! GAH!
This January, I picked up my set of flashcards that contain about fifty Christ-like virtues and thumbed through them: charity, faith, patience, reverence, etc. As I was thinking about a word that could help "level up" a bit over the year.
Even though this word wasn't listed on my flashcards, the word LISTEN popped into my mind. Oh, that's a good focus word. And it is going to be a challenge. I might have to carry around some duct tape to help me.
Right after I selected it, I did some journaling about this word to explore some of the complexities and nuances of the virtue of listening. It may be that during 2026, I will primarily learn how bad I am at this character trait as well, but isn't recognition the first step of repentance?
Related
(You can infer my weaknesses by thinking of the antonym, with the exception of community; I excel at that; however, I moved in Dec of 2023, so I was focused on rebuilding community in a new state):
2000 WOTY: Humility and Compassion
2019? (I cannot find my 2019 WOTY on this blog or on the Segullah blog.)
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