“Approach the new year with resolve to find the opportunities hidden in each new day.” ~Michael Josephson
Choose a word. That’s the advice that’s been going around on the internet and with self help blogs and books. Don’t worry about making long lists of New Year’s Resolutions. Go short. Very short. Distill your resolutions down to one word. One word to remember throughout the year to make life for you and yours better.
Do you know how hard it is for a wordy person like me to come up with one word? To eliminate all those other words and settle on only one word?
Writers are sometimes asked to distill their novels down to two or three sentences. Even better, make it one snappy sentence that holds the essence of the 100,000 words you’ve written to tell that story. One snappy sentence without a lot of ands to keep the ideas running along. I’m terrible at doing that. I want to tell more. I want to tell it all. I think wait, there’s more to the story. Thousands more sentences.
So telling me to settle on one word is asking a lot, but it’s a popular way to stay focused on your resolve, whatever it is. Focus could be my word. Focusing on goals and shutting out distractions sounds good. Or what about hope? Hope is powerful. Hope keeps us working, loving, doing. See, I’ve turned hope into three extra words. But love has to be good. If I let the word love rule my days in 2019 won’t I be happier and the people around me happier too? But somehow that seems too general. Lacks that focus I need for the year.
Joy is a favorite word. Take joy in each day. Find joy in every activity. Expect joy. Put joy in my stories.
I could choose the word write. I need to write a book. But how would that relate to other parts of my life?
Listen. I like that one. Listen, really listen to those I’m with. Don’t always be wanting to push my words over theirs. Listen to the world of nature around me. Listen for guidance from the Lord. Listen for my story and the voices of my characters. Listen for new ideas. Listen for the truth in what I see, read, or hear.
So maybe I’ll test out listen this week. See if it could be my one word resolution.
What one word would you choose or have you chosen this year or in past years?
As always, thanks for reading. See, there’s another good word I could pick. Gratitude. I am grateful for each of you who read my words and join in with the conversation here from time to time.
Comments 18
Love all these “one wor” resolutions. Jotted them all down. 😊
I’m way behind in reading my emails as you can see! However, I like your “one word” suggestion—KISS (silly). Don’t care for the word “stupid” in this an-acronym. My word is “exercise”. To do the exercise faithfully that my PT gave to me to do 3 to 4 years ago (almost). Here it is almost halfway through January and I haven’t started them yet!!! 🙄😕🤭
Author
Then exercise is a good word for you, Karen. My PT daughter would tell you the exercises don’t help unless you do them. She sees the difference exercise and staying active makes in the people she sees every day. I should be more diligent in doing the ones she suggest to help me. But there as many ways you can think about exercise besides just doing exercises. We can exercise patience or kindness. We can exercise our brains and read or do new things. I’m sure you can think of more ways. Glad you enjoyed the one word resolution ideas. And KISS isn’t bad. For those of you who don’t know some say that stands for Keep It Simple, Stupid. Maybe we can substitute Sally or Stanley instead of saying stupid, Karen.
“SILLY” was my substitution. 😊😇😁
Author
Silly works. But I like Simon. Keep it simple, Simon. Might not make sense, but it sounds good. LOL.
Oh, I like “Simon” much better than “silly”! Thanks! Happy New Year!!!
🎉🎉🎉
The word I picked this year was Listen. I chose this word because it’s one thing I need to work on. I need to learn to speak less and listen more. I think listening will enrich my relationships with not only my family and friends, but also with God.
Author
You and I are sort of on the same path here, Katrina. I think the word listen can touch so many parts of my life as I go through the year to come. Listen and learn.
Grace.
Often that is a hard one to give and receive. And grace can cover all those other aspects of our lives like writing and listening and, well, doing life.
Thanks for the walk through your words, Ann. Our word for you is Love. Gobs and gobs of love!
Author
And Grace is such a perfect word for you, Kristy. Grace, grace, God’s amazing grace. You leave a shining trail of grace wherever you go and in your words too.
If any of you are writers, you may enjoy checking out Kristy’s blog posts, or even if you aren’t writers. She has a beautiful way with words. http://writeonereallife.fistbump.press/
You can also find her work on Kentuckymonthly.com http://www.kentuckymonthly.com/topics/kristy_robinson_horine/
These posts are about all sorts of Kentucky topics. All so fun and inspiring to read.
Appreciate.
Appreciate life, appreciate the simple things, appreciate family and friends.Appreciate everything, large and small.
Author
That’s a good one to choose, Lisa. Appreciate. So many things in my life and my world to appreciate and a good thing to remember each and every morning.
I had a wonderful pastor many years ago who regularly did a sermon series titled “The Cycle of Victorious Living”, and Commit, Trust, Delight, Rest were the four parts of that cycle. He began preaching that when his son was one of the hostages held by the Iranian government, and it was a blessing to all of us who listened to him and watched him as he and his wife lived what he preached. Incredible people! Any one of those words would be an excellent choice as a resolution, wouldn’t they?
Author
That is so inspiring, Patricia, and you’re right. Each of those words are good ones to dwell upon as you go through a new year. Victorious living. What a wonderful testimony your pastor had to be able to focus of victory while worrying about his son. Living what he preached surely influenced many in his congregation or who knew him. Thanks for sharing that.
I was writing words down one Sunday morning during the sermon. ( from the sermon) The word that I settled on was Rejoice!
There was a quiz I took to tell what your word should be but It wasn’t the same word. I’ll stick with rejoice.
Author
Rejoice! What a great word to choose, Paula. To live rejoicing every day. That’s a line in the hymn “Oh Happy Day.” We sing that at church sometimes. I hope you have much to rejoice in 2019.
One word…Nehemiah.
I want to be like Nehemiah. Nehemiah practiced the 4 Ps… Prayer, Patience, Perseverance and Praise.
That’s 4 words…but Nehemiah was all, rolled into one. This world needs more like Nehemiah 🙂
Author
That’s a great idea, Lavon, and one I would have never considered. The 4 Ps – Prayer, Patience, Perseverance and Praise. I need to reread the book of Nehemiah. We do certainly need more of the 4 Ps. I may include that in our church’s bulletin this Sunday. Thanks for the idea.