In 2014, I tried a new-to-me experiment. I picked ONE WORD for the year…but I still set quite a few goals for myself. In 2015, I’m picked just ONE WORD and made no goals. Interestingly, I still “accomplished” quite a bit–paid off our old house, bought a foreclosure, went through Revelation Wellness instructor training, and began a new part-time job with my church directing the children’s ministry. All of these happened because I spent more time listening, being in God’s presence, and following His lead rather than rushing ahead and attempting to set so many goals to fix things myself (ahhh…pride and self-sufficiency).
Now, please hear me. I’m still a big believer in goals. I just realized last year that I have a tendency to seek achievement over being, and I desperately needed to follow the Spirit instead of my goals and to-do lists. This year, I am writing down goals again. However, I refuse to get so caught up in achieving the goals that I don’t listen and follow wherever God leads. Many times (well, most times), His path looks a little different than Stacie’s plans. 🙂
Anyway…I want to challenge you to choose ONE WORD for 2016. How many resolutions have you made over the past years? How many of them can you remember? How many did you stick with? I truly believe if you choose one word for the year, think about it, and filter your experiences through it, you will be changed and remember the word for years to come. My two previous words are stuck in my head forever (2014 – AWAKE, 2015 – POUR).
Words are powerful and focus is powerful. Choosing to focus on just one word is just plain powerful!
One Word to Change Your Year
If you haven’t ever tried the One Word experiment, here are a few steps to get you going (I highly recommend checking out My One Word to walk you through the process more completely):
1) Choose Your Word
Grab a journal or some paper and begin to write down some words that are meaningful to you or that God is speaking to your heart. Sit with those words. Define the words. Use a concordance and find Scriptures related to those words. Pray over those words. Begin to narrow down your list.
You may know right away what your word is–but it may take a few days or even a few weeks to choose it.
2) Remember Your Word
Once you’ve chosen your word, you need to find a way to remember it! Write it on note cards and post them around your house. Be artistic and design a canvas with your word. Add it to your social media profiles. Put it on your computer screen. Set a reminder for it to pop-up daily on your phone. There are tons of ways to keep the word in front of you, so pick a few and get started!
3) Listen…and Obey
When you first choose your word, you may have a pretty good plan for how you think the word is going to apply in your life this year. Be aware! The words we choose can often morph meaning. For example, I chose the word AWAKE in 2014. I had a pretty good idea what I thought that meant for me, but by the end of the year, I realized that God was using the word to make me aware of my tendency to “zone out” on media and not be fully AWAKE and present with my family. Your word may make you uncomfortable or it may show you some areas that God wants to transform. Don’t run or give up on your word–let it set with you for a whole year.
4) Journal Your Journey
Whether you consider yourself a writer or not, I highly recommend choosing a journal and documenting your journey. Write down your experiences…write down your thoughts…write down your hopes…just write! I have found writing to help me process and learn things about myself, my family, and God that I would have missed. It doesn’t have to be extensive or take a ton of time.
5) Invite Others on Your Journey
Share your ONE WORD with others this year and invite them to try it, too. Imagine if everyone in your family or circle of friends or church did this! It would be a great way to find out how someone else is doing and what’s going on with them. I invited several friends to do this with me last year, and more than one told me it was life-changing for them!
Here is a free printable to help you get started on your ONE Word for the year journey.
My One Word
Last year was spent pouring out my hopes, pouring into others, pouring out some of the icky stuff in my heart, pouring encouragement into family and friends, and pouring into my health (yes, my 2015 word was “pour”!). It was definitely a challenging year, and my one word ended up applying in so many different ways than I had planned. Of course!
I wouldn’t change a thing though, and for 2016, I ended up picking another action verb (although I guess it can be a noun, too)!
My word this year is…
FOCUS
I think if you’ve followed any of my blogs for a while, you are quite aware of my scattered tendencies. I love to try new things, but I don’t always stick with them. Just when I get proficient at something, I decide to learn or do something else. I’ve read several books on personality over the past year, so I’ve come to understand that it is actually just part of who I am and how I operate. With that said, I did set a few goals this year, and in order to accomplish them, I will need to focus. To focus is “to pay particular attention to,” so I have four areas I want to work on most:
- Relationships – with God, hubs, kids, and people in my community
- Ministry – with my job at church in children’s ministry and with my newly-formed Revelation Wellness fitness class
- Health – I make two steps forward and one step back in this area. I’m dealing with SIBO, pain in my joints, and fatigue, but I continue to work with my doctor and focus on making stress-management and wellness a priority.
- Blogging – I have several blogging goals this year, and one is to write five eBooks. That’s quite a few for me, so it’s going to take some focus!
I’m excited about my word and 2016! Here we go…
How about it? Have you ever tried this before? Are you in? Please share your word!
Tamika C. says
Interestingly enough, my word for 2016 is also FOCUS. In December 2013 God gave me a word and a scripture that was supposed to be my focus for the year and since then I’ve been choosing a word and scripture every year. Great idea!
amy says
My word for 2016 is also focus! I’m interested in just about everything but I hear God calling me to focus myself this year.
Carmen N says
My word this year is Courage. 2 Timothy 1:7 (NIV) For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.
Kathryn says
Thank you for the printable! I’m looking forward to using it to find my word. On a side note, I have been a subscriber for a while but somehow missed getting your organization printables for 2016. Is there any way I could be sent a new link for them? I checked my spam folder, too. Nothing was there from 12/18. I would appreciate it so much! Happy New Year!
Kathryn says
Oh, Man! I’m so sorry. I sent the wrong comment to you. Thank you for the word printable. I came to you from Morning Motivated Mom and meant the rest of my comment for her. Sorry! Thanks again, though.
Frances says
Self- discipline Titus 2:1-12 NIV. “11 For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. 12 It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,”
It really is along the lines of being focused. I just need to stay on track and get things done. My #1 goal is to stop being a pack rat and purge my home of all the stuff “we might use in the future.”
Gina says
I couldn’t choose only one! 🙂
I chose flourish, fortitude and grounded. Here’s a link to my article: http://wp.me/p4nS4z-nt
Hannah B says
The word that keeps coming to my mind is cadence. I want to find a cadence to my days as a SAHM, with a 4 yr old, 2 yr old, and infant. I need to find a rhythm that will help me keep my house orderly and myself connected to the Lord, my husband, and my children. That is my dream for this year! 😉
Carol Ferrier says
Hi Stacie,
Thanks for sharing about the idea of One Word and what it means for you. I wrote about One Word this year and shared your link as well. I thought you might stop by, read and leave a comment. If you also selected One Word this year I’d love for you to share it.
Warmly,
Carol Ferrier blogger at TheScraproom.blogspot.com