I lived a hundred different lives in 2015. The adventurous expat, the patient teacher, the homesick little girl, the intrepid world traveler, the anxiety-ridden dependent, the supportive wife, the optimistic partner, the heartbroken friend. I have felt a hundred incongruous emotions — hopeful and discouraged, excited and apathetic, inspired and utterly disengaged, generous and self-protective, joyful and bitterly sad. I’ve traveled through 7 countries and made a 6,000 mile move. Each separate life and identity is self-contained like a square on a quilt, inextricably connected to the whole and meaningless without it.
I move forward into 2016 marked by the experiences of this past year and of all the years that came before it. I carry them with me like the very cells of my body. Who I am today is shaped by what I did yesterday and last year and in the years before that. But who I will be tomorrow depends on what I choose to do with today.
There are dozens of ways I’d like to change, but when I think of all the things I need to do better I don’t feel inspired to step into a new year – I feel too overwhelmed to even know where to start. I need to eat better, to exercise more, to drink more water, to be less selfish, to love better, to make more time for writing, to travel, to explore, to learn a new language or skill, to be a better friend, to volunteer, to blog more consistently, to stop whining so much, to pray more, to be more organized.
Last year I abandoned my list of resolutions in favor of just One Word. The idea of One Word is to get rid of your list and to choose a single word to focus on for a whole year. “One word that sums up who you want to be and how you want to live.”
In 2015, I chose the word “Wholehearted.” It was a big word that encompassed an entire way of looking at the world. I’m not finished with wholeheartedness – becoming wholehearted is a lifelong journey – but I have chosen a new word to represent 2016. My word is Mindfulness.
Mindfulness is “a state of active, open attention on the present. Instead of letting your life pass you by, mindfulness means living in the moment and awakening to experience.” Mindfulness is something I profess to believe in deeply, but fail to put into practice.
From the time I was a young child I learned to disassociate. This began as a coping mechanism for me, a way of dealing with my anxiety, but it grew into a habit. There is a restlessness in me that causes me to grow bored and discontented easily, and when I’m no longer entertained, challenged, or excited, I tend to disengage.
There is nothing more terrifying to me than the thought of living an ordinary life, but most of life is made of ordinary moments. How much of mine do I miss by checking out and simply going through the motions while I dream of being somewhere else? This year, I want to learn to be present for my own life.
The poet Mary Oliver writes often about what it means to pay attention to the world. In her famous poem “The Summer Day” she writes:
I don’t know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn’t everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?
I believe that nothing is without meaning if we only pay attention to it. And I believe that I can waste my one wild and precious life not through big mistakes, but through day after day of failing to pay attention and just going through the motions.
I am setting my intention this year on just one thing – growing in Mindfulness. I will choose to be present for my every day life. I want to learn to see the extraordinary wrapped up in my ordinary days and to collect evidences of grace that shine true even when the days are dark.
If you’ve chosen One Word for 2016, leave a comment below and share what you chose and what it means to you.
Gratitude. Because it’s easy to take life for granted. And when bits of life are falling to pieces, and I’m holding brokenness in my hands, it’s easiest to look for someone to blame rather than something to be grateful for.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Yes and Amen. Always. 🙂
LikeLike
My word is ‘Connected’. I want to be connected to myself, all of it, learning to be alone is a challenge for me, to my world (mindfulness is part of that), to other people, being truly present with them, and to my God.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I like how you mentioned being connected to yourself as well as to others, to the world, and to God. I think people overlook the fact that we can be disconnected from our own selves, and if you aren’t aware of what you’re thinking and feeling and your own spiritual health, you can’t possibly connect well with others. I think true connection requires authenticity. Thanks for sharing!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Brave. I want to be braver than I have ever been & risk taking chances I’d not normally take, especially for myself.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I thought about “Courage” for a while as mine. I’m finding lately that it takes a particular sort of courage to live an ordinary life well. I hope you surprise yourself this year!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Reblogged this on sipofsunshine.
LikeLike
I made a blog post about this! I love your idea. My word is “breathe,” something I so often forget to do.
LikeLiked by 1 person
So cool, Meg. Why don’t you add the link to your post in a comment so others can read it if they want. 😉 And Breathe is a great word – so necessary for a healthy life, but so easy to forget.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Just did! Thank you!
LikeLike
Perfect! 🙂
LikeLike
Come check out my response post!
http://meginwriting.com/2016/01/01/hopes-for-2016/
LikeLiked by 1 person
You have such talent as a writer. I really enjoyed reading your post! Right before I moved to Nepal last July my grandpa asked me what “mindful” meant to me. The difference in my answer then and now after 5 months of “developing country living” has changed drastically! Keep up the good work!!
LikeLike
Thank you! I can’t imagine how much your perspective has shifted since being in Nepal. I was living in Korea for the past two years which isn’t considered a “developing country”but still changed my perspective on so many things.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Mindfulness.Yes! Tried to get my head around this one last year and tried too hard-which is kind of the opposite of being in the moment.May join you on this one-but am thinking of “Just Breathe”which is two words really!
LikeLike
Haha. I totally get that trying to hard thing. I think I bit off an awful lot with “wholeheartedness” last year. The thing I like about mindfulness is that it’s more of an intention than an action. I’m thinking of starting a blog series where I blog about different ways I’m practicing mindfulness throughout the year.
LikeLiked by 2 people
That sounds excellent.I am still mindfully putting my foundation on with the super sponge by the way-great tip!
LikeLike
That thing is no joke. It’s changed my makeup game forever. 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
My word is “sunshine”, I would like to be consistent one year again, to warm around friends, and positive to face challenge.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sunshine makes me think of when the sun’s rays peek through a cloud and you realize how powerful its light is. Very cool word.
LikeLiked by 1 person
My word is perseverance for the New Year and mindfulness ….Your post is an amazing and interesting read.
https://woodandsplinters.wordpress.com
LikeLike
Thank you! Love your word. There are so many things in life that we just have to commit to sticking with it before we can judge the outcome.
LikeLike
Lily, I am amazed and left in awe every time I read one of your blogs or writings. Maybe in part it is because I knew you as a tiny child and you are that little niece of mine and it makes me proud. Or maybe it is because people your age, these days, don’t have the insight or the interest in life that you do. Maybe it is just that you are just such a gift from God and He uses you to inspire us who are privileged to read what you put in paper. Either way, I am always amazed and enjoy your words and want to say thank you for sharing. And I don’t have my One Word yet. But when I do I will share. Happy New Year!
LikeLike
Thank you, Aunt Kim. I really appreciate your constant encouragement and I love knowing that you enjoying what I share. Happy New Year!
LikeLike
Hi, my word for 2016 is ‘Bewustzijn’, a Dutch word which means something like awareness, consciousness or even mindfulness. It has to do with growing my perception of living in the moment, the power of now,
LikeLike
Ah Ben. There you go trumping us all with your fancy Dutch word. 😉 Sounds like you and I are looking for some of the same things out of 2016. I hope it’s something we can both grow in.
LikeLike
😉 choosing the Dutch word had to do with my poor English. Bewustzijn is a multi layered word, with several meanings and associations, and i couldn’t find the proper translation to cover for it.
LikeLike
Fair enough. I love how different languages have words that are so complex they don’t have exact translations into English or other languages. In Korean there’s a word that means something like, “when all the leaves change colors in the fall.” I love that. PS – Your books are on the way, but since it’s international shipping they might not get there til February.
LikeLike
That korean word must be very beautiful, I really like the beauty of nature in autumn. I love languages, and looking at different meanings of words. Thanks for sending the books, I’ll be looking out for them and let you know when they arrive.
LikeLike
I think the word is 단풍 (dan-poong). I think it works as a noun so you could basically say “The color of the leaves in the fall is one of my favorite things” by saying “단풍 is one of my favorite things.” I also think languages are fascinating.
LikeLike
Even the image of these letters is beautiful, almost like an architectural sketch. That is also one of the things I like about hebrew letters 😉
LikeLike
My word for 2015 was ‘awareness’ which is quite akin to ‘mindful’.
For 2016 i choose ‘align’…aligning my mind and body so that i can give the best of myself to myself and my near and dear ones.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I like that. “Align” makes me think of unity too. Like unity between your heart and mind and body as well as in your relationships. Happy New Year and thank you for sharing!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think my word would be “content.” This last year I planned a lot for the future and many things didn’t pan out how I wanted. I was discontent with the life I was living and had my heart broken because I put so much hope in the future. This year, while pursuing my passions and future, I still want to be content with where God has put me: In the now.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I was just responding to another comment saying how much I struggle with this. One of my goals in pursuing mindfulness this year is to let my attention to the present grow peace and contentment in me. I realized that as I looked forward into 2016, I wasn’t feeling excited at all. In fact, I felt disappointed. Having just come off of two years of living abroad, traveling, and having lots of new experiences, the prospect of being in the same place and doing the same thing for the next year felt stifling. And yet, I am convicted by how ungrateful this is, especially when it’s so clear that this is where God has called us for this season. In the last season, I would get homesick and long to just be home. Now that I’m back in America, I long to be abroad again. It seems pretty obvious that the problem isn’t really where I am, it’s my own heart. I hope and pray both of us can grow in contentment this year!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Present. I am always looking forward or backward when I truly need to be present and find peace in the now
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes. This is a huge problem for me too – very much related to “mindfulness.” I want to practice being attentive to my life instead of always thinking about the past or the future. I want to learn contentment.
LikeLike
Exactly! My blog post last night was about exactly this!
LikeLike
🙂
LikeLike
Two words, actually. Fearless growth – to stop overthinking things and possible situations, cast aside all doubts and apprehensions, and to let nothing stop me from fulfilling my dreams. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow. What a bold and beautiful ambition. Because you are right that growth takes a lot of courage. Wishing you the best as you take bold leaps of faith this year!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I just did this! More out of curiosity- my word for the year is enjoy. I have a habit of getting too caught up in my life I forget to enjoy what’s around me.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I know exactly what you mean. Sometimes I get so caught up in the doing that I don’t take the time to sit back, appreciate, and just enjoy what’s right in front of me. I hope this year is full of simple moments of joy for you!
LikeLike
Thank you very much. Even tho we have different words I hope through our blogs we can still support each other!
LikeLike
I look forward to it!
LikeLike
Focus 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Such a great goal – especially for someone like me who is pretty easily distracted. I hope you achieve what you set your mind to!
LikeLike
The word “hope” kept coming to me for last year (even though I chose a different word originally!). I don’t have one for this year yet. I like Mary Oliver’s poetry too. Happy New Year, Lilly.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I also felt like hope became an important theme for me towards the end of 2015. I considered it as my word for 2016 as well. I’ve actually got a hope-themed tattoo in the works for this year, so I suppose that means it will be one of my rest-of-my-life words.
LikeLike
Courage – I made a lot of courageous changes this year in my personal life and I hope to make more. I want my one word for the New Year to be courage. I want to continue to make bold choices to hopefully better my life even further than before. Thank you for the push to reflect! Sometimes resolutions can become so daunting.
Happy New Year! xoxo
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wishing you extraordinary courage this year, Jackie! Thanks for sharing. Happy New Year!
LikeLiked by 1 person
WORK! Just that this year I will put all my force into my passions, not in working 12+ as a employee for close to no money!
LikeLike
I totally understand this. So much better to pursue your passions than to use all of your precious energy doing things that suck your soul. Good luck!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Love your idea about choosing a word. I didn’t make resolution but set some goals. My resolution word has to be Happiness and I working on a Happiness series, Mindfulness said to be a component. . . . just saying
LikeLike
That makes sense. I did a whole series last year on gratitude and how practicing gratitude changes our hearts and helps us experience more joy. But practicing gratitude sort of starts with mindfulness too – paying attention to the world around you. Happiness and Gratitude and Mindfulness seem pretty interconnected when you think about it. 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
Excellent word of the year choice! I chose Abundance for my word this year. I’ve been doing this since 2014 and so far Acceptance and Gratitude have graced me with so much knowledge and new experiences. Best wishes on your year of Mindfulness (I was taught this by a therapist to help with my depression.. it saved my life!).
LikeLike
I did a whole blog series on gratitude last year and definitely saw a difference in my outlook on life. I think there’s a really cool progression in your words – acceptance (stop struggling for things you can’t change and be content), gratitude (be grateful for the gifts you have) and Abundance (now that you’ve accepted your life as it is and practice gratitude your eyes are opened to the abundance of grace and goodness in your life). Maybe that’s not how you see it, that’s just what I thought of when I read your words. 😉 Mindfulness has been recommended to me as a way to combat my anxiety. I’m hopeful it will help this improve for me this year!
LikeLike
Thank you for this! I loved your opening words so much they inspired me to write a quick post of my own. It’s over here http://wp.me/p4dTKj-q6
LikeLike
Thanks so much for sharing this! I loved it!
LikeLike
Intentional. (About who I spend my time with, what I read, how I parent, what I write, how I engage online, etc).
Good luck with Mindfulness — great word!
BTW, I love that poem, too 🙂
LikeLike
I think Intentional and Mindful are really closely related. Wanting to engage your mind fully in what you are doing and not to do things without purpose. Good luck to you this year!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks! You, too.
LikeLike
I love this post- reading it felt like someone was in my head putting thoughts to paper finally. This concept is fantastic. I definitely will be doing some reflection to come up with a word for myself. Thank you so much for sharing this!
LikeLike
You’re welcome. Thanks so much for reading! I’d love to hear what word you choose!
LikeLike
Love your word and why you chose it. I felt the same way in 2015 and then I chose the word REAL because I wanted to be honest specially to myself, stop lying about my own desires and fears. Focusing on it paid off and for 2016 I feel more confident and mindful so my word now is Experience. As 2015 was a year to look inside of my soul I spent most part of it alone and concentrating in myself. This year I want new experiences – visit new places, see new things, learn new things, try new flavors, meet new people, etc…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Really cool story about the pay-off you saw from 2015. I also like that idea of spending a year focusing inwardly and now spending a year looking for more outward experiences. I hope you have some amazing adventures!
LikeLiked by 1 person
thanks
LikeLike
Beautiful post! My word for this year is JOY!
Thank you for writing this! I posted some thoughts about this subject on my own blog at hannahallmankennedy.wordpress.com, with a reference to your post. I hope I do your ideas justice 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Very cool! Thanks for sharing! I’m also trying to choose joy more this year!
LikeLike
First time to join the One Word movement this year. We have the same word. I like how “Mindfulness” is so inclusive. 😉
LikeLike
Welcome! I also like that about ‘mindfulness.’ It can apply to so many parts of life.
LikeLiked by 1 person