525,600 minutes...

I am thinking about how best to use the 525,600 minutes that make up 2012. Admittedly, I've already frittered away at least 2,880 of them. It's only January 4, but I spent most of January 1 and 2 as a sofa spud, having enjoyed the last few days of 2011 celebrating life and love and friendship to thoroughly.

After the anticlimax of that ten-second countdown to midnight each year, when -- in spite of decades of dashed hopes -- I still continue to expect something magical to happen, I really do love the beginning of a new year. Like a new pair of boots or a new haircut, it's more than just another day -- it's the promise of a fresh start, and it never ceases to invigorate me. And clearly, as you have to wait in line for a treadmill at the local gym only during the month of January, I am not alone in this feeling.

But by mid-year (if not before), many of our good intentions have fallen away, and we settle back into old, comfortable, familiar routines. So how do we harness the energy of the new year, or any other catalyst for change that comes our way, so that we can continue to remain motivated to achieve our dreams?

The things that motivate each of us can be different, but I like to start with a word -- a word that demands thought or action or reminds me of where it is I want my dreams to take me. Rather than a list of resolutions, which can be too long and specific and daunting, my word is the common thread in all that I try to accomplish in a given year.

My words for the past four years have been health, wealth, believe, and authentic. Each has served me well in different ways, and has made me faithful to this practice. I worried about announcing my word this year, because it is one that I think can be perceived very negatively, for women in particular. But I have my reasons and my personal interpretation of what this word means to me and how it will guide me. I almost changed it for a second runner up word at the last minute, but (at the risk of sounding very flaky right now), this word just keeps coming back to me... my word for 2012 is POWER. -- I know, right? It sounds like I am aiming for world domination or something, but that's not quite what I envision.

I'd love to know how you experience the new year, and if you have a word, or another form of resolution or intention, please share it!

Thoughts...

Lately, I've been thinking a lot about my art, my life, my blog, and all the aspects of creative expression that I try to juggle. At the risk of repeating myself, (because after 5 years of blog posts, it's pretty likely), I am observing a regular ebb and flow to all that I do. Sometimes the ideas flow like water, easily and clearly. And at other times, they seem just beyond my grasp. Some days are simple and relaxed, while others seem frantic and crazy, but when I step back and take a look at the whole of it, there's a pattern that makes sense to me.
Ironically, I sometimes panic a little over the fact there is nothing to panic over. Does that make any sense? My days are not always perfect, but my life fits me lately in a way that it never has before. And I am so unaccustomed to this feeling. It is uncomfortable to feel comfortable...but what a great dilemma to have.
Wow -- I was about to follow that last paragraph with the admission that I have strayed from my "one word" intention this year, because I couldn't even remember what it was, so I just looked it up from my end of Dec. blog post, and it was the word "authentic." How crazy is that? Even without consciously thinking of this word, it has been working for me all this time.

One word.

As 2011 approaches (4890 minutes from now, give or take), I've been thinking about the one word that will guide me through the coming year and help me to live my best life. Okay, maybe I am watching a little too much Ellen, or reading more "O" magazine than is good for me, because that last phrase sounds like I stole it, for sure, but WTF. I am a true believer in the "power of attraction," "positive-thinking," "reap what you sow," "golden rule" ways of life, so it works for me.

The past couple of years have been a real journey for me...a journey back to who I am. I spent a very long time before this journey in a state of reacting... to another's thoughts, moods, whims, etc., and it is amazing how far off track this way of living can send a person. Combine this with the fact that I am sometimes too much of a peace-maker, and it is easy to lose who you are after awhile. So my word for 2011 was chosen to keep me honest, quite literally...

authentic
(dictionary definition: true to one's own personality, spirit or character' not false or imitation: real, actual.)

From the way I treat my loved ones, to the way I take care of myself, approach my artwork, and tell my stories, I want to do it with this in mind - authenticity. What do I know about who I am and how I perceive the world, and how do I make decisions every day that best represent who I am and what I believe in?

I would love to hear from those of you who practice choosing "one word" for the new year. Please share your word and/or your rationale in a comment or with a link to your own blog.

I wish you all a happy, authentic 2011.

Where did this year go???

I can hardly believe it's December already. Somewhere in between holiday decorating, shopping and celebrating, December is my time to take stock... of the year, my life, my art, my journey.
I am giving thought to my "word" for 2011. The one that will guide me for the next 12 months.
This year my word was BELIEVE, and while I am in a very good place in my life, and I think it is a magical word, I am not sure I took advantage of the power of this word as I should have during the year. I could have believed in myself more, taken more risks, trusted the Universe to provide.



So, on this first day of December, I will leave you all with another picture of snow people - these were created by my niece Avery on a recent visit. I should add that when I created my first bunch, with a group of friends, we spent an entire day choosing scarves, headgear and embellishments. Avery, on the other hand, with her youthful enthusiasm and total lack of creative inhibition, whipped these guys up in about thirty minutes and wanted to know "what's next?"

I BELIEVE IN YOU, AVERY WRINN. XO

Believe.

This is my word for the year. A one word resolution -- or revolution -- as it may be. In the previous two years, I chose first health, and then wealth, and I worried a little when I chose this word that it was not specific enough, not as action-oriented like the other two.

But after 2009 and all that transpired for my niece (and my family),I knew that this word is probably the most powerful of all.

As a result, things are happening that I have been working and hoping and praying for, for a long time. I cannot share them all yet, but I wanted to encourage you to try it...



Desire
Ask
BELIEVE
receive

The universe wants to deliver your dreams to you. Believe it.

One word.

Two years ago, I found Christine Kane's blog -- she explained in this post why new year's resolutions generally don't work, and why choosing a single word to be your guide for the year might be a more effective way of achieving goals and making dreams come true. I have been using this practice for two years, and it has been amazingly effective for me.

In 2008, I chose the word health, and I shed a bad marriage, lots of pounds, and a good deal of mental baggage. In 2009, I chose the word wealth, and while I still have to work for a living, I am in a much better place than I was a year ago, and I am wealthy beyond belief in love, family, friends, joy, gratitude, and good health.

For about two weeks, I've been thinking about what word to choose for 2010. Like Christine, I believe that a single word is more effective and focused than choosing several, so the word I choose is important to what I hope to manifest in my life in 2010.

This morning, when I woke up and began my day, I tried to focus on the most appropriate word. I am a morning person, and early in the day is when I have the most clarity, so I was sure it would come to me. I had it narrowed down to about a half dozen, and as I turned on the coffee pot, made my bed, and bundled up for my walk with Max, I let them pass through my mind, trying them on for size.

When I returned from our walk, I went into my bedroom, coffee cup in hand, and glanced at my reflection in the mirror, holding this cup that I had purchased just a few weeks ago. It wasn't even one of the words on my list, but I was absolutely certain it was the one I sought.

It is the word that has sustained my sister (and our entire family) during every one of Avery's surgeries, and I know it will serve me well in 2010.

I wish you all a Happy, Healthy New Year.