Have you ever chosen a word for yourself? Many people in the planning/journaling world choose a word to focus on each year. A quick search on Google led me to at least 20 different websites promoting choosing a word to define and guide your year. Pinterest has tons of ideas on how to incorporate your word into your life and lists of words to help you figure out which one is best for you. Last year, I was intrigued by this idea and wondered if I could benefit from it. So, for 2018, I chose a word for myself.
My process began with writing a list of words I felt an affinity for. Then, each day, I’d go over the list and cross of any that didn’t seem to fit. I finally ended up with a short list that included: renewal, nourish, replenish, better, and explore. I spent a good portion of 2017 battling health issues. So feeling better, replenished, and renewed were all things I wanted for 2018. I knew I needed to eat healthier, so nourish seemed like a good word for me as well. But in the end, I chose “explore.”
How Do I Explore?
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I am a travel dreamer. I dream of seeing the world, experiencing new cultures, and eating new cuisines. But my current life situation does not allow for much travel. So the word explore, in my case, does not refer to world travels. Instead, I can explore ways to make myself healthier, new books and blogs, new ideas, creative outlets, and traveling closer to home can require exploration too. To me, exploring is more than just travel. It is learning, researching, feeling, dreaming, being curious, examining, and asking. Exploring is required for growth. Maybe growth will be my word for 2019. We’ll see how my exploration in 2018 goes.
What am I going to do with my word? Well, I started with my bullet journal. In the front of my journal, I created a page with quotes that speak to me. If you’ve read my past posts, you know I love to collect quotes. I recently shared some favorite Disney quotes. And a favorite from last year was this Valentine quote post. I included a few explore quotes in this post as well. I plan on using my word throughout my journal this year. I’d include a picture, but my journal isn’t as Instagram worthy as many you’ve seen. Maybe I need to explore a handwriting course or two.
I’m also using my word in other creative pursuits. I’ve got some photography explorations planned for this spring when my area of California is at it’s most beautiful. You can see my photo explores on my Instagram. I’ve been dabbling with watercolors and might try making myself some word reminders. And I’ve been searching the internet for other inspiration. I found some cute throw pillows I really like on Amazon. Trying to decide if they fit my decor.
I’m excited to explore my word and use it to inspire myself to step outside my comfort zone more. I am a life-long learner and exploration is a huge part of that for me. There is so much to learn about and explore in this world. Just thinking about it makes me happy to be alive.
Of course, explorers face difficulties too. That’s another thing I like about the word I’ve chosen. Life doesn’t always go as planned and when you explore, you find obstacles in your way. That’s part of the path and it’s okay. So when I face obstacles in my life this year, it will just be part of my exploration. The more I think about it, the more I like my word for 2018.
What’s Your Word?
Does anyone else have a word for the year? Please share your word and how you’re using it in the comment section below. If you’ve used this method in past years, how did it work for you? What would you do differently? Did you feel more inspired?
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