One Word

At the start of the year, I choose one word to focus on for the entire year. Well, I don’t choose the word so much as it chooses me. This isn’t a New Year’s resolution. This isn’t my pledge to exercise more, eat right, and read those 10 books everyone said I need to read before I die. This is simply choosing one word to focus on for the year, see where it pops up in life, and follow where it goes. It is SO much easier and also much harder than a New Year’s resolution. My resolutions are usually dead by January 30; however, I have never had trouble sticking with my one word until year’s end.

I started doing this in 2017 when the spirituality center I attend offered a One Word Retreat just after New Year’s. The idea for this event was inspired by Jon Gordon, an author, and speaker on leadership and teamwork. That year, my word was Choice. It hit me like a bolt of lightning when I touched the knob on the door into the kitchen. I knew that moment that was my word and I wasn’t happy about it. This word unsettled and scared me. I wanted a different word.

That is one thing that has become clear to me about the one word: part of me needs to be scared of the word. If I am not on some level scared of the word, then it’s not my one word. I have been scared of every one of my words. Typically when they come to me, I want to give them back. When I feel this way, I know I have found the right word for me. A word that will challenge me.

In 2018, Connection was my one word. That year, I also biked the Paul Bunyan Trail from start to finish in September 2018. The Paul Bunyan Trail is a 120-mile paved trail that starts in Crow Wing State Park south of Brainard, MN and stretches to Bemidji State Park. I spent the year preparing, practicing and training for this trip. This led me to my 2019 word: Unfolding. This trip turned out to be a master class in Unfolding.

In 2020, Explore was my one word. This one also caught me by surprise. It found me in a coffee shop in St. Paul as I looked at my travel mug. I had purchased a sticker on my Paul Bunyan Trail trip with the word “explore” on it and stuck it on the side of this mug. I had literally been carrying my word with me for over a year and didn’t know it. Ironically, 2020 was the year I wanted to bike more, travel, and explore the world. Then COVID hit and all those plans vaporized. Instead, Explore turned inward. This blog is the culmination of Explore: I was compelled to explore and develop my voice.

My word for 2021 is Open and yes, it scares the crap out of me. I feel resistance to it. Already, it has started teaching me, breaking me open. You don’t choose where the word takes you, not if you are really into this process. The word takes you where you need to go. It molds, shapes, and prunes you for your growth. This blog feeds nicely into my 2021 word. A wonderful continuation of Explore as well.

Having picked a One Word for the past 5 years, I see how each word leads you to the next. Each word preparing you for the next. Your words never go away when the year ends. They still pop up over the years and you still continue to learn from them. They

are friends and teachers who guide you and help you learn. They are always there for your growth. Mentors in the classroom of life.

I look forward to where Open takes me in 2021.