My 2019 Focus Word
I'm choosing one word to help guide me for a successful new year!
For the last few years I've gotten on the bandwagon of choosing a focus word to guide my year. Rather than making lofty goals or arduous resolutions, I figure just using one word as a target for my year makes things much simpler.
In 2016 my word was STRETCH and in 2017 my word was BLEND. You can read more about them HERE.
In 2018 my word was LISTEN.
My word for 2019 is SHED.
As 2018 winded down I realized that I wanted to feel lighter as I entered the new year and the vision of a snake shedding its skin came to mind. One of the definitions of shed is to get rid of something you do not need or want.
Ways that I am ridding myself of things this year include:
Saying goodbye to my office space as I'm finding more people prefer in-home counseling with hands-on support rather than office sessions.
Preparing to step down as the chairperson of my church's altar care committee after 5-years of service as I'd like to pull my son into more volunteer work through involvement in the parish's mother and child ministry.
Paring down my social media posting and blogging to make room for family time.
Another vision that came to mind is that shed also means to give off or out as in to shed light.
Ways that I am casting a glow this year include:
I started a new part-time job as a social worker working with youth in the school system and I love being able to use my clinical skills to shine in another social work role and with a different population.
An immediate family member has declining health due to a progressive illness and I want to be able to radiate love and light into her world as much as possible.
My son has been struggling with social-emotional challenges this past year and he's now at a stable place and I want to be able to continue to help him shed his anxiety so that his future can continue to brighten.
Lastly, I can't help but realize the irony that another meaning of the word shed is a small building or lean-to used for storage. What I do daily is help people come up with better storage solutions by shedding their unwanted and unloved belongings to more successfully manage their lives.
As I'm talking about my word with others a friend asked me if I knew about the book: The SHED Method: The new mind-management technique for achieving confidence, calm and success by Sara Milne Rowe. The acronym SHED in the book stands for Sleep, Hydration, Exercise, Diet. I like these multiple meanings of SHED don't you?! I may have to add this to my reading list in the new year.
What's your 2019 focus word?