Last weekend I went out of town with one of my closest girlfriends. What was supposed to be a group gathering turned into just the two of us forming a deeper bonding of our sisterhood. I’ve known my friend for nearly two decades, yet this weekend took our friendship to new heights, for which I am forever grateful.
As we were up in the gorgeous local mountains for five days, we had a lot of deep and meaningful conversations. One of those included my friend mentioning that she was going to decide on her word of the year while we were up there. That idea instantly intrigued me.
The word of the year. How does someone go about deciding such a thing? There are obviously so many possibilities — words with power, emotion, consequences. That whole “Be careful what you wish for” sort of thing was definitely in the forefront of my mind as I was considering what I wanted to call into my 2020.
We wrote down lots of options, looked up definitions, and sat with each possibility. Until finally my word found me.
ded·i·cat·ed: adjective
- (of a person) devoted to a task or purpose; having single-minded loyalty or integrity.
- (of a thing) exclusively allocated to or intended for a particular service or purpose.
Yep, this was the one.
I am dedicated to my work — my studio, my teaching, my students, my vision of a nonprofit, my upcoming projects.
I am dedicated to my family — my children and grandchild, my boyfriend, my parents, my sister, and her family.
I am dedicated to my friends — the ones who are more like siblings, the ones who know my skeletons and love me anyways.
As I keep this word Dedicated in my conscious mind this year, I’m wondering — what would your word be? What do you want to strive for in 2020? In what ways can you be the best version of yourself by using one word to drive you forward?
Try this out for yourself. Sit for a few minutes, quiet your mind, and let your word find you.