My One Word for 2017

I have struggled to find my ONE WORD for 2017. Here it is, the fourth of January, and I've finally chosen it: CONNECTION.

Last year my word was INTENTIONAL. The year before that it was DISCOVERY. And the year before that was BRAVE. I have loved my words in the past, but I was having trouble finding a word I could love for this year.

There were many words I liked, but not enough to commit to them for an extended length of time. This morning, Chuck had made several good suggestions, and one word seemed to speak to my heart. CONNECTION. And when I went to my mat for my Yoga Revolution session with Adriene, one of her suggestions was to move from a place of CONNECT. I told Chuck it was a sign.

Making connections with others is forefront in my thoughts. Connecting with my husband, our parents, our kids, our friends, and our neighbors. Deepening my relationships with my loved ones through conversations, whether verbal or written, and visits, whether in person or video chats, will be so rewarding. I also want to make connections with the words I read, and the words I write, and the words I hear. 

As a side note, I have been a lousy neighbor, and I want to change that this year. I'm embarrassed at how bad of a neighbor I've been. I can't even keep names straight of the people in our cul de sac, and I want to get to know them better this year.

Maintaining a mind-body-spirit connection is important to me. I had great success last month in relying on my spiritual connection to help me overcome my reliance on food for emotional support. I want to re-up my efforts there, after a brief fling with indulgent eating last weekend. Today is a sugar-free day for me, so that I am forced to put thought into my eating, and not just react with an emotional response. I've signed up to do a 31 day yoga challenge. I will continue my Bible study this year. 

Connection is a word that works for me on several levels, so I think it will be a good choice for this year. 

Words of inspiration about connection:

"Connection is the energy that is created between people when they feel seen, heard, and valued." -Brené Brown

“A good friend is a connection to life - a tie to the past, a road to the future, the key to sanity in a totally insane world.” - Lois Wyse

"Love is a constant process of tuning in, connecting, missing and misreading cues, disconnecting, repairing, and finding deeper connection. It is a dance of meeting and parting and finding each other again. Minute to minute, and day to day." -Dr. Sue Johnson

“Spirituality is recognizing and celebrating that we are all inextricably connected to each other by a power greater than all of us, and that our connection to that power and to one another is grounded in love and compassion. Practicing spirituality brings a sense of perspective, meaning and purpose to our lives.” 

- Brené Brown

“When we seek for connection, we restore the world to wholeness. Our seemingly separate lives become meaningful as we discover how truly necessary we are to each other.” - Margaret Wheatley

If you would like to consider a ONE WORD resolution or focus for 2017, here are a couple of resources you might want to read:

MY ONE WORD  (Mike Ashcraft & Rachel Olsen)

ONE LITTLE WORD (Ali Edwards)