Trust By Ashley
For the past several years, instead of making New Year’s resolutions, I have chosen “a word of the year.” I got the idea because I wanted my students to be thoughtful and meaningful in making resolutions. I found that a list of resolutions would go by the wayside within the first few months, if not the first few weeks, of making them. I stumbled on an assignment that just had them choose a word for the year. I found that by focusing on one word and then having to articulate the reason behind why they chose that word, I got a more thoughtful response to an otherwise sometimes meaningless assignment. I also wholeheartedly participated in the assignment and shared my word of the year with them. (They loved learning about me just as much as I loved learning about them.)
My words of past years have been Beauty, Sparkle, Present, Change, and this year it is Trust. It is just now mid-year, and I can’t even begin to tell you how much I’ve reminded myself of “my word.”
My husband got laid off in November when all the big tech companies began to lay off employees by the thousands. I was INCREDIBLY stressed. He told me we had to trust that everything would be ok. He got a contract job in December to go to Israel in January, and fortunately, I could go with him. The trip was great; however, it required a lot of trust. I just kept thinking of that old saying, “strangers in a strange land,” except I would add, with no guide! He now has a new contracting position that I hope will turn full-time—I am going to have to trust that the right thing will happen.
Here is a great blog I used/use to help my students and me come up with words.
https://wildsimplejoy.com/personal-word-of-the-year-ideas/
I encourage you to check it out and try it out! I know it’s already four months into the new year, but hey, I’m gonna trust that this little post may be just what you needed to help anchor, motivate, and inspire you for the rest of 2023.
I like to keep mine posted near my desk or in my journal. It could be as simple as putting it on a sticky note or going all out and making it a little work of art. Let me know if you choose a word or if you have other ways of keeping resolutions all year long!
