My One Word for 2019 is……

Yesterday, I recapped my One Word selections since 2015 with a summary of how well it worked for 2018. Now that the gifts are opened, holiday get togethers are finished and we enter into a new year, it’s time for me to focus on another word.

Resolutions, while made with good intentions, inevitably are forgotten by March. I’ve found by choosing one word to focus on for the year gives me a fighting chance to make lasting changes in my life.

It may sound odd, but I spend a lot of time thinking about this one word. It always relates to what’s been going on in my life and what direction I’d like to steer it for the future. Lots of words float through my head, but one eventually rises to the top.

This year, my One Word is:

Mindful = Mind-Full

mind·ful / mīn(d)fəl / adjective
conscious or aware of something; aware, conscious, sensible, alive, alert, acquainted, heedful

The more I thought about this one, the more layered it became. Mindfulness  is related to (being) Present, but I think it goes deeper. It’s an awareness in everything we do, think and feel. Being mindful allows us to gain insight and awareness into ourselves as well as making us more aware of the well-being of those around us. I can’t even count how often my mind has veered off course when I should have been focusing on what or who was in front of me.

That’s not to say I should never let my mind wander. A wandering mind results in creative thought. But, I want to work on becoming more conscious of when it happens and decide whether to go with it or gently steer myself back to where I was before my muse kidnapped my thought process.

I want to be more mindful of my emotional health. “Me” time is not something I indulge in regularly. I need to pay attention to how and why I’m feeling a certain way. Call it prayer time, meditation or whatever you like….it’s important to be able to be introspective and able shift my attitude so activities, thoughts and perceptions become more balanced, and I don’t go for a joy ride on an emotional roller coaster.

I want to be more mindful of my physical health. I want need to pay more attention to what I eat (aka: stress eating). Exercise to remain healthy is becoming more apparent as I’m a woman of a “certain age.” Since Entrepreneur’s health is hanging in the balance, it’s important I remain in strong and healthy.

Just as I want to be more mindful of what’s going into my mouth, I need to be more mindful of what comes out of my mouth. Taming the tongue is sometimes extremely difficult. I want to become more aware of what other people may be going through before I speak words that may not be helpful or appropriate. You know…..being kind and considerate to others despite differences….something that’s becoming a lost art in the age of social media and the political arena.

Those are the three main areas. But there is a fourth component that will drive all the others. It’s being more conscious of what’s filling my mind. What am I reading? What topics am researching? Will the information be used for positive interactions or used to tear someone down in judgement? Am I being genuine? What are my motives?

Yes, 2019 needs to be the year of Philippians 4:8 and be mindful of what my mind is full of.
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

So today begins my 365-day journey of mindfulness and mind fullness. The goal is to impact the emotional, physical, mental, spiritual and relational areas of my life for the better, regardless of circumstances. I believe it will dovetail nicely with Present and Shalom.

Hello 2019! Please be kind.