My One Word for 2023

 

Welcome to my ninth year of picking One Word for the year instead of making resolutions for the new year. I began this in 2015 after Entrepreneur was diagnosed with renal cell cancer in late 2014. As you can see, the past eight years have spanned quite a few topics. 

• One Word for 2015: Fearless/Fear Less
• One Word for 2016: Present  
• One Word for 2017: Joy
• One Word for 2018: Shalom
• One Word for 2019: Mindful/Mind Full
• One Word for 2020: Vision
• One Word for 2021: Choices
• One Word for 2022: Patience/Trust

My goal is to select one word that will guide my focus and actions for the year. My hope is that directing my focus will help give me insight on how to be a better person.

After mulling around numerous words, last week I woke up in the middle of the night with this word in my head and couldn’t get it out. So, my 2023 One Word is:

Purpose

At the end of 2021, we closed our business and officially retired. I was ecstatic we didn’t have to deal with the annoyances of the banking industry anymore. My adjunct teaching position ramped up for the semester in January. Entrepreneur and I finally thought we were master of our our (retired) schedule….outside of family commitments. We were misinformed about that, but that’s beside the point. 

A year later, I still don’t regret walking away from my corporate position but I’m left with the big question of Who am I? and, aside from being the surrogate Mama figure, Why am I here?

Purpose. In our hectic society, sometimes it’s hard to differentiate between Purpose and Function. The difference is Function determines what actions I do, while Purpose is the reason I take those action.  Purpose is the great Why behind the Function. 

I am a woman. I’m also a daughter, wife, Mom, Nana, teacher, small group leader and friend. Each of those roles has a function. Is the purpose for each different or can my purpose behind each of those be the same?

It is fulfilling to the soul when our opportunities and actions align with our purpose. I’ve come to realize the secret lies in passion. If I mechanically go through the actions of each of the roles/expectations mentioned above, I will get the job done…but at what cost? I may experience resentment or exhaustion at the overwhelming demands on my time and sanity. If I feel this, how well will I actually complete the actions and how well am I serving others?

So, for 2023 I’ll be focusing on answering these questions:
1. LORD, what’s next for me? Where do you want me? 
2. Where best do I fit to accomplish your goals?

In focusing on and answering those questions, I hope to find where my Purpose and Function intersect. 

This may be the perfect opportunity to try and find where my abilities, gifts and passions intersect with God’s grand plan. To date, I haven’t been too sure about that grand plan and sometimes I tend to disagree vehemently with Him on it.

“The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life, I will advise you and watch over you.”  ~Psalm 32:7 

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