2018 Word of the Year

If you’ve been hanging out with me on the internet for a while, you may remember that my Word of the Year for 2017 was “Confident.” The year brought many challenges that helped me grow in this area, and it’s something my counselor and I have focused on quite a bit as well. There’s still a LOT of room for growth for me here, but I’m pleased with how much of a difference focusing on one desired trait can make!

So as 2017 was wrapping up, I started trying to narrow down a new WOY. Nothing was coming to mind. I kind of thought of maybe just taking the lazy way out and sticking with “confident.” There was still room to grow, and I could just make it the word of the decade. :-)

But I didn’t feel settled about that. I still plan to work on my confidence, but I needed to move on.

I’m trying on all the common ones… “present,” “intentional,” etc. Nothing fit.

You guys, I was legit starting to stress out about my word of the year! New Year’s Day rolled around. I had posted about my 2017 WOY on New Year’s Eve of 2016. I was behind. This was NOT GOOD!

I needed a word.

But what?

I was weirdly frantic about not having a word of the year. How could I be a productive person, or any kind of blogger if I didn’t have a WOY!? Is that even possible!?

I realized the ridiculousness of this panic, and thought about words like “rest,” or “play.” I worked hard in 2017, maybe 2018 is my year to just take it easy.

But the thought of taking it easy made me uneasy. Was I phoning it in? Was I just giving myself permission to slack off for a year? What would my counselor and I work on!?

Last night, the word came to me…

Gentle.

The word of the year is not a big deal. It’s okay that it took me 11 days into the new year to pick a new WOY. But this stress over a seemingly monumental decision, that, in actuality, is fairly trivial was just not healthy, and I began to realize that it was symptomatic of the way I treat myself. I make unrealistic demands on myself, my time, my energy, my health…

So this year, 2018, I am going to strive to be gentle with myself. I’m going to strive to treat myself with the compassion and grace I usually extend to others. And I’m going to mess up. I’m going to start to beat myself up over a less-productive day, or a less-than-patient reaction to toddler shenanigans. But I’m going to practice interrupting my self-scolding and remind myself to be gentle. I’m doing the best I can. I appreciate everyone else’s best, and this is my year to start appreciating my own.

I’m also going to try to increase the gentleness I show others, and the gentleness I feel toward them in my heart. I’m going to focus on being gentle with my children – of course in my actions, but also in my patience, my tone, and my understanding. And as in the above, I’m going to mess up. And again, I’m going to be as gentle with myself as I try to be with everyone else.

Have you picked a word of the year? Share them below, and let me know how I can pray for you or encourage you regarding your word!