Be Present

As December 2021 begins to wind down and come to a close, I begin thinking and planning for the new year ahead. I am not someone who makes new year’s resolutions. I am not sure why, it’s just something I’ve never done. I think I tried when I was younger and after a couple of weeks, I had completely forgotten about what I had planned on resolving in the new year! What I have started doing recently to help me achieve my goals for the new year is to create a “Word of the Year”. It’s not easy choosing a word to focus my year around, and it’s not something I take lightly. I put a lot of thought and care into choosing one or sometimes two words to be my word(s) of the year. The first step I take in choosing a word is to reflect back on the current year. What do I want more of in my life? What do I want less of? How should I be spending my time? Am I happy? What makes me happy? Asking myself these questions, helps me to take inventory on what I want to focus on in the new year.

Last December, I was having a hard time coming up with a word for 2021. I kept bouncing a few words around in my mind, and kept coming back to one. I felt like it was a silly word and kept pushing it out of my mind, thinking I should chose a word with deeper meaning. Then, one day I was helping William with an assignment (I cannot remember what it was for) over Christmas break and the word I had been mulling over somehow appeared in his assignment, and a little light bulb went off in my head. The word was, creativity. It wasn’t a silly word, it was exactly what I needed and wanted more of in my life! In 2020, I started working from home (due to COVID) and rediscovered my love of home and decorating. I loved how my creative mind had started working again; new ideas about how to style this, or a home project that I had time to think about, or seeing something differently because I was home and not racing around doing this or that. I knew at the end of 2020 that I didn’t want my creativity to end in 2021 when I returned to the office and life finally returned to normal. Choosing creativity as my 2021 word of the year has been one of the best decisions I have made. It helped me to find myself and to begin understanding what I want and need in life to truly be happy. The creative side of me began to feel fulfilled when I began posting blog posts consistently, sharing our home and projects on social media, and meeting like-minded peers.

The second step I take in choosing a word of the year, is to reflect back on the year and take mental inventory. A few words will typically make their way into my mind. I start bouncing them around and visualizing how those words will impact my life. Which word makes the most sense? What word will make the biggest impact? And…trust your gut. This is hard one for me. I always fight what my gut says, and I usually end up right back to what my gut was telling me originally!

Lastly, I stay committed to my word. Once I have my word of the year, and it feels right (back to trust your gut!), stick to it. If I am not committed to my word, I know I am not going to put in the effort to actually make changes in my life in the new year.

So without further ado, my 2022 “Word(s) of the Year” are…BE PRESENT.

These words have presented themselves to me quite frequently lately, and so this years’ words of the year were actually quite easy to choose. What does “be present” mean to me? Being here and now, living in the moment, and not giving into distractions. I’ve noticed over this past year that although I am happier, I am doing too many things at once. I have found that I am constantly distracted and not living in the moment. I have not been giving my full attention to anything in trying to get everything done. I want that to change. I want to be fully present in everything I do; I want to enjoy the time I have. That means when I am with my family, giving them 100% of my attention. When I am at work, giving 100% of my efforts. When working on Eleanor Rose Home, giving 100% of me. I am not going to lie, this is going to be a challenge for me! I am someone whose mind is constantly racing, always thinking of something to do, and needs to be busy all the time, so consciously slowing down is going to be hard. But, I am committed to putting in the effort to make life changes and to be present in the here and now!

I challenge you to find your word of the year for 2022. What are you looking to change in your life? How can you be happier? Reflect on this past year and look forward to the future. Challenge yourself to grow and become a better person! I would love to know if you have a word of the year or if this is something knew you are thinking of trying. Leave me a comment!

I wish you a happy new year! Let’s welcome 2022 with open arms. I am excited to see what this new year has in store…

I look forward to sharing more of my home with you and inspiring you to have a well loved home! Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and LIKEtoKNOW.it.