Well, here we are on the other side of the holidays, finding ourselves facing a new year and wondering what it’s all about. Do you feel a little like a cartoon character that emerges with a ‘pop!’ from a bubble, shakes itself off and stands in wonder of a new and unknown scene? Maybe it’s just me.
I’ve never been very good at New Year’s resolutions though I admire those who can set them and stick to them. But I’m a simplify-it-to-the-nth-degree sort of person and I’ve come up with a plan for 2013 that just may work better than New Year’s resolutions.
I’ve chosen five words to focus on, to set my Intentions for 2013.
Words are very, very powerful. Our worlds are defined by the words we attribute to them. The System I wrote about in The Happy Place is based on the power of words and I’ve experienced this power on my own healing journey.
My five words are lettered in calligraphy on a tent card standing on my desk, but more importantly, I’m going to commit to them daily until they sink deep into my heart, until they inspire and become my new way of being in life.
Why five words? Wikipedia says the number five represents “Action. Restlessness. Life experience”. As I understand it from my limited knowledge of numerology, the number five represents change. It seems to me to be the perfect number for this exercise.
My five empowering words for 2013:
- Flow
- Intuition
- Joy
- Abundance
- Fearless
Why these words? I’ve experienced flow in my life and I love it. I want more of it; I want to flow through my days and through my experiences. I’m just beginning to hear the voice of my intuition and I intend to pay more attention; to befriend her in 2013. Joy is a choice. I intend to choose joy at the start of each new day. Abundance? Oh, it’s time for abundance, don’t you think? Finally, in 2013 I intend to begin to lead a fearless life just as my son Alex was fearless.
What five words characterize the life you want to lead in the next twelve months? Why are those words significant to you?
I thought we might have some fun with this idea. You may know that I do calligraphy. Offering calligraphy services was my first business. I’m going to put the names of anyone who shares his or her five words in a hat and later I’ll draw one. I’ll write the winner’s words in calligraphy on a tent card and mail it to him or her.
photo: Lori – this is a portion of the Word Cloud of The Happy Place
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Winner announcement.....
I wrote down all the names on small pieces of paper and had my husband draw one
drum roll please!
The winner is... @Late_Bloomers
Congratulations Barbara! I'll be lettering your words in calligraphy and mailing them out this week!
Lori
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Oh, @Lori , woah, me? Thank you, thank you, thank you. I will have them framed and put it up in a prominent place (will you help me pick it?) and look at them each day, what a lovely and happy place this will be! My own private sun and energy center, may its rays lighten my days and remind me of living them consciously.
Thank you again and have a wonderful day! Hugs from across the oceans!
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Good morning @Lori ! I know that I am late to the party but I was moved by this post and wanted to join in the conversation. Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending a celebration to honor the 4th anniversary of a small local business. Part of the celebration was the option to participate in a Burning Bowl ceremony. This is a wonderful ceremony in which you write down those habits/negative energies which you wish to release and get rid of as we journey into the new year. The piece of paper with your negative conditions is then place in a designated burning bowl and, well, burned! The smoke that is released when your paper is burned represents the releasing of your negative conditions. It was a sort of cleansing ceremony and I really enjoyed it! When that part of the ceremony was done, the owner of the business suggested that we write down intentions that we wish to make happen in the new year and put those intentions in a self addressed envelope and she will send them to us at the end of this year to see how we were able to energize our intentions. And so, this post is very relevant to yesterday's experience. For my intentions, I wrote 1.) Fearless 2.) Mindful 3.) Present 4.) Non-judgmental 5.) Content As I thought about my intentions, I realized just how interconnected they are. If I am fearless, it allows me to be more mindful and centered in the present and I believe inherent in true mindfulness is a non-judgmental nature. If each of these intentions is lived out, the outcome will most definitely be a life filled with content!
Thank you for a beautiful post Lori!
xoxo
Claudia
@SocialMediaDDS You're not too late Claudia! I'm going to wait another day or two before doing the draw! I love the Burning Bowl ceremony! We did something similar in December when we made our intentions and put some of my (garden-grown) dried sage into the campfire and watched our intentions rise to the heavens in the smoke! I think we can do that any time (until the sage runs out! I'll grow more next year ;-) What a mindful exercise!
Imagine receiving a letter that you wrote to yourself a year later! I suppose we could save ourselves the postage and just stick one in our calendar! I'm going to give that some thought, though I'm not likely to forget my Words for 2013 - they are right on my desk!
Your words are very calm (lovin' the "fearless" trend!) and I can see how they are interconnected. Together these words, and all of our words, paint a picture of how we want our lives to look using emotion as the paint and the year as the canvas. I guess we can all come back here in 11.5 months and see how we did!
Here's to a year filled with contentment Claudia! Doesn't that sound so nice!?
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Hey Lori,
I never knew that the number 5 was so powerful. Thanks for sharing that here. The words you picked are terrific and the way you connect them and remind yourself of them everyday is awesome. May you succeed with your goals this year. Good luck!
Regarding my 5 words - Hardwork, Dedication, Chirpy, Calm and Fearless (if you'll allow me to borrow that, it was too good!)
Aditya
@adityasam Hi Aditya! Welcome to Life, for instance! You can certainly borrow Fearless. I'm afraid (pun intended) that it is easier said than done, but with work... ;-)
I like your other words, hardwork, dedication and calm (interestingly, they also sound like my son Alex, especially "calm") , but I'm curious about "chirpy". What do you mean by that?
Latest blog post: Dear LFI: How Do I Fill the Inner Void?
hi Lori - let's see - giving, serving, helping, learning and listening. those are my five words for the year. I actually started with only 1 but your post inspired four more:) your five words - especially being fearless - are inspiring.
@Vishnu's Virtues Hi Vishnu! These are active (verb) words, and full of attentive energy. Which one was the first one you had?
Yes, being fearless is a wonderful trait. How can we go forward in life and enjoy this adventure without being fearless?
Thanks for inviting me to this...My five words are love, peace, smile, laugh and move. They just poured out of me, and I like them very much! Words are meaningful but the just symbolize love or fear in different forms.
@JodiAman Hi Jodi! I like your words and am especially interested in the last one, move. Tell us more about that! It's a verb that @Ken Wert would appreciate. And you've just spoken a language that @johncharlesowens will appreciate when you mention love or fear. John - yoo hoo!
I like "laugh" too :-)
Hi Lori,
My words have not changed from last year and there are only 4.....Learn, Accept, Share and Act. I can throw in another one to be compliant which would be "project" (as in the verb). The first 4 are explained here http://theviewfromhere.ca/2012/03/do-you-have-guiding-principles-that-drive-you-here-are-ours/ or here http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=L_NqyyBS1Xc and as for project I would say that word's importance to me is that I am learning to project positivity in as many ways as I can.
Thanks for offering the platform for this. Happy New Year! and Cheers!
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@rdopping That's an awesome video Ralph! (inspiration for me - I have "make a video" on my To Do list for 2013!) Thanks for adding a 5th word. I do see how your 4 were complete already! Kudos to you! And all the best in 2013!
Hi, Lori, as you know I read your post yesterday afternoon and meant to leave a comment. Well, here I am back some 24 hours later and I have just finished reading all the inspiring comments and the empowering words chosen!
My gut feelings tell me to pick the following words (all verbs which make them so powerful)
act (as chosen by @LFI fan ) as the opposite of react
enjoy (find joy in all my actions, you named JOY, laugh and smile)
reflect (goes hand in hand with act and makes my actions more powerful)
meditate (for my own good)
be thankful (for who I am and for what I have)
What a wonderful post, I will copy the empowering words and review them from time to time. Or like @Sabrina at MyMiBoSo said I will sit in my own sacred corner and allow them to come to me. Thank you, Lori!
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@Late_Bloomers @LFI fan @Sabrina at MyMiBoSo Hi Barbara! These words sound like a journey through a day. Acting, enjoying, reflecting (and in the evening) meditating and being thankful! Leave it to you to add poetry to your words!
Wait! You have a sacred corner too!?! I need to create one of these! Is yours inside or outside? What does it look like? What's in it with you? Pretty cool! :-)
Love this, Lori. I've never considered concentrating on a group of words this way, but I like the concept. Galen Pearl does something similar, though focusing on a single word for the year.
I agree that words are powerful, chock full of so much direction and focus and momentum. They build civilizations and promote human decency or they condemn and collapse and corrode and decay those who fall under their mesmerizing lure. History is filled with the effect of simple ideas conveyed in simpler words made large and revolutionary.
So I do think it is a powerful thing to spend a year concentrated on a few well-chosen words.
So here are mine:
Learn
Create
Thank
Laugh
Love
@Ken Wert Hi Ken,
Yes, after I had written and prepared this post and just a day before I published I noticed many bloggers writing along these lines. I just like the number five and it give opportunity to incorporate many intentions into the mix.
Your words sound happy and energetic. :-) Do you think you'll look back on this year and see that they were the theme which guided it? It's a little like LFI fan's #1 - act or react. In choosing the words we want to define our year, we set perimeters, guidelines and inspiration ourselves rather than reacting to what comes our way.
We'll have to revisit this post nest December and see how we all did! I'll be watching ;-)
@Lori Hmmm. The words I chose are really words that largely define me at all times, year after year. I certainly fall short of any kind of perfect execution of any of them, so in that sense, yes, they do and will guide me through 2013 and it would be fun to look back and see how much they've shaped my experiences this year.
But it was also difficult for me to limit myself to just those five. I also had Accept, Challenge, Continue, Allow, Improve, Inspire and Invite on a list I whittled down to the 5 I gave. Still, there are others I want to add. At the same time, I see the wisdom in limiting the number to a manageable handful.
I did notice that all mine are verbs. And that itself says something. :)
@Lori @Carmelo Not sure it necessarily means much of anything, except, perhaps, that I have a lot more to do than most! Very possible, mind you!
Adjectives describe what you will experience. Verbs describe what you'll do. To have some mix of them is likely a very good thing.
@Carmelo @Ken Wert Yes, action words! Now I have to look at mine again...mine are a mix of verbs and adjectives. In scanning the others here already I see there is a mix of nouns and adjectives; what to do, how to be. Interesting. I wonder what it means!
@Ken Wert @Lori I like that, Ken ... life as a verb. A man of action!
Hi Lori! Great post! Here are my top 5 words and some of my favorite quotes to tell you why.
1) Act
"A life of reaction is a life of slavery, intellectually and spiritually. One must fight for a life of action, not reaction." -- Rita Mae Brown
2) Acceptance
"Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books that are now written in a very foreign tongue. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps you will then gradually, without noticing it, live along some distant day into the answer.” -- Rainer Maria Rilke
3) Fearless
"Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go." -- T.S. Elliott
4) Self-Discipline
"In reading the lives of great men, I found that the first victory they won was over themselves... self-discipline with all of them came first." -- Harry S. Truman
5) Strength
“I was not designed to be forced. I will breathe after my own fashion. Let us see who is the strongest.” ― Henry David Thoreau
@LFI fan This is great - thanks for going through the trouble to collect these great quotes which so perfectly illustrate the power of the words you've chosen. (I see "fearless" there ;-) These sound like a map for navigating the new year with confidence and resolve.
And Henry David Thoreau throws down the perfect gauntlet! Let's see what happens!
Lori, your 5 words gave me the chills! They are SO good - not only alone but the power of them increases exponentially together!
And you already know that I am a fan of those words - especially intuition and joy, the key driving words in my life and coaching practice!
For my five, I'm going to take time to sit outside in my sacred corner to allow them to come to me - and I'll share with you as soon as I do!
Thanks for this gloriously simple exercise to kick off the new year Lori!
@Sabrina at MyMiBoSo Hey Sabrina! I didn't realize they increase exponentially. You have amazing insight!
Say more about your "sacred corner" please! Do you have winter where you are? How do manage an outside sacred corner in the winter? Just tell us everything about it ;o
@Lori Ha! Good point Lori - here in Los Angeles, I'm pretty lucky that winters never get too intense so even on the chilliest of days I can find myself outside in nature! My sacred corner is amazing...this beautiful corner of my backyard that is surrounded by little trees and setup with a lovely garden bench. The trees cover it such that sunlight always seems to peek through at exactly the right time - in the most magical way!
Can I copy your words? 5 good words indeed.
Happy New Year.
@bdorman264 So, it you win, you want these 5 words?!?!? Sure, I'm honored Bill!
Happy New Year to you too!
@Lori @bdorman264 But I want to win? :D
Grand idea, Lori! I'm not really into making New Year's Resolutions either. I believe when they go unmet they usually lend us negative feelings and emotions, which seems sort of self-sabotaging to me. Setting clear intentions and acting on those intentions definitely serves as a better way of going about making the New Year a successful one. With that being said, here's my five words: 1. Mastery - This year I intend to master more of myself.
2. Breath - I was introduced to meditating while participating in Deepak Chopra's 21-day meditation challenge, towards the end of 2012. This year I intend to learn more about the practice and dive head first into following through with what I've learned. 3. Influence - I intend to be more mindful of what I share, write, read, think, say, and do; knowing fully that someone else is potentially paying attention to all of the above.
4. Completion - I have several projects in the works right now. One in particular is my first book that I'm hoping to get published. This year I intend to bring many of them to completion.
5. "Level Up" - I know this one is actually two words, but it's what I've been using a lot lately. It signifies to me "growth" in all areas of my life. (Personal growth, spiritual growth, growth in my relationships, and definitely finances) :) Great post!
@Deone Higgs Hi Deone! This meditation challenge sounds like it was very cool! I too am focusing on my breathing more - stopping to do this throughout the day as often as I can remember to do it. (Got to remember to use my iPod to prompt me!)
Your words sound so right for you, as much as I know about you. I'm thinking that everyone's words would be very clearly theirs! I wonder if we put all the sets of words in a hat we could guess who owns which words! Fun party game!
I know "Level up" is not one word, but I like it. You've packed a lot into those meaning-rich words. Are you planning to write them down, to revisit them? (unless you win in which case I'll write them for you!)
I love this idea, Lori.
Here are my 5 words -
1. Dare. There are many things I think of trying but I back away easily. This year I shall 'dare'.
2. Listen. I need to listen to my thoughts, my family, my instincts, my friends. I will learn much that way.
3. Kind. I want to be kinder. I'm going to try to be 'kind' in some way, every day.
4. Believe. I need to believe that I can achieve. I need to believe that I am a good enough writer/blogger.
5. Smile.
I look forward to reading everyone's 'words'!
@LindaMHewett Hi Linda! More awesome words! Now I want to write them ALL down and put them on my desk! Funny, my vision board has more words than pictures on it!
These words sound like a recipe for a great year! I like #2 - it covers so much. That's the thing; a word has so much behind it - thus the power of the word. I dare you to listen kindly with a smile on your face and believe in all the goodness life has to offer you ;-)
@Lori Thanks, Lori! I'll try! I've started my Kindness Journal and it makes me more aware of my actions. I have a new mini project in mind so I shall dare to prepare!
What a great idea Lori - and I think words are a lot better than specific resolutions. Words can/may take on very significant meanings throughout the year
My words are:
Acceptance
Contentment
BE
Smile
Reflect
I choose these Five words because
1) Acceptance - I will accept what is going on, who I am, my life as it is. We need (I need) to continue to work and live in the NOW
2) Contentment - I will enjoy contentment throughout my day. Our thoughts become our reality...make the best of your thoughts and enjoy contentment
3) Be - I will enjoy who I am....including my faults, including the good & not so great. Because all of it is who I am. I will enjoy BEing in the moment, BEing me, and BEing NOW :)
4)Smile - I believe in paying it forward and that happiness is contagious. If I have a smile on my face, it will help - even if I have to 'fake it til I make it' :D
5)Reflect - I think we always need time to reflect on our choices, our lives and who we are...having good self-awareness if an incredible virtue to have!
@StaceyMJCouturier
I like that concept (words rather than resolutions) now I'm going to have to find the words that inspire and motivate me.
@Rileyhar @StaceyMJCouturier Hi Riley,
I know, I realize this topic is not as jump-in-able as most! It took me a while to find my words!
@StaceyMJCouturier Hi Stacey! These are great words too! They all have to do with being happy with what is, I think. That is a lofty goal, though it sounds simple. Awareness makes me think of Anthony DeMello - "awareness awareness awareness!" he said. I cna't think of that work without tripling it in my mind!
I hope your year goes well an that your words will be used to tell its story!
@Lori You're absolutely right Lori...it's all about being content and happy with what IS....and enjoying the JOURNEY...I've been guilty of being so concentrated on the destination, that I've forgotten to 'stop & smell the roses'...or the journey. and let's realize and admit that the journey is the BEST part of it!! thank you - 2013 is MY year...of life & happiness :D
@StaceyMJCouturier Sounds a little like my fearless flow of a year ;-) It all takes a little faith - or a lot of it. Time to stop missing things because we're so fixated on the next thing. Time to stop and be still. Stillness is another great word, isn't it!?
I am not a golf player, but I am taking my 5 words for this year from the sport.
ADDRESS - In golf this where you stand prepared to hit the ball. You haven't done it yet, but you are showing intention. I am going to ADDRESS what I need to do this year with intention.
CADDIE - This is the person who accompanies you by holding your gear. I want to acknowledge my CADDIES who have stood beside me, helped me make choices and cheer when I act.
FORE - This is the alert you shout out to others to let them know you have taken action. Obstacles and people who have stood in my way are now going to hear "FORE" because I am taking action.
FOLLOW- THROUGH - OK so connecting with the ball doesn't work if you don't have the momentum of the FOLLOW-THROUGH on your swing. My actions this year will include a FOLLOW-THROUGH of action to the full momentum of my intention.
SWEET SPOT - There is a point where you swing, connect and follow through with perfection and this is the SWEET SPOT. As I am going through this year I will be focusing on the SWEET SPOT where my intention and action complete each other.
@Alycia Neighbours Hi Alycia! What a great idea to use a sport (that you don't even play!?!?) as a metaphor for this exercise! It keeps the ideas together and makes them easier to relate to. You have a beautiful way of looking at life!
Would I be correct in saying all your words boil down to one - success? We all want that, right - success in LIFE! If we're going to "do" it, we may as well do it successfully, right?
@Lori It ultimately does boil down to success, but I am still struggling to learn exactly what "success" is in my life. I defined it so differently in the past than I do now. I thought success looked a certain way and made me feel a certain way. I got disappointed in what I thought were failures that were actually real life success.
I think success is guaranteed by working completely through my 5 words, but I have to really be prepared for different versions of success. It's not always the big confetti party, but (most often in my life) it's the quiet voice that comes from inside that says "well done."
@Alycia Neighbours Alycia, you sound like a golfer to me! :-) Nice way to describe your intentions and remember them. The "FORE" is pretty cool. It sends a message that you are confident in your actions and won't take "no" for an answer. Are these words backing up a specific goal you have?
@Carmelo Sorry it took me so long to circle back around here. My phone won't let me reply to specific threads on this site. (Guess it is the universes way of telling me to think before I speak)I have some actions I want to complete this year (finish my fiction novel, finish breaking the horse and continue to work with partners across the webz) but mainly what I have learned is that my plans get changed often by opportunities and doors I never saw opening until I trip over the threshold.I just need to be on the green, club in hand and ready to play.
I think unstructured is a great way to have "goals." Especially when they have to do with the inner self (spiritual) and not so much the physical wants we all have. So, focusing on these primary goals makes a lot of sense to me.
I'm curious about the "restlessness" in the Wikipedia definition. Is that something you see yourself wanting more of or something that already describes you? I know that wasn't one of your words but it seemed to help you in deciding how many words to have. Your thoughts on that?
I don't list love because I feel it's embodied by the choices I list: Observing; allowing; awareness; non-judgmental; unfettered.
These all seem to overlap, and they do. But for me, that's part of the beauty of the group. They all point me in the direction of freedom. And they remove the need to obsess over traditional goals.
@Carmelo Carmelo, "restlessness" seems to be a precursor to change. I just had a prior understanding of what the number 5 means. When I see 5:55 on the clock, I brace myself ;-)
Sounds like you are clear in your intentions for 2013. Those are great words! And your words boil down to an arrow pointing in the direction you're headed: freedom. I agree, words are simpler than traditional goals. They help set intentions and sink down into our consciousness (or is that sub-consciousness) and begin the transformation there.
@Lori Ha! 5:55 ... so what do you brace yourself for? Surprises? They are good, don't you think? They can wear us down, but if we're "braced" and flexible they keep us young and active!
@Carmelo Change, just change Carmelo! I brace myself for change. Change can be "good" or "bad" - but you never know until it's all said and done.
Hi Lori
Mine are Love, Joy, Peace, Long suffering, and Abundance.
4 are self explanatory but Long suffering is special because it is the ability to hold the other 4 in focus even when circumstance seem to be saying otherwise. One of those paradoxical tensions we love so much. A form of surrendering to what we want despite circumstances or the emotions that accompany them trying to pull us out of our intention. A form of letting go of circumstances so that we can grab unto our intention.
@johncharlesowens Hi John! I've read your words four times and I'm not clear on Long Suffering. (Maybe I just don't want to be? ;-) I get surrendering and letting go but I don't understand what you mean by the last sentence. Will you clarify it?
@Lori @johncharlesowens
When one door closes another opens but it is hell in the hallway.
99 % of what you will think today will be the results of thoughts you have turned into protein structures we call memory. Now if you want to make a permanent change to your thought life you will have to dismantle a memory and replace it with another during this process their will be a disconnect between what you have built in your mind and what you want this Cognitive dissonance will be experienced as suffering. Long suffering is the ability to see it through to the end. ( circumstances bring these memories into consciousnesses)
@Carmelo @Lori
Words only point as you know.
Knowledge helps us fight the good fight. Long is not forever which means their is an end, if we can see the end we are more willing to pass through the process, patience implies that we are waiting for something, it is important that we have in mind what we are waiting for, what we are waiting for causes the suffering.
Romans 5:3-5 New International Version (NIV)
3 Not only so, but we[a] also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
We have the strength but we do not know it. Believing is not the same as knowing. Knowing has to have been proven. In the end all that will be left is what is true if we do not give into fear.
@johncharlesowens @Lori Hi John. I've always thought of long suffering as patience. Is that an oversimplification? You're saying that long-suffering is more than just patience as it entails the ability to withstand the challenges of unwanted circumstances (and the memories invoked) along your path.
@johncharlesowens Thanks John, "It's hell in the hallway" for sure! I never thought of "long suffering" like this before. It gives me something to think about.
:-)