As I was walking around the resort last night, it occurred to me that I never chose a word for the year...
Each New Year, instead of making up some resolutions that will be long forgotten bySingle's Awareness Valentine's Day, I choose a word to be my theme for the New Year. It's not so much a mantra as much as a touchstone; a word that resonates with my soul and reminds me what I am seeking to achieve on the next segment of my journey.
And as the post below explains, the word, and all that it's meaning encompasses, becomes an integral part of who I am for the rest of my life. I choose a word, meditate on it, make a lot of art around it and about it, and the feeling this word conjures in me seeps into my consciousness helping me to grow in new directions.
This past year has at times left me stunned, shell-shocked, even off kilter... To be so self-aware and still be so deceived made me question everything I am and everything I thought I believed. I lost touch with my Spirit as I became more and more frightened to trust myself again.
And then something changed that turned everything on it's head. Deb made me realize that I needed to get back to just being ME and go with my natural flow. Within days, a new person popped in who saw something in me and reminded me who I truly am. And I have done nothing since, but clear out the crap in my head and my heart.
I am now fully prepared to live my life fearlessly and without hesitation. I am ready to be the QUEEN of my own life once more, and I will work hard to live a life befitting a Queen.
The Queen title is nothing new to me. I have had "The Queen" featured in my art and my writing before. I have often referred to myself as the Queen, and for 12 years I have had an email that includes the screen name "qnofcoffee". I have collected Queen themed items throughout my home and wardrobe for years, and even my children know mom is The Queen.
But sometimes, when life throws too much at us, we get so overwhelmed just keeping up with responsibilities that we forget our true worth. From November to January I just kept handling things and taking care of everyone around me. Ironically, the more I acted like the Queen that I am, keeping the kingdom running business as usual, the less I felt like a Queen or treated myself like one.
But all it took was spending time with one new person seeing me with fresh eyes to remind me who I am. A regal Queen that knows her value and holds her head up high, protecting her kingdom from improper influences and devoting her life to her subjects.
Yes, QUEEN is my word for the rest of the year. Here is the post from past blog in a past life that goes deeper into my "New Year's theme word":
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Each New Year, instead of making up some resolutions that will be long forgotten by
And as the post below explains, the word, and all that it's meaning encompasses, becomes an integral part of who I am for the rest of my life. I choose a word, meditate on it, make a lot of art around it and about it, and the feeling this word conjures in me seeps into my consciousness helping me to grow in new directions.
This past year has at times left me stunned, shell-shocked, even off kilter... To be so self-aware and still be so deceived made me question everything I am and everything I thought I believed. I lost touch with my Spirit as I became more and more frightened to trust myself again.
And then something changed that turned everything on it's head. Deb made me realize that I needed to get back to just being ME and go with my natural flow. Within days, a new person popped in who saw something in me and reminded me who I truly am. And I have done nothing since, but clear out the crap in my head and my heart.
I am now fully prepared to live my life fearlessly and without hesitation. I am ready to be the QUEEN of my own life once more, and I will work hard to live a life befitting a Queen.
The Queen title is nothing new to me. I have had "The Queen" featured in my art and my writing before. I have often referred to myself as the Queen, and for 12 years I have had an email that includes the screen name "qnofcoffee". I have collected Queen themed items throughout my home and wardrobe for years, and even my children know mom is The Queen.
But sometimes, when life throws too much at us, we get so overwhelmed just keeping up with responsibilities that we forget our true worth. From November to January I just kept handling things and taking care of everyone around me. Ironically, the more I acted like the Queen that I am, keeping the kingdom running business as usual, the less I felt like a Queen or treated myself like one.
But all it took was spending time with one new person seeing me with fresh eyes to remind me who I am. A regal Queen that knows her value and holds her head up high, protecting her kingdom from improper influences and devoting her life to her subjects.
Yes, QUEEN is my word for the rest of the year. Here is the post from past blog in a past life that goes deeper into my "New Year's theme word":
****************************
JANUARY 2, 2008
Word for the year: FOCUS
For those of you that have been with me for a while, you may remember last year when I could not come up my theme word. I eventually did come up with one after a visit to a friend's that got me out of rut and thinking in new directions again.
This whole theme word idea began a few years ago when a health condition basically forced me to do some soul searching and begin my life from scratch. In 2004, I committed my life to God because I felt he had saved me when I was at my lowest. That year, I accomplished some of my greatest personal achievements up to that point in my life. Most notably, I became Designs By Jodi Evans.
In 2005, I decided to be OPEN to all of life's possibilities and whatever would come my way. I still was not focused down to single word, though. It was more of a feeling, or an idea. But that openness did lead me to grow my design business around the world through a distributor and a magazine appearance.
By 2006, I decided on a word for the year: Believe. In myself, in my life, in my abilities, possibilities- everything that word brought to my mind. Little did I know that that belief in myself would serve me well when I found my life yet again starting over from scratch that August. LOL
"But Mama didn't raise no shrinking violet!" and by 2007, my word was EXPLORE. Explore everything I don't know yet about myself, my thoughts, my feelings, my dreams, my plans, my very reality. And EXPLORE I did. I tried all different art styles, read all kinds of books, and listened to all sorts of opinions on wildly varied topics from astrology to politics, to history, business, metaphysics, spirituality, parenting, finances, friendships, you name it. I explored and exposed myself to new people, new thoughts, new ideas. And I have grown and become more whole because of it.
Now I see the value of these words. For once each year moves along, the word becomes a part of me. I do not trade one for another each January 1st. Rather, somewhere through the year, by focusing on a single idea brought about by the vocal and written expression through that word, it becomes a part of who I am. I am COMMITTED to my beliefs about God and the universe. I am OPEN to life's possibilities. I BELIEVE all things are possible and I have exactly what it takes to get me where I want to be. I will forever continue to EXPLORE and expand my horizons, becoming more of myself as I expand my world and my reality.
And this year I will add FOCUS. To my hopes, my dreams, my plans, my art- my whole life. I will stop wavering and wasting time and get FOCUSED on what matters most to me. I will let the rest fall aside as I retain laser-like FOCUS on *my* priorities.
I appreciate what my yearly theme words have done for me. I urge you to try one out for size. It's really easy, after all. What do you wish for? More FAMILY time? More ART time? More PATIENCE? Perhaps you would like to JOURNEY more? Maybe add more COLOR to your life?
Aha! I am seeing something here- each of those questions spoke of having MORE. Hmmm... something for me to FOCUS on while I go do some beading for my art goal...
God Bless You! May 2008 be your best year yet! -Jodi
This whole theme word idea began a few years ago when a health condition basically forced me to do some soul searching and begin my life from scratch. In 2004, I committed my life to God because I felt he had saved me when I was at my lowest. That year, I accomplished some of my greatest personal achievements up to that point in my life. Most notably, I became Designs By Jodi Evans.
In 2005, I decided to be OPEN to all of life's possibilities and whatever would come my way. I still was not focused down to single word, though. It was more of a feeling, or an idea. But that openness did lead me to grow my design business around the world through a distributor and a magazine appearance.
By 2006, I decided on a word for the year: Believe. In myself, in my life, in my abilities, possibilities- everything that word brought to my mind. Little did I know that that belief in myself would serve me well when I found my life yet again starting over from scratch that August. LOL
"But Mama didn't raise no shrinking violet!" and by 2007, my word was EXPLORE. Explore everything I don't know yet about myself, my thoughts, my feelings, my dreams, my plans, my very reality. And EXPLORE I did. I tried all different art styles, read all kinds of books, and listened to all sorts of opinions on wildly varied topics from astrology to politics, to history, business, metaphysics, spirituality, parenting, finances, friendships, you name it. I explored and exposed myself to new people, new thoughts, new ideas. And I have grown and become more whole because of it.
Now I see the value of these words. For once each year moves along, the word becomes a part of me. I do not trade one for another each January 1st. Rather, somewhere through the year, by focusing on a single idea brought about by the vocal and written expression through that word, it becomes a part of who I am. I am COMMITTED to my beliefs about God and the universe. I am OPEN to life's possibilities. I BELIEVE all things are possible and I have exactly what it takes to get me where I want to be. I will forever continue to EXPLORE and expand my horizons, becoming more of myself as I expand my world and my reality.
And this year I will add FOCUS. To my hopes, my dreams, my plans, my art- my whole life. I will stop wavering and wasting time and get FOCUSED on what matters most to me. I will let the rest fall aside as I retain laser-like FOCUS on *my* priorities.
I appreciate what my yearly theme words have done for me. I urge you to try one out for size. It's really easy, after all. What do you wish for? More FAMILY time? More ART time? More PATIENCE? Perhaps you would like to JOURNEY more? Maybe add more COLOR to your life?
Aha! I am seeing something here- each of those questions spoke of having MORE. Hmmm... something for me to FOCUS on while I go do some beading for my art goal...
God Bless You! May 2008 be your best year yet! -Jodi
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