Word(s) of the Year

I love the new year. It’s an amazing time for reflection, appreciation, clarity, hope, and change. While I’m a bit more ambivalent about new years resolutions (mostly because they tend to promote guilt, shame, and an overly critical view of oneself–at least in me), that doesn’t mean that I ignore the awesome potential for  transformation that comes with a new year.

Gratitude has allowed me to actually (gulp) ENJOY the snow. Mary helps with that, too.

One of the more delightful New Year practices I have heard of recently is choosing a single word (or maybe two) as one’s theme for the year. I like this because it’s an ideal opportunity to make subtle changes in one’s life without disrespecting how one has lived up to that point and without the rigidity of giving up (or starting) specific practices.

Choosing a theme for the way I want to live my entire, multi-faceted, always-changing life is not easy. But that’s sort of the point. Because, despite my many roles, I am one whole person and my that person has convictions, hopes, passions, dreams that I hope translate into all of my little practices. And it was just that sort of realization that helped me with one of my words (yah, I have two): CONGRUENCE.

Typically a word associated more with geometry than life choices, “congruence” nevertheless accurately defines my hope for 2011. I want the way I live my life to match up with the way I want to live my life! That doesn’t mean I expect all of my dreams to come true in 2011. Congruence, for me, doesn’t have to do with dreams as much as with convictions. It is about living out my moral and philosophical ideals in the day to day.

Yet, the beauty of picking a word rather than a resolution is that I don’t suddenly have to do everything right. Instead, I deal with the discrepancies as they show up. I tackle them in the moment. I use my word, my theme, to help in the daily decisions I face.

My second word, which I’ve already written about here, is GRATITUDE. This one I’ve had since the very beginning of the year and I’ve already felt it’s effects. Approaching life–work, marriage, motherhood, friendships, sleep–with a heart of thankfulness is more transformative than I could have imagined. It seems that we humans tend to see life how we believe it is and when I believe my life is beautiful, I find ample evidence to support my theory.

If you’d like to have a word (or words) for 2011, I encourage you to spend some time choosing one. And please share it with us! While there’s no pressure to distill your entire year into a single term, I have found it to be hugely helpful in clarifying my hopes for this year. And hopes are good.