A few years ago, a friend introduced me to the concept of choosing a word to define my year. It’s a popular practice, with some using it to define their art practice, some to guide their planning for the year, and some others to explore the meaning and impact of that word in their daily life.
Mina and Cate have shared their thoughts on their word of the year in the last couple of days. I thought I would share mine because it represents a departure for me. Previous years I have used create, imagine, focus, and dream. This year I chose hold fast, not one word but two.
Hold on its own felt too much like I wanted to put life on pause, and heaven knows, I had had enough of that feeling in the spring. A nautical term, hold fast means to stay the course, but it also means to maintain the strength of your convictions, or to align yourself to something that will help you keep moving forward.
Last year, I felt like I was often stuck fast, firmly held back by conditions or needs not within my control, most of them arising from the pandemic. This year, it seems natural to look at all the ways I can hold fast to what really matters and why. As I work better with questions, I wrote a few down in my calendar to act as prompts for the year ahead.
- How will I maintain my practices in fitness, work, and home?
- How do I maintain my focus, keep moving forward, and still hold true to my values?
- When must I stay the course and when must I let go?
- How committed or invested am I in an outcome?
The word of the year opens up lots of possibilities for thought and for action and I am excited by the power that offers for change and growth. What else might you be thinking of doing in this new year ahead? Let us know in the comments.
MarthaFitat55 writes from wet and windy St. John’s.
A friend of mine just told me that she calls her WOTY her “Anchor” word, because it anchors her decision making throughout the year. I loved that way of thinking about the word. It’s very much about holding fast to our words, even when our word is “hold fast” (also, there’s the nautical theme).
Thanks for sharing this, I have read a few posts on this now, I think I’m inspired to have my own WOTY 👍🤔