For the past couple of years, I've followed the lead of some other bloggy friends and chosen a word for the upcoming year (rather than making individual resolutions). It always seems to be worthwhile, although I'd like to be better about actively tracking my progress.
Last year's word was forgiveness. I think that one started to sink in with me a couple of months ago and it has definitely made a difference, even with how I handle new situations. Not all the time but it is working!
About a month ago, I started to focus on my day-to-day actions and words. How much gossiping am I involved in? How many times am I quick to share an unflattering story about someone or jump on the bandwagon of a family squabble? I don't aspire to be that girl but sometimes, I see myself getting pulled in that direction.
As I started to pay attention to times when I feel mean-spirited, I started to think about kindness and what it really means. So this is my word...my focus for 2013: Kindness.
I can say more about how this thought came about and what means to me... and I plan to in future posts. For now, I will mention that I feel very inspired by the people I am working with these days. I've been working a counseling job part-time and then I also started doing some work at Chloe's preschool. Both work environments are very positive & very supportive. The preschool, in particular, is an environment where I actually feel inspired to be a better person. I've never worked somewhere like this- everyone wants to be helpful, they assume the best rather than the worst and are always looking to resolve a problem (not sit around and complain about it). The impact that spending 6 hours a week there has had on me is nothing short of amazing. It turns out that a positive attitude is just as contagious as a negative one!
More on this later....for now, Merry Christmas! Hard to believe that 2012 is wrapping up...
3 comments:
wow - it's like last year (this year?) was reconciliation part 1 with forgiving and this year (next year?) is part 2 with kindness as the penance - in a good way? does that make any sense?
anyway, very cool idea and i'm inspired that you've done it all year too. do you hang the word up somewhere? tattoo it? mirror post it notes? how do you remember to focus?
Hmmm, I didn't think about the connection that way but it does seem to flow that way...a happy accident!
I found the forgiveness part easier to do from the standpoint of new situations (some old things are 100% there). I had several doses of family drama that I think I handled differently thanks to this focus. And I think they turned out better because of that focus. So this didn't require so much of a daily effort.
Kindness will be a bigger challenge and I might need some reminders to keep me going...kindness is something that needs focus every. single. day. It will be a challenge for me.
**It should say "are not 100% there" in the comment above.
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