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Word of the year: Peace

Last year I hoped on a trend of picking a word of the year. I choose “strength” and as I read my post from a year ago, I didn’t feel as if I’d totally blown it over the year. In fact, I needed a little more strength than I anticipated last year to survive a move, adjust to life with a school-age child and to support Clint as he entered the land of the self-employed.

 

So, what’s my word for 2014? A few possibilities had come to mind but the one that struck me the hardest was “peace.” For the most part, my life is anything but peaceful. It’s busy, chaotic and crazy – and most of the time I thrive in that kind of environment. At times, I feel myself relating to this verse in Job: “What I feared has come upon me; what I dreaded has happened to me. I have no peace, no quietness; I have no rest, but only turmoil.” (Job 3: 25-26)

 

That’s a slight exaggeration, of course, but still I could use a little more peace – and not just peace and quiet (although I’ll take some more of that!).

 

Peace in my family. Having a strong-willed (almost) 6-year-old can suck the peace right out of your life. She can be argumentative and demanding and loving and precious – all in the span of 5 minutes. It’s tiring. I need to find peace in me to create peace in her. And part of that means making peace with motherhood – a part of my life that hasn’t been easy. I need to make peace with those first years so I can be present for what’s to come.

 

Peace in saying “no.” Part of my lack of peace is my tendency to take on too much. I’ve never met a cause I couldn’t get behind or a project I couldn’t tackle. But I have to remember that just because you can doesn’t mean you should. It’s OK to say “no” sometimes. Interestingly, I tried it a time or two last year and the world didn’t end.

 

Peace in my own mind. Aside from CrossFitting, I don’t carve out a chunk of the day/week that’s just for me. This year I want to work on my personal writing – even if that’s just updating my blog on a weekly basis. Sounds simple but it’s often hard for me to allow myself the peace and quiet to just be with my own thoughts and do some writing.

 

Peace in my God. Each year I look for ways to better my spiritual health and grow in my relationship with God. I’ll be working to stay committed to daily devotional time and tackle some books and studies that help me grow.

 

So, here we go into 2014 with a resolve for greater peace.

 

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In a word: strength

Photo/Ulrik De Wachter

In the blogging world especially everyone is picking a word of the year. So, in an effort to be trendy, I’m picking one too. Just kidding … I really like the concept, the idea that I can find a word to encompass where I am in my life and where I want to be over the next 12 months.

 

After mulling over some great words like grow, dream and peace, I have settled on my word for 2013: strength. For me this word captured essentially all the areas of my life and works for the dreams I have in the coming year.

 

Here’s how I’ll be channeling the word “strength:”

  • Professionally, I’ll continue to grow and strengthen my business. HAF Creative had a terrific 2012, and I’m confident it will only grow stronger this year as I develop more client relationships, take on new projects and assignments and strengthen my place in life as a business owner and entrepreneur.
  • Personally, I’ll keep my marriage solid. This summer, Clint and I celebrate 13 years together and there are things we’ll continue to do to keep our marriage strong (hoping one of those includes a trip to the mountains this fall just the two of us). As a mother, I need to not only be strong for my daughter but also to raise a strong daughter. I firmly believe in helping your child – especially a girl – grasp the concept early in life that she can be and do anything she wants.
  • Spiritually, I felt my faith and walk with God strengthen and develop last year. But I’m nowhere near perfect and will work to make stronger my relationship with God so that it isn’t rocked by problems or the challenges life throws my way.
  • Physically, I long to become stronger. Since I started CrossFit two and half years ago, I have transformed my body into something more solid and less squishy. But I need to be stronger. I want to get 100 pounds over my head, squat with more than 65 pounds and do 10 pull-ups at a time (I’m at four or five!).

 

I felt as if last year I finally recovered from some significant challenges that started in 2008. It may have taken four years, but I made it to a place where I felt good about my life again. That comes from not only being strong in all the areas outlined above but also believing in that strength and where it can take you. So, look out, 2013, because I’m coming on strong!