One Word 2014

Last year my One Word for 2013 was LAUNCH.  I decided last January that I needed to just DO all that stuff that I had been thinking about DOING.  I didn't LAUNCH everything on that initial list in my head, but I for sure LAUNCHed a lot of things.  Just having a Word of the Year makes you more aware of the things that happen in a day.  I saw that word everywhere, and when I did, I immediately thought, "What am I supposed to be LAUNCHing right now and what's keeping me from doing it?"  

2013 was the year I LAUNCHed into Zumba, Instagram, bloggy friends, a different level of prayer and personal scripture study, DMCO, directing a Stake Youth Choir, singing all the time, and connecting with people on a daily basis.  LAUNCHing for me didn't necessarily mean trying to be amazing or trying to do MORE.  It meant LAUNCHing things that mattered, that made a difference in my confidence level and my testimony.  It meant listening more carefully to those little whispers of inspiration throughout the day and acting on them.  I loved having that word guide and direct and motivate me last year.  

So this year, I had to think really hard about what I wanted my new One Word to be.  How do I want to improve this year?  How do I want this year to be different from last year?  How can I continue to LAUNCH and also build upon that word to make 2014 even more fulfilling and successful?

After much contemplation here's my word:

LIGHT.  I'm so excited about this word.  It requires something of me.  I can't be a LIGHT if I'm sitting at home in jammies.  I can't LIGHT anything if I don't use my talents.  This word makes me want to get out of bed in the morning.  It makes me want to put on lip gloss and do my hair.  It makes me want to say yes when people ask me to sing or play the piano.  It makes me want to do my Visiting Teaching, and magnify my callings, and be a better mom.  

That's what choosing a One Word of the Year is all about.  You live with it.  You let it speak to you.  You follow where it leads.  It's a spark to ignite opportunities around you.  

"Our opportunities to shine are limitless.  They surround us each day, in whatever circumstances we find ourselves. Of the 50 definitions that the dictionary offers on light, my favorite definition is "something that illuminates.  Ours is the responsibility to keep our lights bright for others to see and follow."   

- Thomas S. Monson Become A Light for All to See 

I'm grateful for a new year, for change, for opportunities to improve.  I'm grateful for this awesome word of the year.  And I can't wait to see where this one leads.  

Have an amazing 2014!