Seeking Simplicity

Coffee in bed on a lazy morning. Puppy snuggles. Forehead kisses from my sweet hubby. Home-cooked meals. Connecting with friends and family. Giggling over random silliness. Feeling the love and comforts of home.

These are the things that my heart has been craving.

The past six weeks in my world have been a bit of a whirlwind. Work travel has taken me away from home and placed me in airports and hotel rooms and moments of solitude. Soul unsettled. Missing the simple pleasures that I sometimes overlook as blessings during ordinary days.

Funny how we miss the things we often take for granted when we are distanced from them. The things we crave most are the things we already have. That’s why we miss them. And oddly enough, it isn’t actual things – like our new fancy television or my closet full of clothes. It isn’t stuff at all. What we really miss are experiences and feelings and time spent well.

Much of my time last year was spent chasing after accomplishment, but that was not at all my intention. I chose a guiding word that I believed would bring about what I was yearning for at the time. “Create” was my word for 2015 and when I selected it, I didn’t think it was a results-based word. I thought if I made efforts to create space for the things I wanted more of in life, I would be fulfilled. The concept should have worked! And maybe it would have if I would have been less driven by outcomes. But I tend to measure my success by the end of the story instead of the brave beginnings or the meatiness of the middle. Wondering why I feel the need to measure it at all?

Simplicity. That’s what I’m seeking now.

Less stuff, more meaningful moments. Back to basics. Rebuilding foundations. Tending to relationships that feed my soul. Spending time well. Loosening my grasp on outcomes. Relinquishing my need for control. Letting go of things that don’t nurture me. Allowing myself to just be.

“Simplify” is my guiding word for 2016. And my soul is thrilled for this beautifully simple and pleasingly pressure-free journey.

Wanna join me on my quest for simplicity? One simple step I took was to read Breaking Busy by Alli Worthington. Her words of wisdom reminded me to “never confuse a busy life with a full life”. The things that make our lives full have nothing to do with busyness. “We have to break the cycle of busy in our lives if we are going to have enough room to discover our destiny.”

The Permission Slip My Soul’s Been Craving

Hey Friends! Today – on this lovely Tuesday – I am sharing a book to add to your “must read” list. I’m honored to be a part of Emily P. Freeman’s Launch Team for her new book Simply Tuesday – hot off the presses and available TODAY!

In a world that screams for attention at every turn, this book whispers the wisdom my soul’s been craving. Accepting that not all moments in life are glamorous or glittery somehow makes way for the mundane, but in the best possible way.

Emily’s words are the permission slip I’ve been hoping for – to celebrate ordinary and to embrace exactly where I am on my journey, without the pressure of comparison or the regret of incomplete to-do lists. She addresses relatable challenges in practical ways and shares her unique perspectives, inviting her readers to sit awhile and allow our souls to just be.

Simply Tuesday is more than a book… it’s a realization and a way of life. It is a beautiful blessing wrapped in poignant paperback pages!

Feeling Used – In the Best Kind of Way

There it was. The mysterious phlegmy bubble that appears in my throat when I get sick. It can’t be swallowed down, moved aside, or eased in any way. And it was just in time for the 100+ degree weekend. Yay!

I won’t bore you with my sicky sob story, but suffice it to say that I was miserable. My husband was out of town on a boys trip so I was on my own. I usually enjoy being alone, but this time it would have been nice to have an onsite nurse slash popsicle delivery man. No nurse. No popsicles. But I did have a beautiful new book to crack open, which was sort of the perfect medicine for me.

When Sunday rolled around and I rolled out of bed, I thought to myself “today I was supposed to be all better!” But I wasn’t. I hadn’t been out of the house since Thursday and had become a borderline hermit. Even though I wasn’t back to my spunky self yet, I tossed around the idea of going to church. I should go. My hubby and I usually go together in the evening and meet up with friends, but he wasn’t going to be home in time. But I should go. I invited my sister-in-laws to join me but they both had plans. I really should go. I was awake and could get ready in plenty of time for an earlier service. But I still didn’t feel very well. Although I was feeling better than the days before. So I should go.

Don’t you just love that witty internal banter that helps us make our decisions? Equally split across the pro’s and con’s of every situation until finally, something tips the scales and toggles us over to the “do it” side.

Not my best hair day and nothing I put on was as comfy as my jammies, but I had made up my mind to go. And so I did.

I didn’t recognize anyone as I entered because this was not the time we usually went. These were the morning people, and I am not typically among them!

As I made my way to my chosen seat, I passed by a young woman in the row behind me sitting alone, and I smiled at her. I wondered for a moment about her story and what brought her to church alone that morning. Husband out of town like mine? Perhaps she was meeting friends there that hadn’t arrived quite yet?

I stood and swayed and sang with the music and didn’t feel as alone as I thought I would. I introduced myself to a few people sitting near me and talked about the heat. I listened and let the message seep deep into my soul.

At the end of this particular service, our Pastor prayed a familiar prayer. The words come out differently each time, but the intent is to invite new Christians to choose God. At the end of the prayer, he asked those of us who prayed it for the first time to come to the front and accept a gift as they left. And he asked them to tell someone they had made that choice and prayed that prayer. I always pray along with that prayer because I am making the same choice every day in small ways. Even though it’s not the first time I’ve prayed those words, I still pray them every time.

As we filed out of our rows to leave, that sweet young woman who was sitting in the row behind me and I crossed paths and connected in the most unexpected way. She looked directly at me and proudly proclaimed “I prayed that prayer today!” and before I even realized it, I was hugging her and welcoming her to our church. It was a 20 second exchange at most, but it was everything.

God had used me, in the best kind of way. He didn’t care that my hair wasn’t perfect or that my throat was a little sore or that my spirit was a bit weary. He didn’t worry that I wasn’t up to certain standards. It didn’t bother Him that my voice cracked as I sang. In fact, all those imperfect things might be exactly the reason He chose me to cross paths with that lovely young woman yesterday.

Maybe those things made me approachable. Maybe my imperfections make me relatable. Maybe the worst parts of my life make the best testaments to His glory. Maybe she just needed a friendly smile to convey a welcoming message. Maybe He needed me to be exactly who I was in exactly that moment. And maybe, there have been a million tiny moments like this one that I didn’t even realize I was being used.

And just maybe He is using you in exactly the same way at the most unexpected times too.

When a Band-Aid isn’t Enough

A Band-Aid is meant to cover a wound, not to heal it. I’ve had plenty of skinned knees in my life, and I remember all-too-well the sting of Bactine on my owies.

“It will only hurt for a minute,” I remember my Mom saying. Only a minute, but it was a minute of pure torture. The icy-cold spray shocked the injured area and coaxed all the infectious potential to the surface and killed it. Just 60 seconds of the raging pain, then a cute Snoopy Band-Aid would cover it all up, and eventually the wound would heal.

It turns out that when we are able to pinpoint the cause of potential infection, bring it to the surface and apply the proper medicine, our miraculous bodies will heal us from the inside out.

Sometimes the wounds go much deeper though. And no amount of antibacterial spray can surface and disinfect the pain. And no kitschy cartoon Band-Aid is big enough to cover it.

I am tending to some of my own festering wounds at this stage in my life. And I am reminded that to properly heal the infection, I need to surface it.

My childhood was tumultuous and my adulthood bears deep pockets of pain, but despite my challenges, I have always put on a happy face. Even when I didn’t feel happy, I wore my smile like a Band-Aid and it worked perfectly to cover my soul-scrapes. Yet, the infection persists. And the infection alters the way I see life and the way I view myself.

Here’s what that unhealthy thinking sounds like…

When I wasn’t able to have children, I thought I was undeserving.

When I unsuccessfully competed for the love of my step-sons, I thought I was unlovable.

When I was no longer able to see my step-granddaughter, I thought I was unworthy.

When I am not included in events or relationships are strained, I think I am unwanted.

My wounded heart sees my worthiness as the cause of my own pain. If I had tried harder or given more, then things would have been better or different. And that kind of toxic thinking translates into a deep self-loathing that cries out to be proved wrong. And when no one is able to love me enough to tip the scales of my skinned self-esteem, I prove to myself that I was undeserving, unlovable, unworthy, and unwanted all over again.

Where is that damn Bactine when I need it? Seriously. Spray me down!

But there is no magical disinfectant spray for what ails me. The cure is in the slow un-doing of my harmful thinking. And the un-doing will take some doing.

My “fake it ‘til you make it” mentality has not served me well. It looks pretty on the outside and it covers up whatever scratches and scrapes I may have, but it doesn’t allow me to feel. Instead, it pushes me to get over whatever caused me pain. But getting over isn’t the same as getting through.

Getting over diminishes the gravity of what happened. Getting over implies that there was nothing of importance that warranted sitting in the moment. Getting over sweeps things under the carpet and waits for them to re-surface later in life because we didn’t give them the attention they deserved at the time. Getting over minimizes our power and maximizes our shame. And when you’re talking about something monumental like not having children, sometimes there is simply no such thing as “getting over”.

Getting through honors the challenge and shows our strength and perseverance to trudge through the messiness. Getting through allows us to feel the weight of the issue and experience the painful, frustrating, heart-breaking emotions that we are completely entitled to. Getting through promotes our power and protects our hearts. Getting through is our badge of bravery and shows that we have grown and are forever changed. Getting through takes time and patience and understanding and grace.

I am ripping off the Band-Aids and exposing the wounds. After years of getting over, I am now working on getting through.

By hinging my value on the things outside of my control that have caused me pain, I’ve been subconsciously creating a life where I will never be enough.

The “if I achieve this, then I will be deserving” or “when I accomplish that, then I will be worthy” ways of determining our value pins everything on external circumstances. That if-then thinking tells our psyche that right now, in this very moment, I’m not enough. It has us reaching out for our value instead of reaching in.

My goal is to disconnect my self-worth from the outcomes of my life and to stop the cycle of situational self-esteem.

Here’s what that healthier thinking sounds like…

When I reflect on my inability to have children, I am rightfully saddened and understand that it does not define who I am.

When I look back on the struggles with my step-sons, I feel hurt and know that it isn’t an indication of my capacity for love.

When I miss being in my step-granddaughter’s life, I grieve the loss and realize that I was not the cause and the decision was outside of my control.

When I feel overlooked or under-loved, I accept that as a sign that I am placing my value in other people’s hands.

Squirting a little of that antiseptic enlightenment into my painful places today, knowing that in time it will seep into my soul and help to heal my wounds.

Wishing you the strength and power of “getting through” for your Band-Aid covered painful places too.

Moments Turned Months

Hello, lovely readers! I have been on a break lately from writing. Not really an intentional break. More like an “I’m not sure that I have any meaningful words to share” break. And even as I type these words, I am filled with doubt about that very thing. Meaningful.

Do you ever have moments that turn into days that turn into weeks that turn into months of heaviness? Of not-quite-right? Of silent battles behind the scenes?

I wish I could say that I have won the battles and have successfully come through a stronger, happier, more fulfilled me. But that would be a big fat lie. I’m still battling a little bit every day. Against exactly what, I don’t even know. But it sure does feel like a fight. And it often feels like I’m losing.

To admit I’m not doing wonderfully is a gigantic risk to my pride. It is a huge blow to my ego. And it is an incredibly vulnerable position.

I don’t do vulnerability well.

I do “here have been my struggles and here’s what I learned from them”. But in that uncertain place before the learning and before the understanding of what will overcome the challenges… in that confusing, uncomfortable crud, I am not good.

I don’t like the way I feel during the struggles. I like the way I feel after the struggles. Empowered. Accomplished.

But during – in the midst of those bad moments turned months – I feel weak.

Somehow lately, my thoughts are not lifting me above things, but are dropping me deep down in the sticky icky bits that seem impossible to trudge through. I’m stuck in the stuff that reminds me I’m not good enough. That painful and powerful stuff that is screaming lies instead of whispering hope.

This happens to me sometimes. I know I am capable of getting through it. But it sure doesn’t feel like it when uncertainty envelopes my brain and the destructive chatter drowns out my inner cheerleader.

So today, I don’t have words of wisdom. I just have a few words of “this is sometimes all I have to offer”.

These are the words that churn during my not-so-powerful but oh-so-vulnerable days. These are the open-wound words that don’t yet have a happy ending. And these are the words that I’m sharing with you today, sweet friends.

Finding the Up Side of Down

Some days are just bad days. The days that doubt sneaks in through a judgmental comment. The days when your mind snags a tiny thread of evidence that you’re not good enough and your confidence quickly unravels. The days where your self-worth teeters on the edge of everyone else’s opinions. The days when finding the up side of down seems monumentally impossible.

Yesterday was that kind of day.

It started out just fine – plenty of coffee and potential. But then I let someone else’s story hijack my happiness.

Recently I auditioned for a local production of writers, reading their own original work on motherhood. And, while I know nothing about motherhood, I know everything about wanting it and the pain of never getting it.

My story wasn’t chosen, and I was fine with that. Oddly relieved, really. The thought of sharing my perspective in person, out loud for an audience to hear, terrified me. But it also stirred something inside of me. Something that may connect with people who have lived a similar journey as mine. Something that led me to be brave and put myself out there.

But that same courageous something was not quite as “fine” with rejection when I read about myself through someone else’s eyes…

“I noticed the four other women auditioning were in their 40s and 50s. They wore conservative department store outfits, had easy to manage hairstyles, and were a little overweight. Even the ladies putting the show together were similar to that ‘average mother genre.'”

Suddenly I was not so freaking fine. I was mad. Then sad. Then as judgy about myself as this stranger was about me.

These words were found on the blog of one of the talented writers that were chosen for the show. This particular writer has a similar story of struggle as mine, and I know how painful that struggle can be.

Let me be clear: I am not upset about not being selected. I am upset about being misunderstood, not fully seen, and pegged all wrong.

I know that I am one of those four women she described, because she also described herself in her post. I very clearly remember her leaving the audition room while I was seated in one of those rickety folding chairs, waiting for my turn.

As I read her words, I immediately began grasping for contradictory facts. I am 40-something, so nothing to contradict there. But I was wearing a vibrant pink sweater set, a turquoise scarf, some slightly faded and fitted jeans, and some seriously edgy, pointy toed, hot pink boots. I wasn’t dressed like a Sears catalog model. I was dressed like I dress – classy with a touch of sass, for Christ sake!

And let’s talk about my hair. It’s kind of my signature “thing” I like to think. It is long and blonde and not particularly common or “easy to manage”. Oh, and my weight – let’s go ahead and go there. My weight lands me in the “normal” range for my height, but is always on my mind. And apparently on the minds of others as well, as if I needed one more reason to feel insecure about my weight.

So, as I was mentally defending my style and personal appearance and nursing the sting of the snap – and snappish – judgements, my confidence crumbled beneath my cheerful exterior. Inside I felt not good enough. Not pretty enough. Not young enough. Not thin enough. Not talented enough. Not anything enough.

I am not part of the “average mother genre” that I had been erroneously lumped into. I am not a Mom at all. Even though that is all I ever wanted to be. Even though my appearance may indicate otherwise. Even though I would gladly trade in my savvy style for a saggy pair of mom jeans and a Dorothy Hamill haircut if it would change the outcome of my story.

I, like so many of you, have been misjudged and misunderstood. And yesterday I felt that deep within my soul. But isn’t that just the best reminder to all of us to look deeper than the surface?

How about this ladies…

Let’s learn the real stories before making up our own. Let’s leave our assumptions at the door. Let’s celebrate each other instead of comparing and competing. Let’s lift one another up. Let’s withhold judgement. Let’s be supportive and encouraging. Let’s include others instead of excluding them. Let’s not define people by their appearance. Let’s live and let live. And please let us love each other.

And THAT my friends, is finding the UP side of down.

Silencing our Inner Critic

Some of my greatest suffering in life has come at my own hand, it turns out.

When I was a kid, my sister and I would argue. I am four years younger and had made it my life’s mission to irritate her. I was good at it!

Pushing her buttons was my specialty. I would pinch her, mess up her room, and wear her clothes. {Oh sweet Jesus, how I wish I could wear her size small clothes now!} I would mimic her, and follow her, and tease her.

Then, when she just couldn’t take it anymore, she would grab me tightly, take ahold of my own flimsy little arm, shake it back and forth in a flapping frenzy, and slap me with my own flailing hand.

“Stop hitting yourself,” she would say, over and over until we both giggled our silly heads off.

She used my own hand to punish my irritating behavior. And I use my own thoughts to punish myself too.

Maybe you can relate to being harder on yourself than anyone else could ever be? Or holding yourself hostage to your flaws? Or wallowing in your worries? Or your own personal version of self-created suffering?

I’ve been an “in your head” kind of person since I was a kid, and it wasn’t until recently that I began taking notice and taking steps to silence my inner critic. It still battles to be heard, but I am better prepared for it now.

Here are a few tidbits of hard-fought wisdom that will help you refocus your thoughts and regain your peace of mind…

3 Ways to Turn Your Thoughts Around

31 Days of Soul Searching {Self-Talk}

5 Ways to Choose Happiness

Harnessing Your Power

The Power of Aligning Your Thoughts and Actions

Celebrating Your Superpowers {Confidence}

Message in a Misaligned Shoulder Pad

A quick glance in the bathroom mirror at work today uncovered something interesting. Something was amiss. Catawampus.

My black blazer’s left shoulder pad – because lots of jackets made after 1988 still have shoulder pads – had gone missing. I reached in and dug it out of where it had settled in to create extra hunchback-like volume, and returned it to its rightful place. As I lingered on my reflection to make sure it was okay to return to public view, I realized what a monumental message that misaligned shoulder pad conveyed.

It wasn’t really about one shoulder being taller than the other one. Or a weird bump in my upper back. Or the stitching that had given way to years of wear and tear.

It was about more than my symmetrical appearance. It was about balance – both inside and out.

If you’re like me, you know when you’re out of balance in your life. I knew today. Not because I caught my shoulder pads awry in the mirror, but because I felt it. Deep in my bones, I just know when something is amiss. Catawampus.

Today’s moment of clarity in the mirror reminded me that balance is important in all areas of my life. I know when things aren’t quite right, and I need to take steps to regain my balance.

Questions for you to ponder…

– What areas of your life feel out of balance?

– What steps can you take to realign your priorities?

I am seeking more balance by creating time and space and opportunities for the things I want more of in my life.

Faith. Health. Connection. Mindset.

These are the key areas that yield the greatest impact in my life. Fueling my faith, focusing on my health, increasing opportunities for meaningful connection, and managing my mindset all contribute to my greater good.

I am seeking things that fill me up instead of depleting me. Things that energize me and prepare me to give more, do more, and be more. These things are the cornerstone of my contentment. And they are my roads to a more balanced life.

15 Minutes in 2015 – Creating a Plan

Our much needed new beginning arrived yesterday like an unopened gift. Inside contains beautiful renewal, an awakening of our minds, limitless potential, and 365 opportunities. Let’s tear it open and enjoy every moment!

Yesterday, I shared my guiding word for 2015. The theme that I want to live by in the new year. The power-packed prompt that I will use to infuse into my thoughts, my choices, and my actions. And my word is CREATE.

What word did you come up with?

Now that we have our words, we need to set some structure for the word to work its magic. At least I need there to be structure. Because I can be passive. And a procrastinator. And a wait-and-see’er.

The structure helps me to be proactive. And in the moment. And a do’er. And those qualities are instrumental in a life well lived. Although those qualities don’t always come naturally for me. How about you?

So to remedy my reactivity, I need structure and am creating a plan!

Here it is… (and maybe it will work for you too!)

I looked at the key areas in my life that I want to CREATE opportunities in, which helped me narrow my focus. Certainly I want to create wonderful things in every area of my life, but that scope is too wide. Too much. Unmanageable. So the areas that are a true driving force for me are the areas I will intentionally focus on. The things that have the greatest impact on other things and lay the foundation for my best self.

What are the 3 or 4 most important areas for you? Take a few minutes to work that through in your mind.

Mine are faith, health, connection, and mindset. Let me be elaborate.

Faith: I know that when I fuel my faith, I feel more centered and more peaceful and far more connected to my purpose. When I create opportunities to nurture that part of my life, I am just plain better.

Health: I am not very good at focusing on my health, so this one is a challenge for me. I want to be healthy, but I don’t always want to do the things I need to do to create health. Like eating right and exercising. Because I love french fries and dessert and lounging around. There, I said it. The unpopular truth. So I need to focus on creating opportunities for a healthy lifestyle.

Connection: We are made to crave connection in our lives. We need to know we are not alone and we take comfort in sharing thoughts and feelings and ideas. It is a key component of community and it wards off depression and isolation. Although, I admittedly love my alone time, so I need to create opportunities for meaningful connection in my life. My relationships are so much better when I nurture them. And I am better when I am filled with a sense of love and acceptance and understanding.

Mindset: Our thoughts are a powerful force in our lives and our choices and actions are a direct result of our thoughts. So I need to consistently create opportunities for my thoughts to surface in positive ways, and I need to create ways to redirect my thoughts when they are not serving my well-being.

Now comes the real action…

I am choosing to commit 15 minutes each day to each key area. 15 in ’15 to create my best self!

15 minutes each morning to fuel my faith and create greater spirituality in my life. I was blessed to receive two devotional books this Christmas, and am going to set the tone for my days – every day – spending 15 minutes reading and pondering and praying and rejoicing.

15 minutes each afternoon to enhance my health and simply get my butt moving. I will take a walk, do some jumping jacks, dance around like a lunatic, or whatever will get my blood pumping. I know that 15 minutes doesn’t sound like much, but I am doing zero minutes right now, so carving out 15 minutes in every day to create a healthier lifestyle is totally doable!

15 minutes each evening to cultivate connection and nurture the relationships in my life. Simple gestures like sending a caring email, calling a friend, making plans to get together, or being truly and fully present in conversations will go a long way in creating deeper connections with the people who matter most to me. I do these things now, but a commitment to be more intentional in this area of my life will improve this area of my life.

15 minutes each night before I go to bed to stimulate my mindset and create a peaceful and positive headspace. I spend a lot of time in my head now, so 15 focused minutes will be easy for me. I will read something uplifting, watch an inspiring TED talk, add to my gratitude journal, write down my thoughts, or meditate. Any activity to infuse my internal chatter with hope and possibilities and power and positivity will be a wonderful way to nourish my mind.

15 minutes in 2015! It’s easy. It’s doable. It’s manageable. It is a minimum, not a maximum, so longer time frames are perfectly fine. But for me, 15 minutes is an amount of time I can embrace and can be energized about. 15 in ’15 is admittedly a little corny and gimmicky, but it is memorable and that will help me stick to my focus to CREATE an amazing year.

I realize that my 15 minute plans actually equate to an entire hour. And I recognize that there will be days where finding an hour may be challenging. But it really is all in how we manage our time and what we choose to prioritize. Set a kitchen timer or phone reminder or schedule an appointment with yourself in your Outlook Calendar. You have the time. You’re just spending it on something else right now. And so am I.

But I want things. I want more meaningful connection in my life. I want relationships that add to my joy and well-being. I want ample opportunities to love and to be loved. I want to be understood and accepted. I want to learn and grow. I want passion and purpose to surface every single day. I want to be healthy and happy and active. I want to express myself creatively. I want to embrace my imperfections and allow myself grace. I want to fuel my faith and protect my peace. These are the things I want more of.

I need to CREATE space and time and opportunities for all of those things to occur. Life doesn’t just “happen” to us. We create it with every thought, every choice, and every action. And we can take actions that will create the best version of ourselves and our best year yet!

A few things to ponder…

Can you commit to 15 minutes of focused time each day to reinvent and reclaim your life?

What key areas do you want to nurture?

What do you think the outcome will be if you apply structure and action to your wishes and hopes?

Here’s to a year filled with all the things we wish for. Here’s to thoughts and choices and actions that support our goals. Here’s to being a life-giving force to the people around us. Here’s to giving ourselves grace for our imperfections. And here’s to a beautiful, exciting, meaningful and memorable new year. Here’s to our best year yet!

Setting the Tone for 2015

I am beginning to believe there is one full week between Christmas and New Year’s for a darn good reason. And that reason is so that I can have a complete and proper meltdown before embracing my new beginnings.

I use the term “meltdown” lightly, but it pretty accurately describes the feelings I’ve had over the past week. All of the built up anxiety over several weeks of planning and preparation to make Christmas magical peaks in one day. One quickly disappearing day. And we are left with mounds of dirty dishes, crumpled wrapping paper, mangled boxes, lots of decorations to take down, and quiet. The kind of quiet that amplifies my thoughts. And my thoughts shouldn’t always be amplified, it turns out.

I am recovering from my meltdown and I am wrangling in and focusing my thoughts on the year to come. The year that begins today.

My internal thoughts are often served up interview style, and here are the questions I’m asking myself…

What do I want more of in 2015?

What tone do I want to set?

What hopes and dreams and goals do I have for myself?

After my thoughts pop in rapid fire mode like the last 20 seconds while making microwave popcorn, there is calm. There is anticipation. There is excitement. And there are answers.

I want more meaningful connection in my life. I want relationships that add to my joy and well-being. I want ample opportunities to love and to be loved. I want to be understood and accepted. I want to learn and grow. I want passion and purpose to surface every single day. I want to be healthy and happy and active. I want to express myself creatively. I want to embrace my imperfections and allow myself grace. I want to fuel my faith and protect my peace. These are the things I want more of.

So, setting the tone for those things means making some choices and establishing some structure.

My first set-the-tone choice is to select one powerful word that sums up my want-list. I’ve been pondering this for days and have come up with… wait for it…

CREATE!

I can create space in my heart and in my life for all the things I’m wanting. I can create opportunities to pursue my desires. I can create an environment to support my wishes. I can allow myself time to be creative. I can create the best version of myself and in doing that, I can create an amazing year and a beautiful life.

CREATE is my set-the-tone, powerful, inspirational, guiding word for 2015.

What should your word be? Can you think of one?

Now that we have our words, what the heck is next?

Well, here’s what’s next for me… I am going to apply some structure to carry out my word. Because my word is a verb, I am going to need to DO something to spring it into action. I’d love it if just choosing a magical word would make all my dreams come true, but this girl did not lose my glass slipper at the stroke of midnight last night. I lost an entire freaking year, so I need to get cracking on some practical ways to put my word in play.

But for today, I am going to let my word sink in. I’m going to let it simmer in my brain while I take down Christmas trees, vacuum up the remnants of our holiday cheer, and watch football games with my hubby. Today I am going to ponder.

And tomorrow I am going to CREATE and share my plan! Join me here tomorrow, won’t you? And bring your word. We can plan our awesome years together!