#OneWord2021

      So, it seems, I have not blogged about my #oneword for a few years.  Imagine my surprise when I went to my blog to refresh my memory, and my memory failed me because I didn't even remember to write about it for multiple years.  

     I went to Twitter to "help" my memory, and came up with this #oneword history:

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

 

So, in the past 5 years, I strived to:

• Be present with the people in the moment.
• Be confident in making decisions in my life and in my new (at the time) professional role.
• Organize, everything.
• Don't make major changes, rather make nuanced ones that achieve goals.
• Focus on today, and try to worry less about tomorrow. 

     That last one.  What a spot on word! I had really struggled coming up with a word for 2020.  Now, as I look back, I think I was on the struggle bus for a variety of reasons.  I couldn't even pick a word to focus on. But, I went and hung out with a 5th grade class, and a 5th grade student shared his word, and it was TODAY because he worries so much about tomorrow and the future that his word was to help him remember to live TODAY.  I asked him if I could borrow his word, because I was feeling the same way.  

     And then a pandemic hit.

     Suddenly, TODAY was a whole new thing.  For months there, that word went from trying to focus just on today because the stress of tomorrow was too great, while simultaneously trying to reinvent today because yesterday wouldn't work in a pandemic world.  We ended up reinventing TODAY:  education, shopping, birthdays, holidays, experiences, celebrations, everything.  The day to day life we had had was no longer within reach.  So, we reinvented TODAY.

    TODAY.  That student sure helped me pick a good one.

     That brings me to 2021.  And honestly, I really need to use some of those previous year words again.  Like, I really really do.  But, I think that would be #OneWord cheating.  And 2021, while it brings hope for a better year ahead, also reminds us that the pandemic is far from over.  I could go with a word like "hope" or "joy," but I didn't really lose those in 2020.  I'd love to say "control," but 2020 taught me that is unrealistic.  I could be funny and choose "sanitize" but I do that pretty seamlessly.  I have become better at risk analysis, so I could go with "risk" but that might sound a bit negative.  The world doesn't need more negativity.  So, I landed on PRIORITIES.  It will help me reapply some of my words from the past, while also helping me make choices in a pandemic.  

2021

     I won't share with you what mine are, but I do encourage you to do the same (one word or not).  This world has forced us to the point of decision fatigue.  Perhaps if we keep our priorities in mind, it will help make those impossible decisions a little more possible.  And by impossible, I could just mean picking what to make for dinner. But, I also need to make big decisions, like keeping my kids as remote learners. In a pandemic, decisions are hard, and some feel like climbing a mountain with no gear. Maybe my PRIORITIES can be that compass I need.

     2020 has also made me realize that each one of us, as humans, have different priorities and goals.  The choices we make are on display for others to see these days.  But, if I keep my priorities at the center of my decision making, perhaps I will remain confident in my choices even if others would do things differently.  Here's to finding out if that happens!

     Stay well in 2021!