For the last few years, I've selected a single word to be my guiding focus for the coming year.
My word was hero for 2023 and euphoric for 2024. Looking back, it's a little humorous to me that the year I decided to focus on fun, play, and lightness ended up throwing a whole lot of turmoil my way.
But maybe it was a perfect year to face all the challenges that came my way, since I kept brining it all back to my one word—euphoric.
When I chose that word, I was looking forward to living each and every moment full of that electrified feeling where you're so in love with life that you could cry. Well, that wasn't the case. I didn't even find it every week. Sometimes a whole month would pass without feeling so lit up inside that I could burst into flame.
But I remembered to look for it. And when I did, I found it. Sometimes in unexpected places.
A lot changed for me last year. I lost some innocence and gained grace. I worked through fear and became stronger. I lost one notebook and immediately filled up three more with new stories. Oh and I released the illusion of control and replaced it with the chaos of a kitten.
Most importantly, I learned to let go of what wasn't serving me anymore. And I found a well of inspiration in its place. So this year, it was easy to choose one word: clarity.
By taking space from all the other things clamoring for my attention, I was stripped down to the core—and found my writing waiting for me.
As I deepened my writing practice, I worried that the well would run dry and I'd hit a point where there was nothing left to draw from. I was afraid that my words would leave me. But they never did.
When I created space for them to flow through me each morning, the fear lessened and the current deepened. It's amazing to me that all I need to do is sit down with pen and paper in hand and ideas magically transform into stories.
Something special happens there. That creative process is as cathartic as meditation, as healing as the perfect morning run. It's why I love to write.
This is what I aim to remember by choosing the word "clarity." Just sit down, hold a pen in my hand, and stare at the paper. See what happens.
I'm also playing around with the idea of sharing more of my writing on this blog. What do you think of that, my dear blog reader? Would you like to see more of what I'm creating? Let me know.
Finally, in alignment with our current vision, we will continue to focus on the Tadpole Press 100-Word Writing Contest. Because we love it. And because we've found that when we pour all our energy into one main project instead of bouncing from one idea to the next, it deepens the impact.
Clarity.
Clarity in my writing. Clarity in my work. My guiding light for the year 2025. What are you focusing on this year?
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