spirit-led

My Door

Look people wrote on it!

More people wrote on it!

After it rained...people wrote
on it some more!

It's the New Year and like many of you, I have been mulling around what it is I'd like to accomplish in the great year of 2015. There's a couple of things that I've done the last few years to help me refresh my mind and get a grip on my goals.

1. I've officially ditched the dreaded New Year's resolution. I don't think I have ever kept or achieved any resolution, so why even bother.
2. I, instead, choose a word that will help inspire me and keep me focused throughout the year. This has been a great inspiration and motivator the last couple of years. The crazy thing is the word always chooses me, I don't seem to choose it.

It always amazes me when I get to the end of the year and look back to the moments that really encompassed my word. It's not like I go around intentionally seeking out things to do or tasks to accomplish that will purposely "match" or "pair" with my word. Like I said, the word chooses me. I am open to how the pitch of my life leads me. I equate it to how a musician writes a song. They strum a few notes and it inspires them to strum their next notes. Their personal stories, moods, and current state of being influences the beat, the melody, the key. A dancer creates their routine much the same way. There's some kind of rhythm or hum, or pulse, that inspired them to choose a certain song, and choose that twirl or that jump. That's how I feel about my word, it's always spirit-led.

I am grateful it is spirit-led because then when I get to the end, I can't give myself the credit. I can take credit for listening or for being obedient to it, but somehow I can be just a bit more courageous if it is from something outside of me, all the while coming from within. I'm not even going to try to understand it. Embracing it seems to be the way to go.

This past year, my word/phrase became Give Yourself Permission. I gave myself permission to do a lot of things. Mainly, to say no to things because I felt obligated. That freed me up to do things that I wanted to do. It doesn't mean those things didn't at times completely exhaust or overwhelm me, but I was doing them out of joy and passion. I painted that door...hello. that. DOOR! Talk about exhausting and overwhelming me...the rush I got from finishing it and seeing something I did in public and for a good cause to boot. Satisfying in so many ways, but especially seeing what people wrote on the chalkboard side.

My 2013 word (magic*) and my 2014 word kind of rolled up into one neat little package and I intend to carry that into 2015. I'd like to make some personal prints for others by asking the same thing the chalkboard side of my door did....What do you need to give yourself permission to do...be...say...etc? Then I'll create their own personalized Permission Granted print/painting. Cool, huh? I hope so anyway.

Hey--remember me calling you my tribe. Yep, I'm talking to you. This is where I need you. I'm in one of the busiest seasons I've been in a long time and I don't want to get busy getting busy and then forget about my dreams. So will you do me a favor and bookmark this post and come back to it and comment every once in a while and see how I'm doing on creating these Permission prints? Or email me, call me, text me... if you're in my life and/or reading this blog you are my tribe and I need you. :)
Or do you want me to make you your very own Permission Granted print or painting?!

p.s.- if you're wondering what my 2015 word is, I'm still waiting for it to choose me. I feel the pull towards a few, but haven't had one pull ahead of the rest yet. When I do, I'll be sure to let you know.

How about you...Have any New Year's Resolutions you'd like to share or a word for the year?