Monday 5 January 2015

whats your theme word?


i've been following my nose around the interwebs tonight and came across a blog talking about choosing a theme word for the year, rather than  making resolutions.

it's not a new idea for me, my friend, one time blogger, debbie chooses a word every year (the one i remember is celebrate and i bet she thought no-one was listening) but i have never thought a whole lot about it.

choosing a theme for the year seems a bit more achievable than a resolution. resolutions tend to be specific but at the same time vague: "lose weight" how much and by what means?  "get healthy" in which ways?
resolutions just about ask us to fail but a theme word, well it's just a theme, you can't exactly fall off the wagon, you can just adhere to the theme more or less closely

the idea of having a theme seems to be a faith based practice but maybe i just happened to be reading a faith based blog? does anyone know about this?

i'm not sure whether i will choose a theme for the year, i'll have to let the idea percolate a bit and see if anything grabs me.

have you ever chosen a theme word? might you? what word draws you?

attitude, authenticity
beauty
courage, cherish, celebrate
dream
energy, empowered
faith
grace, generous, gratitude
humility, health
justice,  joy
love, learn
mastery
pride
relationships, read
serendipity, sustainable
truth
patience
victory

19 comments:

  1. I have seen several blogs discussing 'word of the year'. And, while I hadn't considered it, they are mostly people of faith.
    I quite like the idea (much, much better than resolutions) but in my lazy way haven't thought further. One I have liked has been soar. Such a hopeful word...

    Off topic. A while ago I came across something (and cannot remember where) which talked about death doulas. And thought it brilliant. Support for the dying, support for the family... Have you come across it?

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  2. EC
    soar is a fabulous word!

    i have come across the idea of death doulas and just last night i read a couple of articles about them. I have been invited to do a death doula training in canberra this year and the idea has some appeal but i'm unsure about how to get into an industry like that. (or, for that matter, whether i have what it takes)

    death is the final frontier, i think. we dont do it well and as the end of life becomes longer and more fraught for many we could do with new approaches

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  3. never thought of choosing a theme for a year--I'd probably require paper hats and noisemakers; but if I had to find one to express my hope it would be pacifism. may as well set the bar REAL HIGH.

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  4. Mark,
    what is it they say about if you shoot for the moon you might land in the stars?
    pacifism is a spectacular thing to hope for

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  5. Clear!

    I have created a bucket list for twnty fifteen. This word will be the KA word to get me to clear the list.

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  6. I've not heard of this, and don't think I'll be doing it, primarily because I would expect to forget all about it by February at the latest.

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  7. I like the idea! I think I'm going to make mine 'change.'

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  8. You've probably read mine... but it is "The Year of We."

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  9. ramana,
    are you going to tell us whats on the bucket list?



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  10. snow,
    there's no arguing with that!

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  11. megan,
    i nearly fell over when i saw you there!
    welcome back!!

    change is good, i like it

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  12. bob,
    the year of we sounds great. i wish i was joining you in california :)

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  13. Kylie, what a wonderful idea. Appeals to me no end. Rather than itty bitty resolutions a grand sweeping gesture by giving a year a theme.

    I'd say my keyword for 2015 is "necessity". Not exactly up there with the more elevated on your sample list but NECESSARY nevertheless. It's quite extraordinary, and in some ways liberating, when you just have to knuckle under - not think about it, just do it. Whatever IT is.

    And on this uplifting note wishing you what you, Kylie, are hoping for in a fulfilling (even if sometimes testing) 2015,

    Ursula

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  14. ursula,
    i missed you!

    making peace with the necessary sounds like a very zen kind of theme!

    a fulfilling year is pretty much what all of us want, thank you and back at ya

    xo

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  15. If I had to choose a single word, which is asking a lot, I think I would choose creativity. It's so easy to fall into mindless ruts rather than thinking creatively about your life and what more you can do with it.

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  16. nick,
    creativity is a funny thing. i like to imagine i am creative but in all reality i'm not sure why creativity is so sought after.

    yes, there is great art and so on but most average creative people have a hard drive full of very nice but pointless photos (or notebooks full of poems or whatever)

    it's choosing a single word that is so appealing, it's like living with a value system instead of living with pesky rules

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  17. Hey, sweetie pie, I keep dropping in to check on you in the hope that I missed a post.

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  18. Maybe I'll leave my comment on the right post this time: Oui but of course, my dear friend.

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