Word of the Year for 2021

GRACE (noun) - disposition to, or an act or instance of kindness, courtesy or clemency. - ease and suppleness of movement or bearing. - the quality or state of being considerate or thoughtful. As we finish off 2021, I'm sitting here reflecting on how I felt 12months ago. For a lot of people, 2020 was a year of chaos and exhaustion, and in a lot of ways, I was coming into the new year burnt out; but I was also coming with a wave of new energy and there was some kind of shift happening. I got excited about my goals again and I had something new to look forward to! There's something about this time of year for me, and it's not necessarily to do with Christmas and New Year's, although, the family time and holiday atmosphere is definitely part of it - but I think it's got a lot to do with the weather and the seasons; with the wet season arriving in North Qld, each new rain shower is a symbol of renewal, a freshening, and a chance to reset. Around this time last year, I listened to a podcast about setting a word of the year; more-so as an overall theme for the year, rather than resolutions that are easy to let fall to the wayside after a few months. As I thought about it, I was tossing up words like 'ease' or 'flow' as to how I wanted 2021 to feel for me... But the word I kept coming back to was 'grace.' To have grace towards others and towards myself; to be gracious and to be kind. The further I go along in this journey called life, the more I realise that everyone else is fighting a battle I know nothing about; and there are struggles in my own life that not many people know about also... And so we all need a little bit of grace! Then just the other day I was listening to a different podcast by Your Daley Pass, and they were talking about grace and how it had kind of turned into their unofficial word of the year because of their own experiences, and it inspired me to write this blog, because I didn't publish my word of the year at the beginning of 2021, so why not share now!? Grace for me this year has been about showing compassion towards others when they don't meet some random expectation that I had in my own head; it's been about showing love towards myself when I didn't reach the goal (because there were a few!); really, it's just been about trying to become a better human! And it's funny how putting a word in your brain at the start of the year can really shape how you see things moment to moment - there were countless times I caught myself falling into an old paradigm and then saying to myself: "uh-uh, just have grace!" Imagine how different my year could have been if it wasn't for that little word!? 2021 has really been a big journey of self love for me, because really, that's what grace is all about - just having compassion for yourself and others around you, no matter what! Grace has made my marriage stronger; grace has made my friendships more real; grace has allowed me to close some doors to things that weren't serving me, and open them to other opportunities instead. Grace has made it ok for me to not reach all my goals - grace made it ok for me to take a complete step back from them for now, instead of hustling every last second into the end of the year! Mid-November I looked at recommitting to my goal to help 100 people with their health this year - I was halfway (!!!), and for a couple of weeks, I pushed and I hustled, but it just felt off. It didn't feel good for me to force it, so I just gave grace, took a breath, and took a step back to reevaluate what's important for me. You might have noticed I've been a little slower getting back to my inbox this month; that's because I've been moving house, spending time with family, and giving myself some love. Instead of pushing myself to do what I 'should' be doing, I've just been doing what feels good instead! I'm glad I gave myself the grace this month because instead of sliding into the end of the year burnt out and exhausted, I'm coming into the end of the year with some clarity and focus, feeling energised to set some new goals for 2022, and that seems like a much better way to start the new year! In the podcasts I mentioned, the ladies talked about each new word of the year stacking onto one another - so you're not just abandoning a word after one year, it's still going to be a part of your life and mindset, but you can build on it and improve yourself even further! With that in mind, I'm thinking my 2022 word of the year should be something along the lines of new opportunities and embracing change, as we are in the middle of moving house and embarking on a new chapter for the new year! What will my word of the year be for 2022?? Embrace? Create?? Explore???

I'll let you know soon!