Word of the Year 2023: Focus

Always remember, your focus determines your reality.
~ George Lucas ~

In The Phantom Menace, Jedi Knight Qui-Gon Jinn says the above to the very young Anakin Skywalker. 

In the mythical storytelling world of Star Wars, the force plays a prominent role in the goings on of various characters. The primary purpose of the light side of the force was to protect, persuade and provide great physical feats when necessary. The dark side, however, used the force for nefarious reasons which brought about characters such as Darth Vader and all the havoc he caused in the Universe.

Either way, the force was a form of extreme focus on getting something done. By laser focusing on the task at hand, the results they got were usually the ones they had set the intention in the beginning for.

That is powerful.

Which is the reason I am choosing the word Focus to be my touchstone for the New Year of 2023.

With all the definitions of the word Focus, this is the one that spoke directly to me:

a state or condition permitting clear perception or understanding

Our minds are exceedingly plastic and they have the amazing ability to reshape themselves.* Through the practice of self-examination and contemplation time, one can take advantage of that malleability and shape their mind to produce beneficial directions. 

In other words, whatever we pay attention to, the details we pick out and give importance to, that determines the results we achieve.

Whoa!

Ok, got it … the TFAR model states: your thoughts lead to your feelings, which lead to your actions, which lead to your results … where I am struggling is the thoughts portion, which is where I need to FOCUS. 

(Last thought: A state or condition PERMITTING ← did you notice that? I need to be in a state or condition that allows a clear understanding of something. This means I need to take TIME to consider what I am focusing on to make sure they fit with my ultimate goals. Which means I have to take TIME to consider what my ultimate goals are. HA! Round and round I go. Which proves why this is the perfect word for me for 2023!)

*If you want a trippy read, get a hold of the book “The Brain that Changes Itself” by Norman Doidge, M.D. … fantastic look into how we can actually change the structure and function of our brains.

Clarity Precedes Success

Clarity precedes success.
~ Robin Sharma ~

The last time I was relatively clear about a direction in this journey we all call life, was the beginning of 2020.

We all know how calm and peaceful the world has been since then, right?

::giggle::

I had lost my mother in April of 2019 after years of caregiving and I had taken the rest of the year to acclimate myself back into mainstream living.

By the time December rolled around, I had decided that 2020 was going to be MY YEAR and started planning accordingly. I was done with caregiving and my daughter had turned 20 so I felt it was finally time to move forward.

I spent most of that December designing an online course that was going to help me retire in a bit of comfort (or at least it was a start).

I got busy creating my first beta group and all was going well until bit by bit, the world as I knew it began to crumble.

First, the pandemic and the subsequent losing of clients in both my businesses which forced me to make the brutal decision to declare bankruptcy.

When 2021 rolled around, the medical issues began. Bit by bit, I found out I had breast cancer that required two surgeries and then I discovered I had a 3.5 cm aneurysm located on my renal artery right up against my kidney that needed to be removed ASAP.

That surgery began 2022 for me. It was a long recuperation coupled with the fact that I had to do radiation for the final touches of my breast surgeries.

Over the last few months I have finally started to feel like myself again and am ready to take on the world.

Most of my medical issues are behind me. I now have a “team” of doctors that have praised me as a model patient so I am hoping 2023 will not bring too many surprises to my doorstep.

As they say, the world is my oyster.

Let the fun begin!

Word of the Year ~ 2023

Handle them carefully, for words have more power than atom bombs. ~ Pearl Strachan Hurd

It’s that time of year when we start to think about resolutions.  What we want new and different in the coming year.

This year, instead of a list of resolutions, how about choosing a Word of the Year.

This focus word will serve as a touchstone for all the changes you want to see in the coming months.

Why the shift from resolutions? Because they don’t work.  You know why?  Because they address only one part of your life.  The DO level.

It’s the:

I will DO this thing (lose weight) …

So that I can HAVE this other thing (self-esteem) …

and then I can BE this thing (confident).

The DO-HAVE-BE model doesn’t address the core issues and doesn’t change our approach.

A better solution and better model is — BE-DO-HAVE:

I will BE this thing now (my goal weight)

By DOING this thing now (change my eating habits)

So that I can HAVE these other things (all the things a fit body can desire).

When we start from the BE level, imagining ourselves already there, then this shifts our thinking patterns creating a new reality and the DO (what would a person at this weight eat, exercise, sleep, think about themselves) and HAVE levels follow more easily.

By choosing one umbrella word serving as a touchstone, shining a light by which we determine our actions, and being a constant reminder to live life at the BE level, will support all the new changes we are wanting and working to make.

Get quiet over the next few days. Choose your Word of the Year. Just one word. That’s all. If you need some extra guidance in your word search, download a helpful worksheet here.

Answering the questions following the list will assist you in identifying and matching you with your Word of the Year.

And please … share!  I would love to know what you came up with.