One Little Word… Reach!

Off and on for years I have followed Ali Edwards' blog. Not because I have a particular interest in scrapbooking... I really don't, but just because I like her style. I admire her ability to track her life in a creative way. I am, in fact, horrible at the life tracking, photo keeping and general presentation of our family's life events for posterity's sake. I've tried, but the task is just overwhelming - not like the old days where you developed your film at the local drugstore, picked the good ones and slapped them in an album. No, now we all have thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of images to sift through, edit and sort, file and store. Painful! Still, I find myself heading back to Ali's blog from time to time. Usually this happens at the start of the year when she's introducing her "one little word."

I've wanted to choose "one little word" in years past. I've come close. Silent brainstorming gets me to the point of coming up with an unwritten list, but then I fizzle out, get distracted and give up. This year, however, I feel a pull to participate. I feel the need to reflect, dive deep and investigate. So, on a hike a few days ago I listened to Ali talk about One Little Word on the Elise Gets Crafty podcast. I started making a list of words on my phone right then. I knew this time I would get farther.

I made a list of about twelve words, but no matter what other words came, one alone spoke to me. REACH.  

REACH, both a verb and a noun, can be your final goal or the act of getting there. However you look at it, REACH is beyond wherever you started. REACH means you are either doing something about attaining your goal, getting that "thing" or you have already arrived. Either way, I think this is a pretty powerful way to approach a year where I am trying to figure out the direction of my business, find ways I can grow personally, creatively and professionally, and, most importantly, get out of my comfort zone and make real change no matter what that might look like twelve months from now.

My plan is to work through REACH, to do the exercises outlined in Ali's program to truly connect with my word. But even if I don't do it all and simply just think "REACH!" as I work through the steps of 2017, I will be ahead and will reach some of the goals I set out for myself.

This is my commitment to a more thoughtful and mindful year ahead. In 2017 I will REACH beyond...