One Word to Rule It All

  We are in the last moments of the year, and the question “what is your one word” echoes through coffee shops and malls. What a wild juxtaposition, trying to find comfort in dreams of perfect gifts, while craving a magical pathway to be a better life through a bumper sticker sized mantra.

Choosing one word as both a resolution and prayer for manifestation is the current must-do trend. There are books preaching that choosing one word will lend us clarity, focus, and ensure that our life will be more rewarding and exciting. Imagine that one word can do all that. And so, we focus our thoughts on abundance or resilience or transformation or some other powerful word expecting synchronicity and serendipity to respond.

 Yes, there is power in words, but power can expand or limit. What if I focus on persistence or resilience, but in fact I need to release or explore, or simply walk-away? What if I focus on healing and force myself into the role of victim, or see every occurrence as a traumatic wound? Yes, I could pick the word adventure, but will that help me see the adventure in daily life, or instead drive me to say yes when I wish to say no? One word can narrow my view, much like gazing at the world through a camera lens, reducing every experience to a still life, erasing sensuality and passion.

The pressure is on to join the one-word crowd, to determine the pathway of the coming year through the view of a single label. And I will admit that I have had times when one word drove me through tough situations. I had to be persistent to finish my PhD, resilient to survive suing a major oil company, and courageous when adventuring alone in the mountains, or falling in love. Yes, there are times that one word encourages supports and guides us through an event or a time. However, all those words, and more, weave and dance together throughout our days, emerging and fading in alignment with our needs. Perhaps we do not select the words, rather we are chosen by them.