In reflecting about what I want 2017 to be (and not be), I decided to choose a word to guide me through the year - Purposeful.
I chose this word because I have a problem - I say yes to everything. So much so that when I actually managed to say no to an ask a few months back, it was literally the first time I could remember doing that in years. That was terrifying.
This year, I want to put time and energy into what matters to me. I want to have a clear why in what I choose to do. And before quickly saying yes, I want to take a moment to consider what I could inadvertently be saying no to by agreeing. I want my yeses to be a limited quantity, instead of a bottomless pit. I want to be at this time next year content in the choices I've made (and to actually make choices).
The book from 2016 that had the biggest impact on me was Present Over Perfect, and this quote from it articulates what I hope this next year will be for me,
"When you say, This is what I can do; this is what I can't,
you'll find so much freedom in that. You'll be free to love your work,
because you're not using it as a sneaky way to be loved or approved of.
You'll be free to love the things you give to people,
because you're giving them freely, untangled from resentments and anger.
My knee-jerk answer is yes. My default setting is yes.
But I'm learning that time and honesty and space
and prayer and writing and talking with Aaron help me see more clearly
what I can and can't do, with a full heart and without resentment or hustling."
So, let's do this 2017. . .or not do this, and that's okay, too.
