Word of the Year 2022 – GROW
Choosing a word of the year versus setting resolutions has been a practice for me since 2016. This practice has given me focus and intentionality as the year passes and, typically, gives me a way to reframe the way I see the happenings in my daily life. I don’t always get it right ALL YEAR but I do tend to come back to my word when I’m struggling and try to refocus and this has been a positive practice for me.
Most years, the word comes to me in the month leading up to the end of the prior year. Some years, like 2020, the word for the next year came to me as early as August! This year was different. I did not have an overwhelming pull towards any word and nothing was resonating with me. Then, while listening to Emily P. Freeman’s podcast on 5 Ways to Finish Regular (speaking of the year 2021), I heard her say “keep growing”. She went on to say, “Growth is good, but it may not present as taller, louder, bigger, or even very noticeable at all. Real growth can sometimes feel like shrinking, like smallness, like death. All growth does not mean something bigger.”
I literally felt something stir inside me when I heard these words and felt like maybe, just maybe I had found my word for 2022. For the month of January, I sat with this word and tried it out. I considered other words like flexible and change but they just didn’t feel as complete. So here we are, February 1st and I’m going for it! In 2022 I want to GROW in all ways that matter.
I always like to start with a little definition for my word because, well, sometimes it makes me think outside the box just a little.
Verb
- 1a: to spring up and develop to maturity
- b: to be able to grow in some place or situation
- 2a: to increase in size by assimilation of material into the living organism or by accretion of material in a nonbiological process (such as crystallization)
- b: Increase, expand
- 3: to develop from a parent source
- 4a: to pass into a condition: become
- b: to have an increasing influence
- c: to become increasingly acceptable or attractive
And as a transitive verb, to promote the development of.
In 2022 I want to grow in these areas of my life and be open to what that means.
Grow my faith. I’ve never been closer to God in my life, but I know that will only continue to grow if I take the time to spend with Him. I have definitely not been on point with this over the last several months and I feel myself slipping back into that familiar space of needing to be in control to feel settled. It’s time to get back to trusting Him and leaning on Him for discernment.
Grow my body. While I’d hope this would not be in the increase, expand way (ha!), I want to accept my body for the good it brings. I have taken alot of time over the last year and half learning as much as I can about menopause and what is really going on inside my body. Healing from the inside out and thanking my body for what it has already done is where I want to be. I want to treat my body kindly and honor the gift that it is today. Continuing to learn more about how my body functions and stretching it (at times literally) as far as it will go. For me this looks like feeding it well and taking it for long walks and spending some time building muscle. It also looks like listening to my body when it needs to rest!
Grow my mind. In 2021, I started seeing a therapist. She has helped me work through and heal so many of the broken spaces. I want to continue to keep my mind open to learning about myself and to learning new things in general. A big part of my life I’ve been a settler. I settle for things out of fear I’m not (insert word) enough in all the ways to do anything bigger. Ready to grow my thinking more in 2022 and continue to heal those places in my mind that are full of lies.
Grow my relationships. I think this is where Emily’s words hit me the hardest. My role in my kids lives is changing so much as they are mostly adults. It’s not easy to let go and accept less of a role in their lives but it is what we spend 18 years preparing them for. At the same time, my relationship with my mom has changed significantly due to her alzheimers and it too feels like shrinking. While I have lots of people I would call a friend, my tight circle has definitely become smaller over the years too. I feel I’m in the perfect spot to grow my relationships in a way that makes them deeper and more meaningful but not without some of the pain that comes with growth. It will take being honest with myself, and vulnerable with others while understanding I am only responsible for my side of the relationship. For this Enneagram 2 that is sometimes tough!
Grow our finances. In 2021 we finally met with a financial planner. Yes, I was 51 years old before I actually did this but it made me feel like such an adult! We have been diligent about setting aside money for our future as retirement is definitely in sight for me. My goal is to continue to honor our finances and grow our portfolio to a comfortable level so we can continue enjoying our current lifestyle even in retirement.
Grow my writing. I love writing and it’s been missing for me for some time. Looking for ways to set aside time to write would bring me so much joy. Good writing takes practice and I’m hopeful to grow this in multiple ways in 2022.
Grow my options. In January, I celebrated 30 years with an employer I have loved. There has been so much growth in my professional life over 30 years but I’m beginning to look towards something new. I really don’t know what that is but hope to begin exploring those options. What do I have to offer that hasn’t yet been tapped? Who knows where this will lead but I’d love to explore more photography, be a more thoughtful and intentional influencer, find ways to serve in my community and maybe try some things I’ve always dreamed of doing.
These are some of the ways I hope to grow in 2022 but I’m sure as the year progresses and I apply the word grow to my daily life, I will think of so many more ways this word impacts me. This quote really spoke to me and I think I will post it somewherre prominently. “When a flower doesn’t bloom, you fix the environment in which it grows, not the flower.” Alexander Den Heijer. I really love that! Here’s to creating an environment that is ripe for blooming in 2022.
Do you have a word for 2022? I’d love to know what you chose. Below are the words I’ve chosen in prior years.
2020 – Free (and yes this still cracks me up)
