Hello 2023 and Hello Authenticity!
It has been a bit of a journey to get here, but the time for dancing around the elephant in the room is done.
I am going to bring some baggage with me though, which I am hoping will make this journey a bit easier…yay for all I learned from my previous words!
I started a journey with a word back in 2017… I picked joy and had no idea what I was doing. At all. It was a true bust of a word and so I did not pick a word at all in 2018. But I spent time in 2018 researching One Little Word… specifically the why of choosing a word. And so with several pages of notes in my journal, I decided to try again in 2019.
And so I began my year of Focus. I did not understand the power of that a quote could have over the course of the year, but I started off with Eckhart Tolle, Realize deeply that the present moment is all you ever have. Make the Now the primary focus of your life. It was a good year, and I began to “get” the value that a word could bring to your life.
I moved into 2020 expanding focus a bit more and: the Year of Intentional Living was born. This time I focused entirely on a single quote by the wise Mary Anne Radmacher, Live with intention. Walk to the edge. Listen Hard. Practice wellness. Play with abandon. Laugh. Choose with no regret. Appreciate your friends. Continue to learn. Do what you love. Live as if this is all there is. And over the course of the year, I contemplated all the delicious bits of her quote. I kept my focus, and yes, I absolutely began the process of Intentional Living. And from there, I wanted my journey to go where I will this year… but it did not feel right. I had a good amount of unfinished business to sort out.
I knew that I could not have one scintilla of authenticity until I could release so much. Hello, 2021… the Dreaded Year of Release. It was a year of hard work… and I was so happy to be done. Although, I am far from done… I made a very good start!
2022 was a much better year… and after letting so much stuff go, I spent the year learning about being Full… with the delightful help of Mary Oliver’s poem, The Summer Day. It was such a good word… and it was a wonderful year. I learned so much. And still… Focus, Intentional Living, and Release were very much still a part of my journey. You see, I realized early on that words could be building blocks, each word providing a base for the next word to grow from.
And as 2022 began to draw to a close, authenticity began to reappear on my radar… regularly. And so, with great trepidation… I will embrace authenticity in 2023. I have a good foundation, I think I am ready for this exciting word!
Welcome to my Year of Authenticity! And January is always so much fun as I dig in and see what authenticity has to reveal!
I will be back on Wednesday with some Unraveling… a New Year of Making Intentions post!
P.S. That photo above is my bright, shining, sans makeup, freshly 63 err…62-year-old face! (I do know how old I am…most days! LOL) Grey hair? Yep! A wrinkle to two? Absolutely!! Yes, my first step into authenticity will be getting comfortable with images of myself!
Thank you for sharing your story with Words, Kat! I have been a real dud at choosing a word and haven’t done it all for several years. I just picked a word at random previously without thinking about it much. This year I’m thinking about why I should choose a word and contemplating a few word choices as I take down Christmas decorations. I especially like your idea of focusing on specific quotes. I wish you the best with authenticity – you are more than ready!
Oh I’ve enjoyed this post Kat! I love how each of your words have built upon each other and brought you to Authenticity. And I love that picture of you at the top. You look fabulous and ready to take on the world!! Hahaha (And, I think all of us – growing up in America – need to get comfortable with images of ourselves.)
I think authenticity is the perfect next word for you, there’s so much you can do with this! I love your 63 year old face, my friend.
Fabulous post. I loved hearing about your previous words and how they led into the next year.Hurrah for embracing your natural hair and complexion. You are a very pretty lady. I gave up hair colour and makeup ten years ago, when I realised they didn’t improve my appearance at all. Here’s to your year of authenticity.
Happy New Year!
Authenticity, yes! ::fist pump:: We should all strive for that! In your picture, sans makeup, with a wrinkle or two? You look like a Real Person, and someone I could be friends with.
Thanks for sharing the “how” of your word selection. Happy New Year.
That photo of your authentic self is lovely.
I will be interested to see how your word plays out through the year. No word has “spoken” to me yet. I’ve tried a few on, but so far, nothing has fit.
No one says you have to pick your word the very first day. Maybe you need some time to figure out where the new year will lead first.
Belated Happy Birthday, Kat!!!
I am excited to see where authenticity sends you. 😀
Welcome to 2023. Your authentic self in the photo is beautiful. I love the quote. I have been muddling around with a few words but haven’t landed yet. This is a little unusual for me but I hope one of three stands out in the next week or so.
I know that you have had struggles with your words the past several years, in many cases because they forced you to examine yourself and your life’s journey, so I think Authenticity is perfect! I hope it will be a year of getting to know yourself and reveling in who you are. Happy new year, friend!
I remember when you had to set this then-unnamed word aside! I’m excited for you, excited that it’s time for this one. And I appreciate that you shared about your flopped year…and then the year you invested in the Why of the practice. That’s big. And inspiring. I don’t know that I would have tried again. (I, too, had a ‘meh’ year or two in the earliest days–but I don’t think I was thoughtful or reflective enough to even realize it!)
Here’s to this year, Kat!!
you are beautiful! happy birthday 🙂 I love to read about your word journey and hope you have a fun year with authenticity!