It’s February 18th (D-day for me and some of you – my hotel room block expires for Align It Live – aka decision time… but I digress).
At about 6 weeks into the year, we have all see an abundance of posts by people online about selecting a ‘word of the year.’ I have to give props to Christine Kane, I really admire her teaching (I awarded her my 2014 Aligned Entrepreneurs For the Human Spirit Award), and I LOVE that she’s popularized this idea. I must admit I even downloaded her word of the year workbook and completed it. 🙂
So, having given credit where it’s certainly due, I am now compelled to share the MYTH of the word of the year… it doesn’t really work how you’d think.
Declaring Your Word Creates Not Your Word
So first, let me take you to the beginning of 2014 when I selected two words that represent a connected concept for me, to be my mantra for the year: Ease & Prosperity. Ease & Prosperity were for me all about focusing on the fact that these two concepts are not mutually exclusive, but rather inextricably linked.
My goal for the year was to be THE BEST ROLE MODEL that I could be when it came to enjoying the experience of prosperity in my life while making decisions that made my life continually easier! Well, that didn’t happen…
As generally happens, by creating this declaration, or intention, or focus, on ease and prosperity, absolutely everything that was INCONSISTENT with that was magnified. My subconscious desire to complicate my life came out in full force. I made a decision that essentially doubled my workload but did not double my revenue or my support system. And that’s just one example. Declaring your word creates not your word.
And It’s Actually A Good Thing
So how does declaring something like ease and prosperity but creating complication, or declaring joy but creating pain, actually become a good thing?
When you declare a focus or an intention, everything that is not in alignment with that intention will become magnified, preparing for you to release it. And those patterns or ways of being or people in your life that truly need to go will suddenly become seductive. They’ll sneak in when you’re not looking.
But the great news is that if you can remain focused on your intention, you’ll recognize these things for what they are and be prepared and willing to shift them. The only thing keeping you from everything you want is that which is inconsistent, energetically and spiritually, with what you want.
After I created LESS ease in 2014, I created a perfect scenario for me to clearly see the gap that had developed, and in that space my real world of the year appeared.
Your Word Is Not Your Word
Whatever the word you’ve selected, it’s most likely not your real word of the year. It’s the means to an end for the real word to show up.
When I noticed that I’d actually created less ease, I knew I needed to step away and take a look at what was out of alignment for me. (I’m going to share all about that at Align It Live next month). I went on a retreat, and during a meditation, I saw a series of visuals from my past, times that spoke to my heart. When I looked at the themes of these messages I got a new word, which became my theme for the year, and for this stage of my business teaching. The word was “CONNECT.” And this word has been guiding me. It starts with connecting in to our own personal Truth. Like truly CONNECTING. That ah-ha (it happened in July) has changed the course of my business. Connection has been the key to creating actual ease and prosperity.
Similarly, someone who chooses the word Joy, for example, may suddenly become present to anything in their life that is inconsistent with Joy. They may begin to release un-joyful relationships, and the process they find Freedom. Freedom is their actual word.
It All Unfolds Perfectly
So while your word creates not your word, and your word is not actually your word, the good news is that all unfolds perfectly.
As I worked my exercises from Christine’s workbook, I landed on the word “Unfold” for 2015. This is about embracing the Truth about business (and life), which is that as much as we try to plan and control it, it is really always an unfolding. The more we can embrace that, the easier it will be to follow our own intuition and go where spirit guides us.
My clients are generally in a place where they are deciding to stop following all the rules that other people set out for them, and they are learning to trust themselves, their intuition, and spirits plan for their business and their life. I am a space for unfolding. And there are big changes coming in 2015 – for me and for others. If we actually knew all the changes, we’d like be afraid of their immensity. Which is why they unfold at a pace we can receive – and this is actually a beautiful thing.
But, Then THIS Unfolded!
About a week after I selected my word for 2015 (the Universe works fast these days), I had a series of things ‘unfold’ that were less than pleasant.
During the biggest cold spell in Denver our heat went out. Mice moved into our kitchen. And my car was broken into and my wallet was stolen. My favorite wallet, with cash and gift cards from Christmas.
Now, I’m a roll with the punches kind of person, but I had to ask myself, “why was I choosing to have this experience?” (HINT: This is a question that someone who is committed to taking responsibility for their life asks!)
My lovely friend Kristi came over to bring a space heater and asked if she could pray for me. (That’s her self-expression, and I love that she is always so bold to ask that.) “Absolutely!”
As she prayed, she said the following words, “May all that has been taken be restored to my dear friend Darla.”
And those words hit me like a ton of bricks… immediate waterworks. Even now as I write this I tear up.
“May all that has been taken be restored.”
Those words, that prayer, would have never occurred to me. As I said, I ‘roll with the punches.’ Ha! That implies you are expecting to be PUNCHED, not RESTORED. Woah!
I shared with her my reaction to that word, and my gratitude. And she said, “Well that’s funny because that’s what you do for your clients, you help them restore themselves to wholeness.”
Over the following weeks I began to look at places in my own life that would shift with the idea that all things can be restored to whole. I changed banks – something I’d been meaning to do for years – spurred by needing to close all my cards anyway. I got the heat fixed clearly. I removed things from my office that were used or tired. I got a new desk at home, I cleared out clothing that felt tired, I had conversations with people I’d been meaning to have. I set up new rituals for my own self-care and continual restoration.
Your Word Appears In The GAP
In the space created by the word unfold (woah, I didn’t want THAT to unfold!), my real word appeared.
I am committed to RESTORATION in 2015, in all shapes and forms. I invite you to join me. What if you saw yourself as a precious gift, who is deserving of ALL THINGS being restored to you – how would that shift your energy and your business this year?
Restoration 2015
Consider making a restoration list. You’ve probably done a tolerations list… listing out everything you are tolerating in life and working through it one at a time. What about a 2015 Restoration List (don’t try to do it all at once!). List out everything that feels ‘out’ that needs to be restored this year – put back in alignment. Could be places from your past where you felt wronged, or where you need to restore someone else to whole. Could be literal physical things in your environment, your finances, your agreements. And work through them one at a time. With urgency but also grace – you’ve got all year. One thing at a time – the hardest ones first. What a difference it will make! I’m in it with you. 🙂