My One Word for 2016 - Sondra Lyn at Home

My one word for 2016.

Do you choose a word to focus on each year? I’ve done this in the past, and found it is really more helpful to me than making resolutions. I’ve been mulling this over for a few weeks now, trying to capture all of the things I hope for in 2016. It’s hard to boil it all down in one word, isn’t it? Here’s how I arrived at my one word for 2016…

In 2015…

My word for 2015 was Victorious.

I had been dealing with feelings of insufficiency and also struggling with memories of my mother’s last days dealing with cancer, and I just couldn’t shake them. I desperately needed victory in my life! And it was a good vein of thought for me for that time. I concentrated on getting past the things that kept me from feeling free. And I do feel victorious. I know that I belong to Jesus and that guarantees victory!

What I need now is to conquer the ‘baggage’ in my life!

I need to find a way to dump the extra baggage that I’ve accumulated over time. Both material, physical and mental.

As will happen the more years you live, the more material possessions you are prone to accumulate. We’re no exception over here! And to make it worse, I am not by nature all that organized. I know you’re shaking your head in disbelief, but it’s true! More on this later.

Another area of my life that needed work was my health. Not that I’m unhealthy, so to speak, but that well… I was unhealthy. I have been addicted to sugar. Believe me, it never satisfies! And when I’m eating sugar, I don’t want the foods that are good for me – I have no taste for them whatsoever. I could buy a bag of grapes, or a box of strawberries, and they would sit in the fridge till they rot. Over the holidays, I was popping Reese cups like they were grapes. Seriously. And totally ignoring the fact that the pounds were piling on.

Believe me, it’s hard to tell you all of this. I feel very vulnerable coming clean in front of the whole world. It’s a big step to admit – to myself, much less anyone else – that I’ve been very undisciplined.

Mentally and spiritually, there are always things that a person must come to grips with. I’m at a great place right now. But I think my mental and spiritual health will improve as my physical health does. Does that make sense?

Of course, I didn’t get here overnight, so how can I expect to reclaim my health overnight? It’s time to take the dragon by the tail. I am willing now to take that step and kick all those unhealthy habits to the curb!

So, right around New Year’s day, as I was reflecting on the whole resolution thing, I decided some changes need to be made.

And so I did. I am. Making changes. I started a weight loss program that is sensible and focuses on achieving health first. It’s going pretty well, so far. I lost 7 pounds the first week! I’ll be sharing this journey with you (coming soon).

Also, I have started reading Marie Kondo’s book, ‘the life-changing magic of tidying up‘, and it’s a fascinating concept, this whole kondo, konmari way of life. I’ll tell you more about this in the coming days, too.

I finally settled on one word that encompasses much of what I’d like to see happen this year. It kind of rolls lots of words into one. Here are some words I considered:

REJUVENATE

BALANCE

HARMONY

HEALTH

SIMPLIFY

and here is the word I settled on…

RENEW

That’s my one word for 2016 – RENEW! Here’s what Webster has to say about this word:

Wow! Do I need all those things! I am ready to refresh my life and replenish my body (by making wise food choices); replace the clutter in my house and life with order (by discarding unwanted ‘stuff’ and organizing what’s left); revive (spend more time in God’s word); and regenerate (get more mental and physical exercise).

Yeah. This is a tall order. But what’s that old saying?