Every year I choose a word to focus on; a word of the year, if you like. Usually at some point it just pops into my head at some point, but I must say this year that didn’t happen. I did find myself thinking about the word Love on one run, nothing else has popped into mind, so I’m going with it.
Love: it’s a good word, isn’t it? It’s all you need and all around, after all.
Fairytales and Fitness
Previous words:
Believe
Patience
Respect
Self Love
Not too long ago I wrote about how important self love is (read it here). If you don’t love yourself, you will never be able to change whatever in your life you want to change (assuming you want to change something).
If you don’t love yourself, you will never appreciate what you do have and find happiness. It all starts with self love.
Love Your Life
We all have bad days, weeks, months, even years. Life happens and it ain’t always pretty. Here’s the thing, though: we only have one life. Hating your life is just a waste of time, don’t you think?
That doesn’t mean you have to love everything about your life, and it also doesn’t mean that you have to accept everything about your life. You have the power to change. If you don’t come from a place of love in the first place, though, that change is unlikely to stick.
Love the Process
This is one that doesn’t come easily to me. Enjoying the process without getting hung up on the end result. I chose to do this, right? The good and the bad — it’s all part of the process.
Learn to love the process and the end results will take care of themselves.
Love Your Home
This one really doesn’t come easily to me. I would rather do almost anything than clean and declutter. When I do those things, though, I am happier. I have made a lot of progress this year — but there is still lots more work to do before I really love my whole home.
As with loving yourself, though, loving your house, warts and all, is the key to loving your home (see what I did there . . . house vs home?).
Love Others
Love starts with yourself, but it will spill over into all areas of your life. The more you love yourself, the more you can love others — warts and all.
Have you ever picked a word to concentrate on for a year?
Do you have a 2019 word? What is it?
What are of love do you need to work on?
Looking back and forward
2018’s word was Believe (you can read that post here). In rereading that post, I was only signed up for one half when I wrote it — The Cape Cod Half Marathon (read about it here), which was part of the AMR retreat. And yet I ran 2 other halfs (here and here) and an 18 mile race (read about it here).
Guess what? I’m only signed up for one half in 2019, too, and I’m not even sure I will make it to the starting line due to circumstances beyond my control — although I would definitely still love to.
2018 broke my Half PR streak, but there were still enough PRs to make me happy. I had to dig deep and really believe to tackle my longest race in one of our hottest summers ever. There were quite a few curveballs on the personal front. Here’s what I wrote last year about Believe:
Even without a plan, I believe that 2018 can be a great year filled with new challenges to conquer, more fun with friends, and yes, hopefully more hiking, too!
You know what? Except for the hiking, I was right on (although at least there was some hiking). And here’s what I believe about 2019: no matter what happens in 2019, with the right attitude, I will love 2019, I will accept the highs and the lows, and no matter what life throws at me, this too shall pass.
Chocolaterunsjudy 
💜💜💜💜💜💜
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I agree with all you wrote.
I have picked a word probably every year I have blogged.
But you what? I never remember it until I pick a new one for the next year.
In other words it’s obviously not something I think about or work on.
So why do it? Not sure.
The same reason I gave up on monthly goals. I only looked at them at the end of the month.
OTOH it’s s good post idea and nice way to look back at your year and ahead to the next.
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Sometimes I really keep my word in mind, and other years I definitely don’t concentrate on it — at least not consciously.
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I haven’t even starting to think of a word for 2019! I’m still focusing on namaste, and trying to see the light in everyone around me — even those who get on my nerves. 😉
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That IS a good one (especially in the annoying ones).
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I like the idea of picking a word to focus on! And love is always a great thing to choose
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The problem is actually remembering it & focusing on it, of course. 🙂
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I “love” your 2019 word. Love is a good thing to ponder. I liked how the first thing on your list was self love because I don’t think we can do any of the other loves until we love ourselves. My 2019 word is balance. I wrote a post about it, but haven’t published it yet.
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Balance is definitely a good one too — and so very hard to achieve.
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Love this! I have never focused on a word throughout the year. Maybe I need to start come January!
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Good luck! It’s not always easy to pick one — and remembering it is even harder!
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I “love” your word and your post. This year has been rough on the family front for us and I have come to really appreciate the small things. A bad day or week still has something to love no matter how small.
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I am sorry you’ve been going through tough times (here too, btw). Ah life. It does have a way of getting to us.
But yes, there is ALWAYS something good — we just have to look for it!
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I couldn’t agree with you more. You picked a perfect word for 2019. Maybe it more people focused on “love” the world would be a much happier place!
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You are so right, Kim! No matter how much hate there is in the world, more hate is not the answer.
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I think choosing the word love and deciding you are going to LOVE 2019 is going to make you love it even more!
I want to be a better wife in 2019, so maybe love should be my word too! Or respect… or patience… hahahaha!
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Well, I hope I can focus on love. I suspect it’s going to be another in a long line of tough years, but then again, many have it so much worse. There’s always a silver lining out there somewhere.
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Great post! It’s SO true that self love is important. I know I struggle with it at times.
Ha, I am with you on not liking to clean and declutter! I can be the worst keeper of things. LOL!
My word for 2018 has been Overcomer. I wrote about it on my blog. I haven’t chosen one yet for 2019, need to get on that.
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Overcomer. That’s an interesting one!
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What a great idea! Every time I read your annual word post, I think: I should do that. Then I don’t. You’ve picked a good one and I love all the ways you apply it to your life! (see what I did there?)
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I did see what you did there. 🙂
Just like I always think I should join the card swap & then I never get around to it — I understand!
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