May I have a word with you?

I just love this blog world. I do. It's all still so new to me so I suspect I'm a bit like a kid with a new toy. Every new angle I find makes me gitty.

The trend this week in blog land seems to be picking a word for the new year. I love it!

Some people disdain New Years Resolutions, deeming them trite or cliche. Though it does seem most resolutions get ignored after only weeks, I like the idea that masses of people take time, even just once a year, to think about how they can better themselves. We could all use a little improvement, right? Some of us spend a lot more than once a year thinking and reorganizing our lives to grow. Others wait until late December. Either way, pushing ourselves out of our warm fuzzy ruts is a good thing, in my opinion.

So I'm totally on board with this word thing. Here it is... my word for the year is...

Focus

It's totally broad, I know. Maybe even a cop out, because it covers basically everything. But it works for me. I'd like to..

Focus on each moment. What am I intending to do at this moment? Whether I am intending to write a blog, get my daughters dressed for the day or unload the dishwasher, I need to "focus" on that task. Sure, I can multitask with the rest of them. But if I'm multitasking am I truly present in the moment?

Focus on what matters. My family. My faith. My friendships. Health. Keep my actions in line with the way I'd like my life to turn out.

Focus on reducing my stress. For me, that almost entirely means doing more at night to prevent stress in the morning. I have a list of "to do's" that I never do. Every morning I beat myself up for not doing them. If only I had given myself the gift of packed lunches last night, i wouldn't be stressing to get them packed in the two minutes before leaving. Same goes for kids clothes and putting away laundry. Every minute I spend doing something for tomorrow is 5 minutes saved in stress tomorrow.

I whole heartedly believe that what you focus on grows. You reap what you sow. I'm going to mindfully focus on what I want to grow, instead of letting my mind be taken every which way by whatever weeds decide to take root.

Do you have a word you'd like to share??