My One Word for 2018

 I LOVE the New Year!

I LOVE the BLANK PAGES on the calendar.

It’s a time for NEW beginnings, New Dreams, New Goals!

It’s very motivating to me.  Last year in our women’s Bible study we were encouraged to pray and ask God to give us a “word” for the year.  The word would be the filter that we run our priorities and goals through.

Why choose one word instead of a list of resolutions?  Survey’s prove resolutions don’t work.  MyOneWord.org says, “This process (choosing one word) provides clarity by taking all your big plans for life change and narrowing them down into a single focus. Just one word that centers on your character and creates a vision for your future.”

 So How Do We Pick One Word?

1. Brainstorm And Journal Areas You Want To Improve Or Change.

I always start by praying and asking God, what word do YOU want for me this year?  Then I start brainstorming some of the things I want to change in my life.

I knew I was going to be doing this blog post and I didn’t have a word yet, so I was praying for God to show me. It became clear to me after the same word kept coming up in my mind as I was brainstorming.

Some of my random brainstorming:

I want to live my life as if I’m FREE

Financially FREE

FREE from what other people think

FREE to love others boldly

Christ says I am FREE

I want to be FREE to share my heart on my blog and as a teacher

2.  Define Your Word.

Next step is to define your word.  We think we know what a word means but I’ve been surprised at times by what a word actually means. Take the time to look up your word in the dictionary. I also look up the synonyms and antonyms so I get a grasp of what the word really means.

FREE:

Antonyms of free: bound, captive, conquered, enslaved, fettered, subdued, subjugated, inferior, subordinate, subservient dependent, nonautonomous, non-self-governing, subject, unfree

I love the antonyms to the word free!  Bound, captive, conquered, enslaved.  I want the opposite! I want to live FREE!!!!

3.  Look Up Your Word In A Concordance.

I then look up scriptures in a concordance that contains my word.  Openbible.info/topics is a great place to look up your word.

Isaiah 61:1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed and qualified me to preach the Gospel of good tidings to the meek, the poor, and afflicted; He has sent me to bind up and heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the [physical and spiritual] captives and the opening of the prison and of the eyes to those who are bound,

Gal. 5  In [this] freedom Christ has made us free [and completely liberated us]; stand fast then, and do not be hampered and held ensnared and submit again to a yoke of slavery [which you have once put off].

Psalms 69:18 Draw close to me and redeem me; ransom and set me free because of my enemies [lest they glory in my prolonged distress]!

I’m still researching scriptures to go with my one word but the one above grabbed my attention.

4.  Keep Your One Word In Front Of Your Eyes!

Out of sight out of mind.  Put your word near your kitchen sink.  Hang it from your rear view mirror. Write it on your mirror.  Put it on your desk.  I’m cutting vinyl and putting it on my water bottle.  I’ll share a picture once I’m done.

My daughter wrote her word in her planner.

This was my word for 2016.  I have this plaque sitting on my kitchen sill above my sink to remind me.

Here is my word for 2017.  I cut some vinyl and put it on my water bottle. A great reminder of my word every drink I take.

You can download the My One Word for 2018 Here.

Share your One Word with me by leaving it in the comments.

What did you do well in 2017?  Grab this free printable and reflect on 2017.

Grab this Goal sheet and get a great start on your 2018 Goals.

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