I want MORE out of 2014

So I was suppose to blog yesterday... but I didn't... so here I am today, getting it done. No MORE procrastination!

As many of you know the past few years i have picked a word for the year. This process is called "One Little Word", and came about from a wonderfully amazingly talented woman Ali Edwards. You can read more about the projects on her blog. She offers a year long workshop, which is amazing! I have loved it! This will be my second year doing the workshop, and it is so worth it.

Anyway, this years word was very hard to come by, I thought about it for MONTHS. I needed a word that was going to help me get back to a point that I could flourish again (flourish was my word f or 2013, and it was great, but I lost my ability to flourish somewhere along the way). There was so much in my head, and nothing was coming up as THE word. I made lists and lists and lists, I would get there, and then cross everything off and start again. I finally decided on a word that could encompass many of my words, but it took me a while to share it, because it felt really selfish. The word I chose was "MORE". It took a while for me to be able to explain why that was my word, and I am still kind of learning why. I want more of a lot of things right now, I want more shenanigans, more devotion, more creativity, to be more conscious, more happiness, to complete more and be more complete, more sharing, more learning, more loveliness, more purpose, more community, and more abundance, just to name a few. And the reason I want more, is because I am worth more. I've been in a pretty bad depression lately because I have felt worthless, and I'm hoping telling myself I am worth more, and having more to work towards will help me get to the other side of this depression. 

Anyway, On to the pretty stuff.
I got to work on some of this month's prompt. I still need to finish up some of it, but I love what I have so far. I decided to incorporate my one little word into project life this year, to help give myself momentum on both projects. Here is what I've got.

 The top left card says "Hello There More One Little Word 2014", the top right card is a definition and thesaurus entry. The middle row has a fold out journaling card, with a bit more about why I chose my word, then a photo of me (thank you Disney photopass photographers for getting at least one good shot of me!), the "make your word visible" graphic that Ali shared as part of the workshop, and a little card with an Ampersand. I choose an ampersand as a symbol for my word this year, as one of the synonyms for more is "and". The bottom row has two quotes that contain my word.

I really love how it turned out! It has me excited to continue! I've got a second "Intentions" page I am still working on that will be opposite this page.

I also picked up some little wooden letters that I covered with Washi tape that spell out "MORE". My intent is to put them on a wall, and each month add a quote that corresponds with what I want from my word that month on the wall as well. It's my way of trying to "Make My Word Visible".

So there you have it folks! A new blog post, a new word, and a new year!

Flourish & Fly

The last few days I have really been pondering what it means to "Flourish" and how I can begin the process of flourishing this year. One of the things that kept popping into my head was that I need to spend more time doing the things I enjoy and love, and less time doing the tasks I hate.

This to mean, means getting everything organized, decluttering, and setting up a system of shared chores that works for our family. I often spend so much time cleaning and caring for my family that I lose sight of me, and chores become a resentful thing, since I seem to be the only one cleaning up sometimes. Spending hours cleaning and cooking, bathing children, etc gives me little time to pursue anything else. Some of this is my own fault, but my family could be stepping up a little more than they are at times.

Enter Flylady.

Many of you who follow me already know about Flylady, but if you don't go there right away!! The times I have had this system working well in my home have been some of the times I have had the most time to just enjoy life. it is a cleaning/organizing/fly-washing system that helps you to "Fly" which stands for "finally loving yourself". What better way to flourish than to love myself?

While I set about discovering what flourish meant and how I could flourish this year I found this graphical chart on this website. http://eugenieteasley.com/a-good-manifesto/

As I looked at it I realized that "Finally loving Myself", hits so many of these Flourishing features. Self-esteem, positive emotions, purpose, and you could likely make good cases for a few more.

So my first step to flourishing in 2013 is to start at the beginning with the flylady system! Back to the basics, and stick with it all through the year (but not get mad at myself if I fall of the flywashing wagon, that isn't positive!) I also plan to start a control journal later in the process, and will be sharing some free printables with you throughout the process.

Without further ado let's jump in and start off 2013 with a bang! Head over here to find the Flylady beginner babysteps so you can follow along!

Beginner baby step number one is to go shine your sink!
I absolutely love this one! It feels kind of like "If you give a mouse a cookie" for me. If you give your kitchen a shiny sink it is going to want a shiny counter to go with it, and the shiny counters will see the dirty appliances and want to have them clean, and then it starts to spill over to the rest of the house! But for now, don't feel like you have to do it all, just go shine your sink!

Follow the Steps Here.

Or watch this video

And then you are off to a great start! Let's flourish and fly!!

One Little Word: Flourish

flour·ish

[flur-ish, fluhr-] Show IPA

verb (used without object)

1. to be in a vigorous state; thrive: a period in which art flourished.

2. to be in its or in one's prime; be at the height of fame, excellence, influence, etc.

3. to be successful; prosper.

4. to grow luxuriantly, or thrive in growth, as a plant.

5. to make dramatic, sweeping gestures: Flourish more when you act out the king's great death scene.

I had an incredibly hard time picking a word this year. I started thinking about it in November, and I didn't actually pick on until yesterday! The looming new year forced me to come to a decision, and I ended up with a word that hadn't even been on my list of possibilities. To try and help my decision I had started listening to the reading of the words from last year on Ali's Blog. They read the word "bloom" and the word flourish just popped into my head.

I knew it was the one. It just felt right. It encompassed several of the things I was hoping to capture with my word. 

2013 is going to be a big year for our Family. My husband is graduating form College in May, We are taking our first family vacation (to DisneyWorld! More on that later), my oldest son will be starting Kindergarten, and we are likely moving, depending on where my husband can get a job after graduation. It's a lot of change, a bit of uncertainty, and a lot of fun. 2013 also comes with my husband being home more, which gives me more time to focus on other things, especially with my oldest going off to school later this year. 

It seemed like the perfect year to work on "Me", but the word "me" seemed too selfish. I thought about what it was I wanted to do with that "me" time and found myself entertaining the word "community". 

I wanted to spend my time working on more craft projects and getting more involved with the crafting/designing/blogging "community", building a network of people that I could take with me wherever I might end up. I also wanted to socialize my boys more, with no car, and a husband who worked 16-17 hour days I hardly ever had the energy to participate in local play groups, as most of them have activities in the midst of suburbia, involving lots of walking, in who knows what weather... I wanted to help my children build a "community" to, and get to know more people in my area. I wanted to start going to church more regularly and be part of that community. That word stuck around as my word idea for a while, but it still didn't seem right.

And then came "Flourish".  I wanted to flourish in my community, become a real part of things, feel like I belong and am needed. I wanted to flourish in my relationships with my children and husband, make them stronger, and create new memories. I wanted to flourish wherever I might end up by the end of this year. I wanted adventure to flourish in my life, explore new possibilities, places, and experiences.

So flourish is my word. And hopefully I will be flourishing in 2013! 

I've started a pinterest board on my personal account that focuses on my one little word, quotes, books, others posts, items, etc. It is a work in progress right now, but I hope to add more. You can find it here.

I also hope to sign up for Ali Edwards class at Big Picture Classes that helps you explore your chosen word a little more each month of the year, and keep it in the forefront of your mind. I think it is an excellent idea, plus it helps me to build a community, as a few of the lovely ladies I met at the Smash Ball are taking it as well.

So excited for 2013! This is going to be an awesome year! How could it not be with my Lucky number 13 in it!