I often choose a word to guide my year. Some of my previous words have been balance, gratitude, write, joy, live (the verb), becoming, and last year, persistence.
Some of those words were easy choices given what was going on in my life. This year, it’s taken me more time to land on the word that feels just right. To help me decide, I’ve been thinking about the upcoming months; they are going to be demanding and busy. But in a good way. A really good way.
When I resigned from my school district, I was nervous about the road ahead: Would I have work? Could I support myself? Could I balance the time to write with other work that provides a more immediate income?
The answers have pleasantly surprised me: yes!
I’ve even had to turn work down: sometimes because I was already scheduled and sometimes because the work didn’t align with my purpose.
All this to say, my word for 2023 is authenticity. I want to be true to myself. To continue to do what I love. To bring the passion I feel to the work I do. To make decisions that feel right for me. To do work that is meaningful and supports my belief in the power of literacy.
Authenticity. My word and my goal for 2023.
What about you? Did you choose a word for the year? Have you ever asked students to decide on one little word?
Love it! Such a great word for you and what is ahead for you this year.
My word for 2023 is: GO!
Now that’s a great choice too!