ONE WORD
One Word
by Lynda McKinney Lambert
27 February, 2017
Do you have dreams and personal plans?
Did you write them down?
I hope so, for writing them down gives them WINGS!
Have you ever wondered what would happen if you could choose only ONE WORD
to reflect and define the person you want to become?
Does any particular word come to mind as we begin to talk about it?
What word would you choose?
I’ll share a few examples of my own experiences with choosing ONE WORD. It all began near the end of 2014 as I was starting to think about the beginning of the next year.
My cousin who lives in another state sent me an e-mail and told me about this idea. She shared with me the word she chose for the next year. Of course, I wanted to try it, too.
Here’s what happened.
2015: I chose the word, EXUBERANCE.
Like most everyone else at the beginning of a new year, I was setting some goals. I accepted my cousin’s challenge.
Just one word opened my life up to embrace the joys of ordinary daily encounters. Embracing this word was a game changer for me. I wanted to be exuberant in my writing and my art making; in one-on-one encounters. I desired exuberance in the little details of an ordinary day. Do you often feel this way, too?
Because I am a visual artist & writer who has profound sight loss due to Ischemic Optic Neuropathy, I needed to reinforce the verbal aspects of this word into images I could hold in my imagination. 
Here’s how you can begin:
Think about the word you have chosen. Meditate on it. Keep that word in your mind and visit it periodically. Art works I saw prior to my own sight loss came to my mind. Specific art works gave me an exuberant outlook for my year.
What kind of things give you a lift?
Consider stories, music, hobbies, people, your profession, a passion you have or anything else that can fit in to your realization of the word you choose.
I envisioned favorite art in a glorious gallery; memorable stories; composers who make me stop in my tracks and pay attention; dancers; landscapes that inspired me. What do you see in a word?
Think about what inspires you in the areas of life that are important to you.
_____
2016: I selected “EXTRAORDINARY” for my word.
What I did:
I pictured extraordinary personal and professional achievements.
I visualized my own art being in prestigious exhibitions and winning awards. I held pictures of award ribbons in my thoughts.
The writer in me anticipated my poems and Creative Non-fiction essays being published in literary journals and other publications. I was working on a new book so I kept envisioning my book as completed. I saw the cover in my mind. I read the essays and poems as I was writing them. I could picture them in the book. And, best of all, I could imagine people who enjoyed reading my book.
My year was EXTRAORDINARY in all the areas just as I anticipated.
I received an unexpected monetary award for my art in an international exhibition.
I was able to host a little vacation for 3 of my daughters and myself in Louiville, KY where I received an award by the American Foundation for the Blind art exhibition, Insights 2016.
My poems and essays appeared about 70 times in literary journals, books and special blog articles.
I completed the writing of my new book, “Walking by Inner Vision” and sent it off to the editors in the late fall.
_____
2017, I’ve chosen my new word for 2017. It is INTENTIONAL
This ONE WORD will remind me to think ahead before making decisions for my personal or public life; I want to be intentional in my thoughts and actions.
Take action – choose one word.
It will trigger a positive outcome for the entire year.
My book was published and on the book store sites for sale before the end of February.
I am writing articles for Vision Aware, the blog associated with American Foundation for the Blind.
Three more books are in development for the next 2 years.
I will be doing book signing and speaking engagements throughout the year and beyond.
Now, it’s your turn.
You can pick just one word and that will be the action that triggers new experiences and achievements in the year ahead.
Join the ONE WORD project today.
I would love to hear about your word and how it guides you in the upcoming year.
Be sure to write your word down so you can give it WINGS and SET IT FREE to become the person you desire to be.
Writing down your ONE WORD will give it energy – send it off and see what comes back to you this year.
Let me know all about your own experience with your ONE
WORD.
_____
Lynda McKinney Lambert is the author of two books.
Concerti: Psalms for the Pilgrimage, Kota Press, 2003.
Walking by Inner Vision: Stories & Poems, dldBooks, 2017.
Copyright, 2017. Lynda McKinney Lambert. All rights reserved.
Photos by Lynda McKinney Lambert. Copyright 2016.