My Twice Baked Potato

You don’t have to look far to realize that today is all about new beginnings.

You can see it while watching the tv commercials for Weight Watchers or Jenny Craig.  You can see it in the advertisements for the gym memberships or the exercise equipment.  You also see it while glancing through Facebook and Twitter.

Everywhere, people are reflecting and making new resolutions.  They are sharing them out loud and proud in hopes of holding themselves accountable. I have made resolutions every year and most of the times, the new goals are forgotten before MLK Day.

This year, I am trying something new in 2014.

As I was thinking about the highlights of last night’s celebration and scrolling through Twitter, a trend caught my eye.

Writers were talking about “their word” for the year.  This word was the lens in which they saw their life, challenges and opportunities.  They spoke about their 2013 word and how that either worked or didn’t work for them.  I read these posts with interest and curiosity.

One word?

Actually, I have been part of a similar exercise before during a previous staff development meeting.  A room full of educators reading articles about literacy and then boiling down the information to the most critical paragraph, sentence and then word.

“Intentional”

“Reflective”

“Proven”

The exercise was helpful.  When you clear away all the noise, what is the most important purpose for your limited time?

I started on my own “one word” quest and I tried a couple on temporarily.  I said them out loud and I thought about them; like previous resolutions, I was over them quickly.

“Optimistic”  Not quite as focused on actually accomplishing the goals.

“Driven”   Too cold, shark-like approach. Intense.

“Thankful”  This one was good because I am truly thankful, but it didn’t speak to my desire to act and accomplish.

“Be”   I liked this one until I realized that I can “be” on the couch watching reality tv and that wouldn’t help me reach my goals.

Finally, I found the word.  It fits perfectly.  It fits with the challenges that I know are ahead and the opportunities that I want to be a part of in the near future.  It fits with my desire to declutter my house and schedule, improve my son’s school situation, nurture relationships, and improve my own state of mind and body.

So here it is…my word for 2014….

Optimization

Optimization means “An act, process, or methodology of making something as fully perfect, functional or effective as possible”

I think it is “the” word for me during 2014. Next year, feel free to ask me how it worked.

What will be your word for 2014?