At the end of each year my friends and I choose a word to live by for the following year. We choose a word that has a special meaning for us, to challenge ourselves and to have a positive impact on our lives and others in our community.
Being a reserved and shy person, I chose the word “Openness” for my 2016 word; wanting to challenge myself to become more outgoing. The question was: How could I improve?
I decided that each day, I would approach a new person, not only to exchange a “Hello” or “How are you?” but to have a “real” conversation. It was not easy for me to reach out to strangers, but it has been an amazing experience, hearing peoples’ stories, exchanging experiences and ideas. It has enriched my life.
I wished for other people to be inspired by this approach as well. Therefore I decided to sew little gift bags and enclose a stone with a positive word in each bag.
A gift of words to live by. /HELLE WILSON
I brought these gift bags to a recent Christmas luncheon and the guests were asked to pick a bag from a basket.
People were excited to get their own bag – similar to getting a fortune cookie with a message.
Some guests really liked their word of inspiration; others decided that they would turn the stone over and write their own word.
The year is coming to an end and I am thinking about my word for 2017.
I think it will be “Listen”. I want to become a better listener and really pay attention to other people and their messages. But I also want to listen to my heart. What do I really enjoy doing? What inspires me? and How can I make a positive impact in our community?
My stone will be placed on my night table, where I will see it on a daily basis to inspire me, when I wake up.
Have you ever wanted to improve something in a positive way in your life? Now is the time to start.
What is your chosen word for 2017?
Happy New Year!
