Fierce: My Word for 2016

Okay everybody, it’s that time of year when I start to think about my word for next year. I never make New Year’s resolutions because they seem to get lost in the shuffle of life ‘round about February. However, I have found that if I listen to my instincts and let a word choose me, at the end of the year I'm amazed at how the word has played out in my life.

This year my word was “Connections”. My intention was to focus on improving the relationships in my life by giving more of myself to the people I love. In turn, the love that has been returned to me has been abundant and I feel very blessed to have connected on a deeper level with so many people in my life.

From poignantly tender moments with my Mother, who suffers from Alzheimer’s Disease, to closer ties to my brother and sister after coming together to take care of our mother’s needs. Then there's the addition of both a daughter-in-law and son-in-law to our family, new friendships with people who feel like family, and deeper feelings for those I've already called friends. 2015 was truly a year of connections.

However, I could not have imagined that there would be a negative side to this word. Due to some actions that could not be ignored, I also lost some relationships with people that I cared about very much. I had to set some boundaries that were very difficult to set, and ultimately had to come to the understanding that those people could no longer be a part of my life.

As you might imagine, this was a very difficult period in my life, which led to me feeling that some of my inner fire had died. Not long after I made this decision, I suffered a serious injury which has been difficult to come back from. These things left me feeling like a lesser version of myself. So, in 2016 I will be bringing back a power word…a word that will help me get back in touch with the fire that usually hums in my veins.

The word for 2016 is… FIERCE! This word came to me on a run when “Yellow Flicker Beat” by Lorde popped up on my playlist. The imagery in this song is powerful. As I ran I replayed the song over and over and in my mind I saw a warrior princess. Strong. Empowered. Fierce.

“I’m a princess cut from marble, smoother than a storm.
And the scars that mark my body, they’re silver and gold,
My blood is a flood of rubies, precious stones,
It keeps my veins hot, the fire's found a home in me.”

Here's my version of me as a Warrior Princess.

I have set some goals for 2016 that will take a level of fierceness to accomplish. Embracing this word with intention will help me to keep going when I feel like I want to stop. It will keep me honest to my goals and maybe even inspire someone else to be strong when they feel like giving in.

I challenge you to think about your word for 2016. Let your word choose you. Embrace the possibilities of what could happen and you will be amazed when December 2016 rolls around to see how the word has played out in your life.

If you're gonna get in the saddle, you'd better be ready for the ride.