Happy New Year everyone. I am currently sitting in front of a giant set of windows overlooking a local ski hill. It’s a gorgeous view that I appreciate all the more for the fact that there is absolutely nothing compelling me to venture out into the snow! LOL! I may be a Canadian but this girl prefers sun and sand to snow and mountains! I do love to sit where it’s warm and look at a winter wonderland though.
My snowy getaway is thanks to my sister-in-law and her husband who own a cabin here and are generously putting up with our family of 5 for a few days over New Years. There were fireworks last night, and funny games, and plenty of good company. Just what my tired soul ordered. The last several weeks of 2022 were pretty rough for me. No need to get into the nitty gritty but suffice it to say, I have several more days away from the store ahead of me and I am really looking forward to it.
Before I get too maudlin, let me ask you a question (which I think I pose here most years): do you choose a word or phrase to help you pick a focus for the year? Many years ago I started following Ali Edwards’ tradition of picking a word – she calls it her One Little Word. For a few years I followed along with her in her class as she took us through ways each month to connect anew with our word and stay dialed-in to what we were looking to manifest for ourselves throughout the year. Now I simply pick a word that evokes a feeling or journey I want to explore and then do my best to keep it present in my mind all year.
This year it’s been tough to pick the right word.
This image was posted by my Epicure Global Director in our private Facebook Group and it really spoke to me. I’ve been drawn to the image of the butterfly for a long time and use it a lot in my scrapbooking and card making. Starting in November I created a note on my phone where I could save words that came to me as potentials for my 2023 Word. Time was seriously ticking down and for the life of me I couldn’t narrow my the list to just one word. And then this image came across my feed and I knew what my word had to be.
BRAVE
It’s been my tradition since starting my One Little Word journey, to create a page documenting that word. With the exception of one year when I did a 12×12 page, they are all 8.5×11″ as that is the size of binder I started my very first OLW class with. I like to keep this page out in my office all year too so I can easily see it and mentally check in with myself and my Word. This year I wanted to keep it as minimal as I know how to make things. LOL!
I started with a Vicki Boutin stencil and two colours of Distress Oxide inks – Picked Raspberry and Mermaid Lagoon. I knew that there are generally a lot of butterflies in Paige Evans’ collections so looked through my stash to see what would work. I cut out some envelope images from her Horizon’s Collection that I could journal on, as well as one globe with a saying I felt fit the bill. Then I used butterfly images from her Wonder’s collection (currently 70% off at my store by the way!)
I sat there for ages with my pen hovering over those 3 layered envelopes wondering what the heck I was going to write. Typically I add what my goals are for the year, or what experiences and feelings I’m inviting into my life. But the ending of 2022 was so brutal, and my thoughts and feelings for 2023 so confused, I really wasn’t sure what to say. And then it all kind of poured out of me. Let’s call these my fighting words for 2023!
To finish off my layout, I added my butterflies in rainbow order “flying off into the unknown” so to speak. I glued one wing down flat and popped the other wing up to give each butterfly depth, dimension, and movement. And little jewels from Honeybee Stamps were all this needed to be complete.
Every time I make my One Little Word layout, I love it. I start with a word and an idea of how I want to manifest that visually, and by the time I’m done it looks nothing like what I imagined, and totally embodies my intentions. Projects like this tend to be like that. When we let go of our inhibitions (something that happens to me when I’m in the thick of creating), we are able to tap into a place within where the truth lies. Did I know when I sat down to create this that I’d be laying down an ultimatum to the universe? Heck no! Am I upset that that’s what happened? Absolutely not! Deep in my soul I know this is right. That I need to pick myself up, dust off the last 6 weeks, and tap into my fighting spirit. The one that has carried me bravely through more trauma before the age of 15 than any human should have to deal with. The one who bravely started a business in the middle of a pandemic on a total shoestring budget. The one who bravely embraces new things and rolls with the punches no matter how much they hurt.
Brave really does seem to fit how I want to act and feel right now.
So to all of you out there struggling … I see you. I AM you. And I’m here to say, you got this! We can do hard things! Start your journey back today by picking a word to focus on for 2023 and if you’re so inclined, create a visual touchstone like mine to help you on your journey back to you.
Want another fantastic way to focus your mind on what you want 2023 to bring you? Sign up for my Vision Boarding class taking place in 2 weeks. It’s $50 and includes snacks while we work – because everything is better with snacks! Not sure what is involved in creating a Vision Board? Think of it as a larger version of this layout where you pick not one word but maybe 5 or 6 themes and then create a collage of images and words to support those themes. When you are done, you have a piece that can go up on the wall of your office and remind you that you are looking to travel more, or read more non-fiction, or make 6-figures, or run a marathon … the list is endless. Grab your friends and join me for a fun yet deep afternoon!
And here’s to 2023 bringing us all joy, peace, prosperity, and good health!
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