I hope that you had the most beautiful Thanksgiving, friends. Ours was spent in celebration and bounty, surrounded by loved ones. It was my first time hosting Thanksgiving and it was a whirlwind of work (with help from my mother, sister, and sister’s mother-in-law), love, and laughter. It wasn’t perfect surely, but it was perfect for us.
With Thanksgiving, the holidays have officially kicked into full swing. For most, it is a time of deep reflection upon the year that has passed and the year to come. For me, gratitude is a daily practice. I have learned that there is really only one path to happiness, and the path is gratitude. I count my blessings daily, sometimes hourly, and so — while gratitude remains a theme for me through the holidays — I take this time to seek more. In the final months of the year, I seek to manifest what I want for myself and my family in the year ahead.
For the past several years, I have chosen a “Word of the Year” which serves as a theme and guidepost for my intentions. In 2015, my word was Survive. In 2016, my word was Bravery, accompanied by two quotes:
➳➳➳ “Fortune favors the bold.”
➳➳➳ “By acting bravely, we become brave.”
In 2017, my word was, and is, Strength, accompanied by three quotes:
➳➳➳ “Be the strongest person that you know.”
➳➳➳ “You have a spine like a sequoia.”
➳➳➳ “Never grow a wishbone, daughter, where your backbone ought to be.”
In the coming weeks, I hope to reflect and share more about what these words have meant to me. As I’ve mentioned many times, and talked in detail about in my newsletter, the past three years have been full of enormous life changes for me. The words that I have chosen to guide me through the years have been critical to my ability to get through it.
I am so proud to say that I have been the living embodiment of each of the words that I have chosen for myself. It is a practice that has helped me in a way that has been so profound, it is difficult to explain. It comes down to the power of manifestation. For many years I have known that we move in the direction of our most dominant thoughts. I know that to be true now more than ever. When my goal is to survive and all of my energy goes into surviving — I survive. When my goal is to be brave and all of my every goes into bravery — I am brave. When my goal is to be strong and all of my energy goes into strength — I am strong. This is how life works.
Everything that surrounds us and everything that we are is a result of the world which we create for ourselves.
A few days ago, I was listening to a podcast about loss. It sparked the idea for what will become my word for 2018. It needs some fleshing out and finalizing, but I will be ready to share it soon. For now, I will close this post here and wish you lots of love, warmth, and brightness as we move into this final stretch of 2017. Thank you for holding a space in my life, friends. You’ll never know how much that means to me. I am grateful for you. xo