The word for 2011

by Heather Plett | Dec 29, 2010 | Joy

I’m choosing JOY this year.

I’m choosing to focus my energy on what brings JOY into my life.

I’m choosing to surround myself with my JOY people.

I’m choosing to build my business around what brings JOY to myself and others instead of just what makes the most strategic sense.

I’m choosing to bring more JOY into the way I parent my children.

I’m choosing to seek JOY in my marriage.

I’m choosing to extend JOY to the people I teach and mentor.

I’m choosing to let go of the things that get in the way of JOY.

I’m letting JOY be the filter through which I make decisions.

As I mentioned in my last post, this past year has had more than its fair share of heaviness and sadness and change. Indeed, all of those things have contributed to my continued growth and transformation. But at the end of the year, I realized that it had been a long, long time since I had done anything simply for the pure joy of it. It had been a long, long time since I’d remembered to embrace silliness.

So, this past month, I have been busy “embracing the silly“. I bought an elephant teapot and a pair of mis-matched socks. I’ve been watching a lot of silly movies and TV shows on Netflix. I haven’t read a single “smart book”, but have devoured several novels. I let you, my readers, help me name my elephant tea pot. I dove into some fun craft projects, and I got a very fun and silly winter hat from a sister-in-law who wanted to help me in my quest for silly.

In 2011, I want the shift to be more permanent. I’m ready to move forward through the heaviness of transformation into the joy of new beginnings. I’m ready to dance in the sunlight, to laugh out loud, to wear my silly mis-matched socks, to watch more silly movies, to catch snowflakes on my tongue, to dive headlong into work that brings me joy, and to teach classes that make me giddy with the anticipation of offering joy to my students.

In 2011, I choose JOY!