When Words are Powerful Enough to Change Our Perspective
@bethvogt
It’s that time of year again, friends.
What time of year? The time when I ask, “Are you a resolution kind of person or a One Word kind of person?”
I’m wrapping up my 14th year choosing One Word for the year and I haven’t missed New Year’s resolutions. At all.
Writing up a list? Don’t miss it.
Comparing my list to other people’s lists and rewriting it? Don’t miss it.
Losing said list within days of writing it? Don’t miss it.
The advantage of picking One Word to focus on? It’s difficult to lose track of a single word – even if I wanted to. And when my One Word is paired with a Scripture verse and a visual of some sort – a photograph or a plaque or a piece of jewelry I wear almost every day of the year – I’m reminded of my word for the year twice-over.
This year? Things are a bit different than in years past. How so, you ask? Am I going back to resolutions?
No and no and no.
But usually by this time I have my One Word for the upcoming year. And my verse. And my visual.
Right now?
I got nothing for 2020.
This year’s One Word was “Anchor,” and I looked forward to lasering in on that word. Anchor linked back to my 2014 One Word “Think,” where I focused on anchoring my thoughts on the truth. With the word Anchor, I wanted to do the same thing, spurred on by my anchor verses – specific Bible verses that I return to again and again during difficult times.
As the year progressed, I kept thinking, “Anchoring my thoughts is so much harder than I expected!”
Then I had breakfast with my friend, Starry, who likes to sail. We were talking about anchoring our thoughts and she said, “You know, it’s really hard to anchor a boat.”
Really?
And Starry went on to tell my how it’s easy to dock a boat. But how, when you anchor a boat, you’re working against the wind and the current – circumstances that can change so quickly.
Circumstances can change so quickly.
Ah! With her words, I finally understood what was going on. Circumstances – the reason it’s difficult to anchor a boat – are the same reason it’s difficult to anchor our thoughts.
I wasn’t failing during these past months. I was learning. Trying. Not quitting. Day in and day out, I was anchoring my thoughts, adjusting to the changes in my circumstances.
Starry changed my thinking about my One Word – and about the past 10 months.
Sometimes it takes the words of a friend to change our perspective.
No, I don’t have my One Word for 2020 yet, and I’m okay with that.
And, even more, I am much encouraged about my One Word for this past year as I’m waiting for my One Word for the upcoming year. Listening with my heart. Praying.
What about you? Do you prefer resolutions or One Word? Or something else completely different?
When Words are Powerful Enough to Change Our Perspective http://bit.ly/32QHcIA #words #change
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'No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world.' Quote by John Keating http://bit.ly/32QHcIA #quote #words #perspective
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