PurpleLine Consulting

For the past 3 years I have chosen a word to guide me for the year. It's an idea I got from Ali Edwards, an inspiring designer, blogger and author I follow.

I choose a word that I can focus on, meditate on, and reflect upon as I go about my daily life. It also helps me make decisions.

I started off with CONTENTMENT in 2011, then SUCCESS in 2012 and BOLD in 2013.

Ali says "The words have each become a part of my life in one way or another. They've become embedded into who I am, and into who I'm becoming. They've been what I've needed (and didn't know I needed). They've helped me to breathe deeper, to see clearer, and to grow."

What do you do with this one little word?

You live with it. You invite it into your life You let it speak to you. You might even follow where it leads. There are so many possibilities."

It took me a while to get into the process. I noticed that contentment and success seemed very elusive. I noticed when they were missing rather than when they were present in my life.

BOLD has been the best so far. And that is because I had clarity about what it would mean to be bold, whereas the two previous years I wasn't specific enough.

Among the bold things I chose to do in 2013, I started posting on Twitter after lurking there for quite a while and tried my hand at improvisation.

And most impactful of all, I signed up for a coaching programme that involved flying halfway across the world in June and September to do ... I wasn't exactly sure what!

It turned out to be one of the best experiences of my life, pushing me both physically and emotionally. I made wonderful new friends from across the globe and learned a huge amount about what I am capable of.

Choosing a word as a 'guiding light' helped me look for opportunities and experiences to demonstrate that word in practice and in the process growing and learning.

You might intuitively know what your word will be. Or you might select 2 or 3 to play with before choosing the one that speaks to you most.

Look your chosen word up in the dictionary, search online to choose a quote which captures the essence of what you want to see manifested during 2014. Write down what you want it to mean for you. Revisit your findings from time to time to reflect on what has happened and how your word is showing up in your world.

I've chosen LIGHT for 2014. What will your word be?