Permission Granted
My word for 2021 is Permission.
Do you engage in the practice of one uncovering one word that will center and orient your upcoming year?
While I am not sure where this practice originated, it is deeply rooted in meditation and self-reflection, a slowing down in order to hear and see the patterns, longings, desires and dreams in your present reality. It is more than making goals or starting new habits, but a way of seeing the world with focused intentionality.
I started my #oneword365 journey about 8 years ago when a friend introduced me to the idea. And ever since, I have found the practice of discovering my one-word soul-giving and as I live through the word for 12 months, it shapes and surprises me in the most juicy and joyful ways.
So what does PERMISSION mean for me in 2021?
I found myself asking this question: “Who grants permission?”
And then I replied, “I grant permission, it’s me”.
Because I am a grown-ass woman whose word is trustworthy and capable. Permission to say no as a complete sentence. Permission to say my best yes rather than a reluctant one that I end up regretting. Permission to get it wrong. Permission to play and remember the joy in the process in whatever I am doing as opposed to being so concerned with getting straight to completion. Permission to ask for what I need, and reminding myself that others also have permission to do likewise.
So you may wonder…”How do I find my one word?”
For me, it is not a linear process. I ponder, pray, read, reflect, write, listen, listen to others, review. I do these things in and around the end of the year. I sit in my present reality, both literally and figuratively, and slow down enough to clear emotional and spiritual space to consider some of the following questions:
Reflecting back: “What is going on for me right now and over the past few months? What has been a joy this past year? What truth has been revealed to me that has had meaning? What has shifted me and in what ways?
Reflecting forward: "How do I wish to show up this coming year? Not what I want to do but how do I want to engage the doing, whatever that may be? What words, phrases or ideas keep resurfacing as I consider the next 12 months?
Journalling is a spiritual practice for me so reviewing my journal for keywords and phrases provides context and insight into what is going on with me. I also like to look at my photos over the year and see what images spark my imagination and how those images speak to my looking ahead.
And I like to share this process of discovery with others as well as connect with people who also use the one-word practice in their personal development process. The #oneword365 website (www.oneword365.com) and their Facebook group are encouraging spaces to be part of. As I begin scrolling through to see how others around the globe are processing their intentions, hearing their unique perspectives is a source of kinship and encouragement. SheLoves Magazine has also created a community around this practice https://shelovesmagazine.com/product/one-word-clarify-your-one-word-for-the-year-a-pdf-download-to-print-at-home/
In this global pandemic part two world of 2021, what will your word be? What might happen if you pay attention, really pay attention, to what is around you, what word might you discover to help guide and settle you, challenge or propel you?
I’d love to hear from you…share your word, tell me your process, ask me a question.
Permission granted darling, big love and deep learning, B XO
PS — I’m 5 weeks into 2021 and I have given myself permission to take 2 courses right now, one is to finish a project I began several years ago for my 2nd MA degree - Permission to complete it for MYSELF!
