2012 Word of the Year

Word of the Year is a concept Ali Edwards shared recently on The Lettered Cottage.  I love how she explains the creation and meaning behind Word of the Year.  Here is what she wrote:

In 2006, I began a tradition of choosing one word for myself each January – a word that I can focus on, mediate on, and reflect upon as I go about my daily life. I invite it into my life. I live with it. I let it speak to me. I might even follow where it leads.

Choosing a word each year came about as an alternative to a list of resolutions. I wanted something I could hold close and actually develop a relationship with over the course of the year.

Some years my word has made a major difference, and other years it’s been a more silent companion through the challenges and celebrations in my life.

The action of choosing a word (or having a word find you) is full of potential and possibility. And here’s one thing that’s totally interesting: sometimes a word pops into your brain and it doesn’t make any sense right now. Give it some time. Let it percolate a bit. I have often found that our hearts speak to us in very unique ways. Maybe it’s a word you need to hear, but you just aren’t ready for it yet. Again, be open to the possibilities.

Your word can be tangible or intangible. It can be a thought or a feeling or an emotion. It can be singular or plural. It might be silly or serious. It might be something you want to bring to your life. It might be something you want or need to change.

A single word can be a powerful thing. It can be the ripple in the pond that changes everything. It can be sharp and biting, or rich and soft and slow. The key is to find something that has personal meaning for you. This is not your mother’s word, or your spouse’s word, or your child’s word – this is YOUR word.

With those thoughts in mind and after thinking about 2012 and all the things I hope to accomplish personally and the things David & I hope to accomplish together in this new year, one word kept coming to mind over and over again.......

By definition it means, to make great efforts to achieve or obtain something and to struggle or fight vigorously. I love this word because it is an action word that means I have to actively participate in things to make them happen. In 2012, I will strive to be a better wife, a better mother, a better daughter and a better friend.  I will strive to spend more time in God's Word, to be a better listener, to accomplish what God sets before me in 2012 and to be His hands and feet with every opportunity He puts in my path. None of these things will just "happen"....they each require me to actively work to accomplish them!

I will keep this word posted where I can see it often to remind me of what I am "striving" to accomplish in this new year that God has blessed me with.  Yes, in 2012, I will STRIVE.....

WHAT IS YOUR WORD FOR 2012?????