One Word, 2020: CREATE

For several years, I have chosen one word to help me focus on self-growth throughout the upcoming year. Over the years, I’ve selected inspire, courage, bravery, and Sisu. Sisu will always be one of my favorite words. Finlandia EDU explains that to the Finnish people, sisu has a mystical, almost magical meaning. It is a Finnish term that can be roughly translated into English as strength of will, determination, perseverance, and acting rationally in the face of adversity. It’s a word and concept that was instilled within me throughout my childhood, as it’s part of my heritage. My mom has often reminded me that I can do anything I put my mind to as I have, Sisu.

I almost selected Sisu as my one word again for 2020 as I did in 2019. It’s a word I always strive to live by. However, I think Sisu is in my blood and therefore, will just be something that I naturally embrace year-after-year throughout my life. This year, I selected create as my one word. Often, when we hear the word create, we think of something tangible. Of course, I want to create new content and expand on my current work, but I also selected create for other purposes. In 2019, I reflected a lot on the fact that I was constantly creating and developing out my work, and I want to ensure that’s still a focus of mine. However, I also want to be more intentional about creating moments in life. Moments that lead to meaningful memories, relationships, greater self-care, more intentional living, and a positive impact that remains with myself and others for a lifetime.

In order to create to the level I want in my life, it entails consuming content through reading, listening to and learning from others, and gaining empathy for the needs of others personally and professionally. It also requires intentional planning for maximum growth, intermixed with embracing spontaneity that sparks joy and excitement. Additionally, it’s important to remember that creating can be messy. Not everything we create will be a beautiful masterpiece, but perhaps a work in progress that teaches lessons over the course of time. I want to leave an impact on both those I serve and love–– I want to create my life to move forward in a way that allows me to thrive and even better understand myself throughout the journey. My focus will be developing a better understanding of the needs of others in addition to myself, and then on creating content and/or meaningful moments that impact the lives of others. This year, I want to create 2020 to be a year that meets my desire for transformation as I shift to a greater focus beyond the general work I do on a daily basis and truly living life to the fullest.

I cannot wait to see what 2020 will bring, but the one thing I can be sure of is that a lot of it is my choice. We all have choice in how we perceive and work through various challenges, plan our time, engage in self-care, embrace moments, and how we choose to be present to create meaningful memories with those we care about. Of course, many things in life are out of our control, but we can still choose how we respond and persevere in the face of adversity. Let’s create a fantastic year in 2020 and live our best life. Wishing you all the best and a wonderful New Year!