Word of the Year: An Update for 2020

What is your word of the year? Are you updating it for the rest of 2020?

What a year so far! I think it is safe to say that most of us have never had a year (or half a year that feels like five) quite like this. We’re halfway through it. Halfway through this unusual, challenging, slow, unexpected sort of year. And, at the halfway point, it seems like a great time to check in on our words of the year, reflect on what we still need, and give ourselves credit for how far we’ve come. 

What was your word of the year? Does it still apply?

Didn’t pick a word of the year? Well… it certainly isn’t too late to determine a word, or focus for the second half of this year, especially this year when uncertainty and unpredictability have dominated the first half. Here is my original word of the year list:

For some of us, this stay at home order allowed us to really flourish and create and work towards our larger goals. For others, taking care of our little ones and staying above water was all we could do. In any case, a recommitment, a reevaluation, or a complete redo of our words of the year might be necessary. 

Depending on where you are, it is a great time to revisit your words.

Maybe you completely kicked a*s this first half of the year and met your year end goals. This could be a time to take this second half of the year to appreciate yourself and bask in the success of your hard work. Or maybe use the momentum and continued motivation to keep crushing your goals and make even more progress than you hoped. 

Or maybe you just survived, but want to move towards a feeling of thriving (or you realize where you are and want to let go, relax, and take care of yourself). 

Your Guide, Your Focus

No matter where you are, it is a great time to reevaluate your word. Let your word of the year guide you through the next half. Let it be your focus. Recommit to the one you chose in January or choose a new one entirely.

Here are a few word of the (half) year suggestions to guide you through the second half of 2020. I created an updated list that I feel captures this year a little better than the first list. It includes words like breathe, perspective, adjust, and see the abundance. This list encourages you to be an ally, to unlearn, and to relinquish control. It is word of the year list created for these uncertain times or any other time of crisis or upheaval.

And, if you need some help updating your word of the year, take a look at my original post and spend some time sitting and reflecting on what you need and want for the rest of the year.

My words of the year are:

• Patience
• Progress
• Presence

I had no idea how perfect those words would be this year and how much I would really need to lean into them (especially patience and progress). 

I have found that my patience was tested more often than I choose to admit and that I ran out of it much more frequently than I hoped (I am not a bad mom, repeat it with me…). And I have had to remind myself to breathe and slow down.

But, it got easier. Patience is a muscle and if quarantine did anything for me, it strengthened mine. 

I also found that I had to work extra hard on presence these last few months. I was bored. My kids were bored. And what do we do when we are bored? Pick up our phones and zone out. I was stressed, I was worried, and I was distracted. 

I have probably not gotten all that much better at being present, but it is something I work on every single day. I have put a few “rules” in place as far as phone use and one-on-one time with my kiddos, and that has helped but I have a lot of work to do in this area (it is a practice… more on that below!). 

And progress… well, this is so subjective. I certainly have made progress in some areas and regressed in others. But, overall, I would say that (given the circumstances) I moved the needle a bit and so I am going to give myself a bit of credit and have patience with myself in knowing that this isn’t going to be my year for big goal achievement or money making. But it is going to be the year that I slow down with my kids and just watch them grow and be. And that is more than okay.

I have also added two words, Practice and Perseverance.

Why these two? 

Well.. I think perseverance is probably obvious. This year has been a year to just persevere. We will get to where we need to be, we will get to the other side of all of this, we just need to get through it. So, I need to remind myself to just keep chugging away. 

Practice

I spend about 10 – 15 minutes each morning doing yoga. It is a very short practice, but it has reminded me that everything is a practice. We practice yoga. We practice playing drums (well, I don’t, but some of us do).

We practice being kind. We practice our activism. We practice everything we want to be and do. And some days that practice goes well. 

Other days, we are beginners all over again. 

But we get back up and practice. Even when the practice hurts, even when we failed yesterday, and even when we just don’t think we can practice anymore. 

It is also a word that I have chosen to remind myself that my preschooler is also practicing. He is practicing being gentle with his brother, he is practicing being polite. He is practicing expressing his emotions, his needs, and his wants, in a respectful, calm, articulate way. He needs to practice his patience too. He is a beginner and I need to let him practice (and of course, fail and learn). 

It is a reminder that sometimes my expectations of him are too high and that I need to be there to help him practice. And sometimes, I need to practice patience with him when he fails in his own practice. 

Practice will get us there. Eventually. I just need patience.

When I reflect on my chosen words, it is clear that they are all linked. I need to practice many things in my life, most notably, I need to practice patience and practice presence. I need to persevere in my practice. And, with all of these, I will get to where I need to be. It might not be today, but I will get there. Progress, in time. Progress over perfection. 

Have you taken the time to reevaluate your word(s) for the year? Added, taken any away? This has been a year of pivoting for many of us. What has that done for your words and focus? I’d love to hear about your words and how it has gone so far.