The Word for 2018 | Intent

I’ve decided 2018 will be an Ecclesiastes 3-focused year:

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:

a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
a time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace.

With that in mind:

I think it’s important to be grateful for the year we have just experienced, regardless of whether the year was easy or hard, happy or sad. With that, here are 4 things I was thankful for in 2017:

4. Thank you to my running friends who spent many (many) hours on the trails with me, listening to me talk for many (many) hours.

3. Thank you to my fantastic team, who make what we do in communications and community engagement look easy. (Inside scoop: It’s not easy. Ever.)

2. Thank you to my three kitties, who survived yet another year without anyone being given away due to naughtiness and somehow know how to snuggle and slow me down.

1. Thank you to my husband for understanding the many (many) hours I put in at work, yet loves spending time with me.

I’m not setting resolutions for 2018. I have goals & projects for work and that’s enough. Every year I choose a word to set the tone for the year to follow. In 2018, my word is INTENT. Here are the 4 intentions I have for 2018:

4. I want to run for pleasure, not for time goals. While I’ll do races, I’m freeing myself from the mental anxiety of maintaining a set pace.

3. I want to set aside time for digital detoxing. This is really important when the internet (and particularly social media) drives much of my day-to-day work.

2. I want to consider the intent behind what pulls for my time and attention – at work and at home.

1. I want to be willing to set aside what is good for what is best, and to recognize that those choices might look totally different in 2019.

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