When you realize there is nothing lacking,
the whole world belongs to you.
Lao Tzu
Last year, as changes were happening in my life, I chose Renewal as my word of the year. It was a new concept for me, choosing a word that represents my year ahead, but renewal was the perfect word for 2017. It was about moving past a painful election, moving past and finding a new version of myself when I was laid off after 25 years with the same company. And it was about taking care of myself and starting to move past the pain of previous accidents. It was about resetting and beginning again. And I really felt that 2017 was all of that and more.
Now in 2018, I found another word that has been banging about in my head trying to get my attention. It’s a word that I often shy away from because I never felt it was right for me. But now, I plan to take it and own it. My word of the year: Abundance.
Abundance – A Definition
♥ existing or available in large quantities; plentiful
♥ having plenty of something or marked by great plenty
After reading that definition, I can now see abundance as the opposite of lack.
I want to find abundance in my health, not lack. I want abundance with my energy, not lack. I want to be abundant in my gratitude, not lacking. I want to be abundant in my love for my friends and family, not lacking. And yes, I do want abundance with my earnings. I won’t shy away from it or this word again.
What is your word for 2018, please share it below.
I really like your word Jennifer – and the fact that you’re not using it in a greedy way. I think I’m a year behind you because I need to recover from 2017 (like you did from 2016) so maybe I’ll be ready for abundance in 2019 🙂
Yes, after recovery comes abundance. I can guarantee it! 😉
Nice to meet you Jennifer. I love your word for 2018. Like you, and many, I too needed to move past a painful election and emerge to do what I needed to do for myself and the world. My phase for the upcoming year is Live Dreams, and I say that in a humble, compassionate, and grateful place, because my dreams must be bigger than myself. If I had to choose one word maybe it would be Rise. Thanks for a lovely post.
I love both of your choices. Rise does say that you are going to live up to or rise up to your bigger dreams. Can’t wait to see it all unfold for you.
I love that you have a word for the year. To me, the opposite of abundance is “scarcity.” Not going without exactly, but not thriving. Scarcity is the attitude that drives consumption and competition. Scarcity assumes there isn’t enough so we must compete for resources, including love and acceptance. Abundance, on the other hand, feels like a wellspring to me. The more it gives, the more it has to give.
For me, abundance arrived when I stopped thinking about “lack of” just as you say. Instead of what I couldn’t do, I had to see what I could do. When I thought of what “enough” meant in terms of income and professional status, I started to realize what I really “needed” was far different than I’d always thought. The idea freed me from competing and stressing. It allowed me to love the idea of being and having enough. And forgive the tired phrase, but “enough is as good as a feast.” In other words, when I discovered that I had enough, abundance walked right in.
Of course, that’s what I experienced when I called abundance into my world. I think all of us will have a different definition and journey. I’m excited to see where your investigations take you in 2018. Thank you for letting me ramble on.Cheers to abundance!
I loved that you rambled on by. Yes, I think we are both saying the same thing. For me, it was about accepting abundance as a positive word and not a negative word (like being greedy or wanting more than I needed.) Once I realized that abundance was just that, what I needed, then I was able to take it for myself.
Beautiful. 🙂
Sorry it isn’t one word, but it’s a sentence spoken by Peter Capaldi in the Christmas Day Doctor Who episode: “Hate is always foolish and love is always wise.” So perhaps the word is “Wisdom”.
I loved the Christmas Day episode. Yes, it’s true I love all of them. So I would say either wisdom or perhaps just love.
I love your concept of Abundant Jennifer and will be looking forward to reading more. My word for the year is Thrive, in fact, Over 50 & Thriving (or in my case now, Over 60). I don’t want to just go through the motions each day but I want to make each day count. Happy New Year!
I think thrive is a wonderful word. I completely understand wanting to make each day count.
How true this is. I also have a broad definition of abundance.
It just makes so much sense now, to have such a broad definition. It’s only in the past few years that the meaning has been corrupted to me to be on of only monetary gain/greed. But when I step back and look at it as a whole, that’s when I see it’s so much more.
Thinking abundantly is so empowering. Sometimes, as women, we don’t let ourselves believe we can be that way. Great word of the year.
Thanks for stopping by Rebecca. I agree that we don’t always allow ourselves to think that way, sometimes it has that icky feeling attached to it. But no more! I claim it as my own.
I think mine will have to be focus. And that for me means concentrating on one thing at a time. I’m getting there! ?
I think concentrating on one thing at a time is a great goal. It’s something I sometimes struggle with as I’m easily distracted. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts.