One Little Word 2023 | Root
My Word of the Year
My One Little Word (or word of the year) for 2023 is ‘Root’. Root marks the start of my 11th year of holding a guiding word of the year and joining Ali Edwards’ ‘One Little Word’ online class and community. Holding a guiding word of the year creates a strong anchor for my year and helps me create an intentional life. There aren’t many things I’ve committed to do and have kept going, this project is one of a few I keep coming back to year after year.
Over time I’ve given myself the space to explore each word in different ways, whether it’s getting creative with monthly prompts created by Ali Edwards and her team, noticing things resonating with my word and taking moments in the year to reflect, and bringing my word into my journaling and writing. I’ve carried on with the project however imperfect and incomplete it has felt, which has felt liberating and uncomfortable at the same time.
I’ve shared my word here in this space each year, and occasionally at the end of the have shared what each word has helped me with in the year, others I have held close to my heart and stayed in my journal.
My words for the past 10 years have been…
Grow (2013)
Embrace (2014)
Simplify (2015)
Awaken (2016)
Thrive (2017)
Nurture (2018)
Bloom (2019)
Light (2020)
Flow (2021)
Nourish (2022)
and now this year
Root (2023)
Every word has brought fresh wisdom, different perspectives and new things I’ve learnt about myself. With each word I’ve had an opportunity to expand personally and a deepen my self-awareness. During the year sometimes other words have accompanied the main word, and have joined as a companion for the year ahead. Most recently in 2020 and 2021 the word ‘Rise’ accompanied both ‘Light’ and ‘Flow’, and is the reason why I called my internal work coaching programme by the same name.
Arriving at the start of November last year ‘Root’ kept showing up and coming into my mind. Perhaps sub-consciously I was searching for something I needed because of an impending restructure at work and pivotal change ahead. A week later the word felt particularly poignant as our team restructure was announced and I knew the integrated structure and roles left in the parent company were not of interest to me. I then started to spot the word everywhere and my mind drifted to thinking about my own roots, what are they, where do I want to grow new roots, what feeds me and my passions and how can I lean into my roots at this point in my life and for the year ahead. I’d spent time last summer thinking about options of a possible career shift if my role was to end as it stood, and I had dived into my career history for clues, perhaps the word Root was showing up then too.
For me Root feels like a guiding and grounding anchor in a year of rediscovery, of who I am, what I want to do and how I do it. Holding Root as my word has also signalled to me that perhaps this is the year to revisit my words of the year from the past 10 years. There is so much wisdom and learning I had gained from each word and this year could be an opportunity to reflect on what has worked, what I’ve enjoyed and how I want to take the best bits moving forwards. The wisdom each word contains now will also likely be different, and diving deep into the roots of who I am and where I want my roots to anchor me, may support in helping me grow in a new chapter of life.
What I want TO invite in From my word…
Whilst holding my word of the year I have tended to create a set of intentions to explore for my word, sometimes I’ve allocated a certain intention to a month, and others have just held lightly and revisited each season. This year Root holds a lot of metaphorical meaning and provides something for me open to explore and interpret.
Whilst thinking about my word I’ve created a loose set of intentions and ideas to explore during the year…
Cultivate curiosity about my roots
Use courage to grow my roots
Trust my roots will help when I need them
Be grounded and rooted in my thoughts
Re-root after being uprooted and discover new sources of energy
Feel what it is like growing new roots
Create our family roots
I’m excited about the year ahead and intrigued to see where my word takes me this year. When I thought about what image to include in this post I was a little unsure, but this photo of the coast summed it up for me.
When I think about going back to my roots it takes me back to my childhood, memories, passions and interests, many of which I’ve held close but not managed to bring to life as fully in my day to day. Photographing nature, understanding landforms and landscapes, and how people are part of these spaces and use the space has always been of interest. We all have our own layers, built up overtime like layers of rock, sometimes they are covered by the tides, sometimes they are worn away revealing themselves once more, and over time they take on a different and new form. Sometimes the tide turns and we have an opportunity to see ourselves, and the structures beneath the surface, for what they are and rediscover them without the coverage of the seas. With this photo I hope to remind myself of the new layer created during the year ahead and to explore those below it.
Are you holding a word of the year? I’d love to know if you are. Wishing you an adventure with your word for the year ahead.