Word of the Year 2014: Impact

I'm sure you've all been waiting impatiently for my word choice of 2014, the thought that I hope will guide me on my way in this new year. I do like this exercise, choosing the word. As I said before, "more" for 2013 was pretty easy to fulfill, and it served me well. It wasn't very difficult though, not something I'd really fail at so long as I didn't maintain the status quo.

And I'm so over "leaning in." I've done enough of that for a few years. I just want to do well enough in my new role(s) for now. I've always tried hard on my own; I'm not sure having someone else telling me to do that changed anything.

I'm a bit tired of "having it all" too. Though I've always taken the phrase in a positive light, that we have a lot of "all" in our lives, well, it's a lot of pressure. I know it doesn't work for everyone. I'm not changing my tagline ("Having it all, at the exact same time.") just yet, but I'm ready to move on from that too.

So 2014 is going to be all about impact. I've achieved enough success for the moment. I want to use my position in life to have an impact on others. Obviously, my actions have a large impact on my immediate family, but I want to make sure it's a positive impact to any extent possible. I want to think about my direction at work, and what will make the most positive impact on my community there. I want my words here to have an impact, and I know my involvement with Listen To Your Mother can help change lives, including my own. And maybe, just maybe, I can impact my body and health somehow along the way too. It's a step further than thinking before I act or speak. It's considering the landing space, and whether it creates a tiny scratch or a deep valley.

So I had it engraved in stone, to create a touchstone for me to see on my nightstand each day. To start and end my days with that word in mind. A year of considering my impact. It may be harder to quantify than "more," but I think it will end up meaning quite a lot.

Purchased from sjengraving, https://www.etsy.com/shop/sjengraving?ref=l2-shopheader-name.