Cultivating Clarity

My most favorite thing about life is creating it, day by day, moment by moment, with each breath, each relationship, and each word. In my early 20′s, I spent several years exploring the power of words. I studied theories about how we talk to one another, how words create reality, and how stories can heal us. What I learned shaped the woman I am today and my approach to crafting life.

Rounding the bend on a new year has offered me many opportunities to fine tune the life I live. I have been celebrating the beginning of 2012 in ways that put into words and symbols the direction I wish to go. On New Year’s Eve, I hosted a sacred fire party at my home. My friends and family gathered around to release what no long served them from the past and to claim their intentions for what is to come.  I had been struggling to find just the right word or phrase to guide me into 2012, but as my friend Irene Jaan from Travel Creatives shared her intentions, a word came to me.

It is so strange how we arrive at what drives us. For me, it felt as if the word shot right from the fire and into my heart. Even as I write about it, my mind travels down to the center of my chest to access it, like a seed waiting to bloom.

The word that came to me that night was Clarity, and I have been dreaming on what it means to me since then. It has lots of layers, and with the meaning also comes symbols and metaphor that help flesh it out.

For me it means clarity of what is right for me in my life, of my vision for myself and my business. It means actions that are succinct and conserve energy; relationships in which I can be authentic and hold clear, loving boundaries. Clarity also represents a simplicity of material objects and a quality to the foods I consume, so that considered holistically, my word for 2012 has the ability to touch all aspects of my life.

I created an art doll to remind me of my relationship with Clarity.

This is the first year I have chosen just one word. I was inspired by a movement that has caught on in the blogosphere. It began with one woman, Ali Edwards, choosing One Little Word. Now Ali offers year long courses to help you explore your word and even when you might not want to take her course, offers inspirational thoughts and activities. I signed up for One Little Word 2012 and have been very impressed with the first week’s offering. She’s a class act.  (Hope you will consider joining it. It is affordable and looks like lots of fun!)

If you would like to read more inspiring posts about the power of one little word, head over to the FlyTribe blog…yes, that fabulous group of creative business owners I keep talking about finally has a blog. Yay! And it looks like it will be worth following (hint).  You can find a whole nest of blog post gathered there by Fliers! Just click on the badge below.

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