Investigate your Word of the Year

Now that you have chosen a word of the year and we are a few weeks into 2019 how has your word impacted you so far?   I’ve been getting messages with really cool stories on ways people are seeing their word pop up places.   If you have seen your word, comment below.   I’d love to hear from you.   If you haven’t been super impacted yet, here are some ways to kick start your word into action.

• Write out the dictionary definition of your word somewhere you will see it.
• Look up the synonyms for your word in a thesaurus.
• Create a title page for your 2019 planner with your word on it.
• Make a bracelet with your word.
• Google your word.
• Search your word on Pinterest and Instagram.
• Search your word on Amazon.   There’s some really cool things with your word just waiting for you!
• Look up your word in the back of your Bible and see how many times it is found.  I always spend weeks reading the verses with my word in it.
• Listen for your word.  I hear mine all the time now!   Every sermon since I picked it has had the word power in it!
• Search your word on You Tube and find music with it in the lyrics.
• You don’t have to be an artist to create an easy piece of art for your wall with your word.   There are tons of easy word art ideas on the internet like the ones below. Click here to go to the artist.

• Create a tattoo of your word.  You can find really cool sites that will turn it into a temporary tattoo.  Click here to jump to a cool product on Amazon to create your own temporary tattoo.   There are also sites that can make them for you to peel and stick.
• Make an acrostic poem with your word.   You know when you write your word vertically and then horizontally come up with words that fit with the letters in your word.
• Google string art.   Get a wooden board, hammer the outline of your word with hundreds of finishing nails and then go to town and use up all that old yarn you’ve had lying around!
• Sit with a magazine and scan for your word or cut out letters of your word and glue onto a card to send to someone.
• Write your word in the middle of a page and draw lines from it with all the other words you can think of pertaining to that word.  You could also try this with ways you want to use your word.  For example if your word of the year is “Trust”, write out all the areas in which you want to work on building trust.
• Have you heard of the Rock movement?   People are painting rocks with positive words, phrases or pictures and leaving them for strangers to find.  Sort of like random acts of kindness.   Do some research and see if there’s a rock group in your area and they will help you with what to write on the back and how to decorate them.   A neat way to impact others with your word is to make a  bunch of rocks with your word on it and leave them for others to find.  People everywhere are out looking for these rocks of encouragement.  Why not encourage others with  your word?
• Keep a word journal.   Keep it small and handy.   Every time you see or hear your word write about it.
• Keep your eyes peeled when shopping.   I found some really cute things with the words my friends have chosen.   I have to stop myself from buying them all.   So far this year alone I have found a makeup bag, a journal, a sketchbook, stickers, a t shirt, a book, a candle and a calendar all focused on words my friends have picked.

The last point brings me to the end of this article.  When I started encouraging others to choose a word of the year I had no idea that so many people would do it.   I have been encouraged by the words others have chosen.   The problem is I see their words all over too!   So now I don’t have just one word of the year but I also am being impacted by theirs.   When I think about doing something not so wise, my friend Viv’s word “discipline” pops into my head.   I hear my cousin Anna’s word “love” all the time.   I find my mom’s word “Blossom” all over the place.   I think of my friends, Sue and Jessica’s word “faith” often when I am struggling with sadness over decisions I have no control over.   It’s been so strange to have other people’s word of the year impact my thoughts.   I hope that your word of the year makes it’s mark on you this year.   I pray that God will use your word to show you new things and teach you and help you to grow in mind, body and soul.

SDG