It seems like a while since I felt I had the space to sit down and write, but as always space emerges eventually. This year I’m making space for a slower start, picking up some things that had to be put down for a while and allowing space to see how they feel before committing to anything else. One thing, that I was pleased to return to over the last couple of weeks was my annual ritual of finding a word for the coming year. Last year my word was ‘breathe’ and it helped me through some of the challenges that the year brought with it, helping me to fin the space to make more considered choices than I might have otherwise.
When I sat down to complete the Unravel Your Year workbook (which Susannah Conway so generously offers each year) I was fairly certain that my word for this year would be health, but as is often the case I was mistaken. Instead, while completing one of the exercises, the word ‘worth’ jumped from the page and presented itself to me, and despite my best efforts to ignore it, it was here to stay.
Despite my original reluctance (in part due to linking it with finances) the longer I held it in my head, the more it made sense. I started to think about the things that I feel have worth, those things that align with my values, that nourish me and enrich my experiences. I thought about my own worth, both in terms of what others might think it is, but more importantly what I think it is and how these two ideas are sometimes in conflict.
What eventually won me over was when I thought about how often I talk to clients about notions of self-worth and how big an impact it can have on so many areas of our life. I know that at times when I may be struggling for one reason or another my own sense of my worth can become reliant on how ‘useful’ I perceive myself to be to others, or in some circumstances how well I can fit into external social norms. This is often one of the first signs for me that things are not ok, because when I am feeling at my best, my worth is not something that needs to be earned, it is something that I have and maintain by living a life that aligns with my values.
So, this year I am sitting with ‘worth’ and allowing space for what it will bring. Do you have a word or intention for 2023?
Comments