My Word for 2017

HAPPY NEW YEAR

I've had a word of the year for a long time. I talked about my process for finding my word and some of my previous words HERE. In 2017 my husband and I will celebrate 25 years of marriage AND I will turn 50! Because of this I felt like I needed a word that reflected all that celebration. I highly recommend Susannah Conway's FREE 5-day email class to help you figure out your word - sign up for that HERE. I feel like my past words have been building up to this one.

My Word for 2017 is SHINE

S = Share
H = Healthy
I = Inner Work
N = Notice
E = Enjoy

SHARE 
Engage meaningfully with others
Develop relationships
Continue to blog
Teach more mixed media classes
Shine so others believe they can too
BE the light - be the agent of illumination in dark situations
HEALTHY
Good eating + Gym habit = Energised
Be mindful
Rest
INNER WORK
Self-care and self-compassion
Affirmations
Explore intuition/oracle cards
Build inner strength/belief in myself
Lighten up - try not to sweat the small stuff

NOTICE 
Practice gratitude
Reflect on daily activities and make improvements (good habits = easier to shine without effort)
Pay attention to what I will accept (eg. let other people's negativity slide off)  
ENJOY
Regularly spend time doing what I love : 
- creating
- being with my family
- meeting regularly with friends
- walking on the beach
- lighting more candles
- wearing sparkles when I dress
- reading good books 
- watching good movies and TV series
- listening to good music

Supporting words are Sparkle, Light, Ignite, Glow, Bright, Luminous and Embrace. Also Nourish from 2015 and Transform from 2016.

SHINE has been waiting to take its place in 2017. It's been present in my art for a while. This was part of a journal page in 2015 

In January 2016 this lesson was called Patch it Up - make it shine : note the found words and all the metallic and iridescent mediums used (click to see larger)

April 2016

I created this girl in October 

And I recently created this one to take me into 2017 : 

I've also created a Pinterest board which you can look at HERE.
Ali Edwards' One Little Word class supports your word throughout the year with monthly prompts. Although I didn't keep up with these in 2016, it was great to have her emails arrive every month to keep my word present to me and I've joined again.

I'm also inspired by Brave Girls Club - they have some great posts about what it means to Shine HERE and to choose Light HERE. 
I'll leave you with this fabulous quote by Marianne Williamson : 

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.  Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.  It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.  We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?  Actually, who are you not to be?  You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world.  There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you.  We are all meant to shine, as children do.  We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.  It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone.  And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.  As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others. 

I can't wait to see what 2017 brings : Time to shine ♥