One Little Word - action

 This is the first word that popped in my head when I read the One Little Word posts at the Two Writing Teachers site. I pushed it aside and started to reflect on others - kind, brave, positive. But action kept resurfacing. So, this is my focus word for 2017.

The One Little Word (OLW) is a strategy to focus your year without creating a long list of resolutions. The process of refining my goals to one focus word has helped me to better understand what I want from this new year, the kind of life I want to live. 

Not going to lie, I feel like phrasing my word as a noun instead of a verb sounds a little contradictory. Shouldn't my word be ACT? But as I think about the actions I want to take, it feels right. These actions include writing, reading, and participating and the guiding word "action" puts me in mind of putting myself in front of others. So, I frequently write but rarely write out loud to engage in a wider community. I read all the time but what do I do with that knowledge? Maybe participate is really my word since what I want to do is engage with the world. But participation is not as inspiring as action. Action implies that I am in control of my work; participation requires me to subvert myself to the group. 

I have a lovely Pinterest-worthy image of decorated words posted around my life to help keep me focused. And I’ll probably Zentangle at least one word to hang in my classroom, maybe even design a sticker for my laptop. Truthfully, adding art into my days is a part of the action I’ve been thinking about so taking the time to doodle and paint fits right in with the goal. But what I’m excited about is that for the 2^nd day in a row I’ve taken the time to write in my journal, write for posting, and read something that challenges me to action.

Let the year of action begin.