My Word(s) for 2018

**note: I wrote this post several weeks ago, meant to go back and polish it/add to it, and kept forgetting.  I decided instead of striving for perfection, I'm just going to hit "publish" and get it out there!! I hope to post later this week about the habit(s) I want to focus on in February. **


I've been mulling over what word to choose for my "word of the year" and having a hard time narrowing it down!  The trend in the blogger world these days is to choose one word that you'd like to define your year, and I've enjoyed doing that for the past several years.  Last year's word was thrive, as I came out of a season of "survival mode" (hello, newborn/infant years after many years off!!), and I feel like I made good progress toward thriving instead of surviving.  Another year I chose the word love, and still another year I chose two words, intention and worship.

This year I've once again decided to go with two words that I hope will define 2018: habits and home.  Over the past few years, but especially last year, I've realized that habits are something I really, really need to zero in on.  When I have good habits going, my life runs more smoothly, I have more energy, and I feel more productive.  Conversely, when I fall out of those habits (whether it be exercise, getting up early, keeping up with the dishes...), then things feel all out of control around me and I get more stressed, and am not really a fun person to be around!  I also see the need to work with my kids to build good habits in their lives, as well.  So, habit(s) was one word that stuck out to me, but I wasn't completely sure if that was THE word I wanted to choose for my year...it just seemed kind of...I don't know...boring? (Sorry, mom, I know that's not your favorite word! ;))  But then on Sunday it hit me...another word I could use in conjunction with habits, and together they would form the theme I really wanted to focus on this year: home.  You see, I had already decided who to choose for a literary mentor for this year, and it's Sally Clarkson...and the first of her books I'm reading is The Life-giving Home.  And thus, as so many habits involve home, and the keeping of it...and another thing on my heart is opening my home to others (another "h" word: hospitality!)...it seemed the perfect choice for my second word of the year.

I can't wait to see what will happen in my heart and home as I focus on these two words!  I also want to pick one habit per month to work on.  It makes sense to me to just babystep my way to better habits, although of course I hope to work on more than one thing at once...but just put my biggest focus on one, if that makes sense.  And January is for getting back to basics in the most important area, a daily devotion/quiet time.  I want to make sure I spend at least a few minutes every morning in the Word and prayer, so that is my habit for this month!  My secondary habit (but one that closely ties into the devotion one) is getting up earlier every morning.  My sweet friend just lent me her copy of Hello Mornings by Kat Lee, which I am so excited to read and gain inspiration from!