There are several books out there that encourage you to intentionally and thoughtfully choose a word that will represent a goal you are focusing on, or one which embodies your desired way of life. Being a
language lover,
a text tamer,
a writing wrangler,
the idea of choosing a word for myself really appeals to me.

I decided to focus on the new year and what I want to make of it, not only for my career, but for my life overall. I wear a lot of hats and am building up my business, working my side hustles, and squeezing in time for creative writing as well. All of this can feel a bit overwhelming sometimes. The different endeavors each beg for more time and attention and I am constantly re-prioritizing my tasks and focus. However, I would like everything I do to be intentional and with purpose.

Therefore, my word of the year is ARCHITECT.

I mean that as a noun and a verb as well. I am the architect of my own life and career. I am architecting the pieces and parts to fit just how I desire, and constructing my ideas according to my own set of plans.

When I think about my word, I visualize a city with many different heights of buildings in it. Each building represents one of my areas of focus in my career. And each one needs my attention in a different way. Of the five buildings I see in my mind, here’s the state of completion that each is in: There’s a shorter building, just a few floors, that is still under construction, and there are no height limitations–I can build it as high as I want. But I need to visit it more often and take time to decorate and really make it shine. There’s a building higher than the previous, that is completely finished on the outside, but inside it’s just stud walls. The electrical and plumbing are in, but no drywall. It’s waiting patiently for me to finish it out. Yet another building stands off a little apart from the others. It is completely finished and functional and doesn’t need much from me, I just need to show up and go in occasionally. The tallest building, say 50 floors, has about 30 of its floors finished and functional, with the rest sitting and waiting to be assigned purpose and occupied. Lastly, a two story building that is lovely on the outside, with colorful murals and reflective glass adorning its exterior, has a lot of activity on the first floor, and a vacant second floor.

Now, I didn’t go into detail about what each of these buildings represents to me, they are just too personal for me at this point, but it was important to me that I describe what they look like. It’s important because it helps me, the Architect, know what I’m dealing with and what needs to be worked on next. I enjoy calling this image up in my mind and mentally checking in on the status of each place. It guides my day, my week, my month, and eventually, will impact my entire year.

Have you ever chosen a word to represent a particular focus in your life? Do you have a word to guide you in 2019? If so, please share in the comments. And if you also conjure up imaginary scenes in your head in order to feel like your life is in order, please share that too, so I feel less nerdy ;)-