My 2019 Theme in a Word

It’s now a tradition. Instead of New Year’s resolutions, each January I choose a word or phrase to guide me. Last year, I chose #StayStrong after my unexpected Christmas hospital stay. (I’m happy to report that it’s been a healthy, happy Christmas this year!) The year before, I focused on finding what was #better about each day. And the year before that, I chose to seek the #Sparkle in others.

This year, it is:

ENCOURAGEMENT is a powerful tool, I’ve learned. We strive. We struggle. We fail. Sometimes we need a kind word or thoughtful comment to remind us to just keep going.

I’m grateful for the multitude of encouraging words that fortified me last year as I prepared for the many opportunities my book created for me. Since publication, I’ve spoken 16 times to audiences ranging from 12 to 750—this from the gal who was once “scared spitless” of public speaking. I could not have done it without encouragement from family, friends, and the steadfast support of you, my subscriber family. Thank you!

So this year I want to focus on the tremendous power of encouragement. I want to get better at giving it, acknowledge it more fully when I receive it, and work hard in finding new ways to keep encouragement around me.

Life is hard. Encouragement helps.

Why?

Encouragement connects us in a positive way. It can be as simple as a compliment or an observation. At its core, it shows we care.

My favorite encouraging phrase comes from my mother. From my teenage years to the years after my paralysis, when I would fret about falling short of a goal, she would tell me, “BB honey, I think you are doing mighty well.”

Mighty well.

Something about those words gave me pause, allowing me to stop striving so hard for a moment, relax, and assess the progress I’d made. When perfection eluded me, “mighty well” encouraged me.

The word encouragement comes from the Old French word encoragier, meaning “make strong, hearten,” I learned from vocabulary.com. It is from an impressive “word family.”

Wow. We have the ability to give strength, heart, and courage to one another. Let’s go, right?

Encouragement is a difference-maker, the fuel to keep going despite hardship.

How about you? Do you have a favorite encouraging phrase? Or a New Year’s theme? Tell me about it. I’d love to know. Perhaps it will be just the encouragement I need this week.