Each year I pick a word that will set the tone for the year ahead. In 2015 it was BUILD, in 2016 it was BRAVE then in 2017 it was OPEN.

Learn more about One Little Word from the creator of the concept Alie Edwards.

I chose OPEN for 2017 because I wanted it to be my mantra. I wanted it to remind me that this year was going to be messy and I needed to let go of the reins a little bit and welcome all that came to me. I think keeping this word in the back of my mind really did do wonders for me. It kept me grounded in times of stress and need and helped me forgive myself more often than I might have otherwise. It was the best possible choice I could have made.

This thing of choosing a word seemed like a good idea way back in 2015 when I started doing it, but this year really showed me how much this exercise means to me. It solidified how a single thought can change everything about the way you live your life. The way you approach life and the way that you receive those around you.

I am not perfect. I am not even close to the person I would like to be. I think I will spend my life trying to improve myself. I think this process of reflection and looking ahead is a big part of that self-improvement. I’m not saying this to be self-deprecating, I’m being honest.

I have a lot of faults. Loving myself through those faults while simultaneously trying to improve is not an easy task. It is, however, an important one.

This year the word I have chosen to carry me through is HEART. I plan to put my full heart into everything I do. I want to love my husband and baby boy with a full heart. I want to let my heart bleed all over this space and show you all who I really am. I want to share my heart with my friends near and far, forgiving past transgressions and loving so much more. I want to give everything I have to those around me whether they deserve it or not. I don’t think there is enough heart in this world but I hope that by making it the center of my world I can help our collective karma even just a little bit.

Do you have a word for the year? I’d love to hear it.