My Word

If you follow me on my Designs by Dina Facebook page, you may have already read this post I made earlier this year.  In my post, I mentioned that after my son’s senior basketball season I would have more time to really focus on “My Word” that I chose to be a reminder to me throughout this new year.  Well, that time has come and I’m posting it again as a reminder to myself.  I hope it inspires you to do the same!!  I’ve made a few changes with some updates as well.  So here it is friends…

The new year brings new beginnings for us all.  I’ve never been one to set New Year’s resolutions, because let’s face it…it would probably only last for maybe a month…if that long.  HaHa!!  However, I am all about wanting to better and challenge myself and if a new year is what inspires me to do that, then so be it!!

A new year for me is a like a blank slate…wiped clean and ready to be written on again.  My first priority was to get healthy and mindful of how our unhealthy lifestyle has affected both my husband and I. With the inspiration of our nephew, who’s slaying this healthy eating lifestyle by the way, my husband and I have made some changes and have already seen what a difference it’s made in our lives.  We started this journey on January 1st and I’m praying the Lord gives us the strength and desire to continue this lifestyle throughout the rest of our lives.  After all, we want to be around to see our wonderful children and grandchildren grow up.

A couple of years ago, I was reading a blog of a fellow crafter who was talking about her “word” she was going to focus on for that upcoming year.  I really didn’t give it much thought then, but this year with so many changes happening in our family, I was inspired to choose a “word” of my own to help me deal with those changes better.  I’m not sure if it’s my age or the fact that our youngest son will be graduating from high school this year and going on to college, but I’ve really been thinking about what our future will look like with all of these changes.  So….two years later I thought to myself…I NEED a “WORD” too.  HaHa!!

Let me tell you something friends…if you haven’t tried to choose “ONE” word out of the trillions of words in the English language…IT IS HARD!!!!  Of course, you want it to be the PERFECT word to inspire you daily.  It took me a long time, but I found my “word”!!  Are you ready for it?

NURTURE!!!  I know…you may be thinking…it took her that long to come up with that “word”?  HaHa!!  Well, let me share with you how I came to choose it.

As usual, I was lying in bed waiting until the very last minute to get up and start getting ready for work.  Many times I lay there thinking about everything and anything like “What’s on the agenda for the day?”  “Does my son have a ballgame tonight?  “If so, are his socks and basketball gear clean and ready for tonight?” “What are we eating for supper tonight?” because you know with this healthy eating, we cannot do fast food after the ballgame at 9:00 pm or later anymore.  HaHa!!  Don’t laugh…you know you do this too.  So I picked up my phone looking for some inspiration of what to fix for supper that night that’s quick and easy and Keto friendly.  You know…it’s a little scary how Facebook works, since I’ve been looking up health recipes since the beginning of the year…all of a sudden they flood my Facebook newsfeed daily.

Anyway, I’m scrolling through Facebook and I come across an advertisement of a company I ordered from once before.  The name of the company is My Intent.  If you haven’t heard of them, look them up.  They make custom jewelry with your “word” on it as a daily reminder to you.  What an awesome idea…right?  Well…I for sure need a “word” now so I can order this cute little jewelry!! HaHa!!

Days and weeks went by and still…no “word” seemed to be fitting.  I began thinking about all of life’s upcoming changes in our family and I asked myself…”What change do I want to make in 2020 and beyond?” I thought about all of the things I wish I had more time to spend doing or the people I wanted to spend more time with.  I also asked myself “What’s one thing I would like to be more like?”  Then it hit me…I wanted to be more nurturing to the people I love…my family and friends, as well as strangers I may come into contact with who may not have anyone in their lives to nurture them.

Our lives right now are so busy that it’s hard to keep up with everyone and everything going on around us.  However, I know things will change in a few months and it will be the perfect time to begin nurturing all of the people and things I’ve neglected over the years.

I found it….I finally found my “word”!!  How perfect is this word….for me!!

Nurtureto care for and encourage the growth or development of.    The process of caring for and encouraging the growth or development of someone or something. 

Besides my family and friends, I also want to nurture my business.  It’s definitely taken a backseat since about the middle of November when basketball season began.  I know it’s just a side business as I do have my “big girl” job, but I love my Designs by Dina business and I plan on keeping it going for a long time.  I have a feeling it’s going to help me get through the “empty nest” stage of our lives.

I’ve taken a few steps recently as part of nurturing my business…one being hiring a business coach to help guide me through this process.  There’s so much to learn and so much information out there that I have yet to learn.  Another step being creating this blog and website.  Baby steps toward growing and developing a business I love and feel so passionate about.

After finally deciding on my “word,” I immediately visited My Intent’s website and ordered myself a necklace.  I also ordered one for that sweet blogger friend I mentioned earlier with her own word…for planting that seed two years ago and inspiring this whole thing.

I’ve shared all of this to encourage you to choose your “word” too.  I’m praying it’s going to inspire me to stay focused on nurturing all that’s important to me!!  Hopefully, your word can do the same for you too!!

Blessings!!