It is 2017. New year, new beginning. And a new chance to be a better version of ourselves.
And I know my WotY (Word of the Year)…PERSEVERE.
This will be my guiding word all throughout the year. And I pray that just like GRATITUDE, my one word for 2016, it will serve its purpose. Not just in enriching my life but the lives that I will have the chance to touch, however fleeting it may be. That in moment of weakness or doubt, this word will give me the strength and the courage to move on.
Google define PERSEVERE as
“continue in a course of action even in the face of difficulty or with little or no prospect of success”
Its synonyms: persist, continue, keep going, struggle on, hammer away, be persistent, be determined, see/follow something through, keep at it, press on/ahead, not take no for an answer, be tenacious, stand one's ground, stand fast/firm, hold on, go the distance, stay the course, plod on, stop at nothing, leave no stone unturned;
Word of the Year is a new thing for me. In my time, it's new year's resolution.
During my elementary and high school years, at the beginning of each year, I made a list of my “new year resolutions”. I am trying to remember the reason. Was it a school assignment? Or was it because of peer pressure? Probably, the latter. But one thing is certain though, after January, the list was forgotten. Afterwards, every time I hear or read about new year’s resolutions, I just smile. Thinking, It did not work for me…hoping it work for them.
Last year, though a quarter of the year late, I set my WotY…my Word of the Year. The word is GRATITUDE. Looking back, it was the right word for me. It was what I needed to be reminded that despite life’s challenges and roadblocks, I still have so much to be thankful for. I did not choose the word, it was given to me. Click here for the post.
Last January 7, while browsing my personal email, I came across a message sharing about the practice of setting the Word of the Year. It is not in my plan to set a WotY, but after reading the email, I had this sudden yearning to do it.
As this is only my second time, I do not really know how to choose or set my WotY. Searching the net shows some simple steps but there is one that caught my attention. The blogger’s one simple advice…pray.
And I did. I prayed the Holy Rosary…the Mysteries of Light. Even before I finished the Rosary, four words were revealed:
- ENOUGH – while getting the rosary from the altar, because I have enough of what I need
- ANCHOR – upon holding the crucifix, I remember the excerpts from my New Year message on social media, “May we anchor our lives to Jesus”
- LIGHT – when reciting the first mystery of light
- PERSEVERE – halfway through the fourth mystery I heard the word from within and it never left me.
Now it is your turn…
You can choose your WotY, too. Just remember, there is no small or big word…not even a wrong word.
And if you were able to, please feel free to share it here.
Be blessed!
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