my midlife musings


Your Subtitle Here



My WOrd for 2019





First Published - December 2018



I hate making New Year Resolutions!! Well, of course, they always had the best of intentions, but they never last. Goals and dreams that just fell by the wayside once the year kicked in and life took over.





It was back in 2017 that I first heard about having a word as a theme to take me through the year. 2017 had been a year of discovery for me, I had decided at one point to start my own business. Like my resolutions that didn’t last long. I needed to grow first. There was so much going on in my life that needed handling first that my own life was put aside for a while.


As 2017 was coming to an end, I knew I needed something to carry me through 2018. Some sort of word or theme or phrase or something! I wasn’t sure what it was but I knew it had to be something. I came across Susannah Conway’s Find Your Word booklet and decided that was the way to go.



I printed off the booklet, went through the exercises and eventually came up with the word Believe. Great! I had a word…I downloaded images, and started putting photos up on my laptop and phone as a reminder.





Within days, my word changed. I was already dealing with challenges in life and my own life was running away from me. I needed a new word to carry me through the year. I sat down again, had a think (not really meditate,as that just doesn’t work on me!) and came up with the phrase “I am Worthy”.



It felt good, it sat right and resonated with me. I loved it. I even had a bracelet made with the words to wear. I knew this was good.





Fast forward to the end of 2018 and things are still a crazy roller coaster. Emotions are up and down, family are coming and going. Friends are distant and new. I sat down to review my year with a view of finding my word for 2019.


Did my word for 2018 even work? Well to be honest, it wasn’t in the forfront of my mind all the time and to be honest it got to a stage where I completely forgot what the word was and how to incorporate it into my life. I got busy. I didn’t do any of the monthly reflections that one should do, I didn’t revisit my word and see how it was working out for me. I just lived.


Looking back over 2018, I feel that in a deep-seated kind of way, “I am Worthy” did work for me. I didn’t get as ruffled as I thought I would, my anxiety levels were pretty decent. I managed to get by with what was going on in my life, and all things considered, I fared pretty well! Maybe this word thing really did work – albeit passively and subconsciously!


My word for this year came to me at the beginning of December, but I still wanted to go through the December Reflections and the Find Your Word workbook before confirming it. Funnily enough, its already working for me in so many ways and I know I can only improve myself.



My Word for 2019 is Persevere. For me perseverance is something I need to keep in the forefront of my mind when I am attempting to get things back in control of my life on the body, mind and soul fronts. I am the world’s best procrastinator and the word persevere seems to be the complete opposite for me. Each time I find myself giving up, or not even starting something, Persevere pops into my head and I get myself motivated to carry on.





We are also encouraged to have supporting words to go with our main word of the year. For this exercise it was a case of finding similar yet slightly different words that can support me and help me define what I want to achieve in 2019. I eventually came up with Bloom, Self-Love and Metamorphosis. I love these words just as equally as Persevere and they mean a lot to me.



If you have seen about my blog, I have my own logo that was created for me a couple of years ago. It’s actually a lotus flower with my initials in the middle. For me the lotus is doubly meaningful, one because I feel it is the flower of Asia and all the religions that are around me and I have lived with over the years. But also, the meaning behind what a lotus does, blooming through the mud. The beauty that the lotus shows in how it can remain such a divine flower whilst growing through such muddy waters, is something I truly resonate with.


I am excited to see what comes of it all in 2019





My Midlife Musings


Singapore, UAE, Scotland, Thailand, Malaysia
Expat Since 1984