2015

"He who breaks a resolution is a weakling; he who makes one if a fool" F.M. Knowles

It's that time of year again...

+Helen Blunden wrote a post about her 3 words for 2015 which prompted a some casual thoughts from this direction and a quick tweet in reply of "meaningful", "intentional" and "authentic".

That was a few days ago.

I paused to jot down a few ideas this morning and returned to these 3 words, asking myself if 2015's words are to be...

• meaningful
• intentional
• authentic

...are they the 'right' words and more to the point, what was my 'intent' behind their choice?

What would a meaningful year look like? More could be said on this matter than there are pages in the webverse and I'm not going there. When I was mulling over my 3 words, I wanted to include 'purpose' or 'purposeful', yet decided to opt for meaningful. For me, they go together; doing something on purpose yet without meaning is not worth contemplating.

I asked my good friend Google and this is what she offered me;

meaningful

ˈmiːnɪŋfʊl,-f(ə)l/

adjective

1. having meaning.

   "meaningful elements in a language"

   synonyms:

   significant, relevant, important, consequential, material, telling, pithy,weighty, valid, worthwhile, purposeful "a meaningful remark"

   • serious, important, or worthwhile.

     "the new structure would bring meaningful savings"

     synonyms:

     sincere, deep, serious, in earnest, significant, important "a meaningful relationship"

   • communicating something that is not directly expressed.

     "meaningful glances and repressed passion"

     synonyms:

     expressive, eloquent, pointed, significant, meaning;

At this point I am reminded of the movie Hugo and the notion that 'everyone has a purpose'.

There's a lovely excerpt from the movie here http://youtu.be/nE70UbTl1rY

So...for me meaning and purpose go hand in hand in my hopes for 2015.

Why intentional? I considered 'focused' as I know this is something I need to get better at as I'm addicted to distractions. I settled on 'intentional' as it was a means to reconcile the meaningful/purposeful quandary. Again, Google offers this;

intentional

ɪnˈtɛnʃ(ə)n(ə)l/

adjective

1. done on purpose; deliberate.

   "intentional wrongdoing and harm"

   synonyms:

   deliberate, calculated, conscious, done on purpose, intended, planned,meant, considered, studied, knowing, wilful, wanton, purposeful,purposive, purposed, premeditated, pre-planned, thought out in advance,prearranged, preconceived, predetermined...

How I chose to spend my time is just that; my choice. If I am without focus for a day or however long, it is my choice. So I will spend my time as I intend to and be conscious of the consequences.

So where does authentic fit? Be real; be true. I don't mean abandoning all self-control. For me a year of authenticity will be one where I am true to what I believe in and true to myself.

What lies ahead?

To be honest, I'm not sure. However, for me, if these are to be 'my words' for 2015, the challenge is significant. It will take courage and persistence and only I can do it!  So...how? Through meaningful, intentional and authentic endeavours maybe?

Whilst I would love someone else to hold me to this, it really is up to me if it is to be!

Happy 2015 one and all!