For the last few years, I’ve been choosing a word for the year ahead – my word of the year. Last year, my word was ‘simplify‘. The year before, it was the phrase ‘daring greatly‘. I’ve been thinking on my word for next year and I’ve decided that I’m going to be happy in 2017.
Happy in 2017
What does the word happy mean to me? I’m listing it all out as thoughts occur to me – there will be a lot more as the year progresses.
- Learning to accept myself more
- Putting less pressure on myself
- Enjoying the simple pleasures of daily life
- Laughing a lot
- Being grateful in all circumstances
- Loving others as they need to be loved
- Taking responsibility for my words and actions
- Forgiving others
- Being genuine and authentic in all my relationships
- Working with joy
- Listening to a lot more music
- Reading less, and conversing more
- Making meaningful connections online
- Being a motivating presence to others
- Taking more photographs
- Being more creative
- Trying out new ideas
- Walking more
- Being healthy
- Singing loudly
- Resigning from being general manager of the Universe. The paragraph below tells you what I mean by that. 😉
As Aunt Naomi was listing all the things she was going to do to help this person, her friend stopped her in mid-sentence. “Naomi, girl,” she said, “you need to resign as general manager of the universe. You need to learn that sometimes the best way to help a person is to let them help themselves. Otherwise, they never learn how. And they are always going to make their problems your problems.” –Patti LaBelle
My Happiness Project
I’ll be revisiting Gretchen Rubin’s book, The Happiness Project 
What’s your word for 2017?
#FridayReflections
If you are new to Friday Reflections, here’s what it’s about. It’s the end of the week, you’re probably exhausted with work, and all you want to do is sit back, put your feet up, sip on some fancy cocktail or wine, and write away. Sanch of Living My Imperfect Life and Everyday Gyaan give you writing prompts and all you have to do is choose any one of those prompts to blog about and link up between Friday and Monday. After you link up, be sure to spread the love by visiting other bloggers who have linked up too.
Feel free to add our Friday Reflections badge to your post or sidebar! Follow us on Twitter @FridayReflect and join our Facebook Group. Share your post on social media with the hashtag #FridayReflections.
Prompts for this week:
- Write about the month you were happiest in 2016
- Reflect on 2016, the year gone by
- Write on any of the prompts from December
- “Realize that if a door closed, it’s because what was behind it wasn’t meant for you” – Mandy Hale. Use this in your post or an inspiration for one.
- What is your Word of the Year for 2017? You’re welcome to link your post here and also on Laurel Regan’s blog.
Our featured writer for last week as voted by you, was Linda for her beautiful post on Christmas Contrasts. You can be our featured writer for next week. All you have to do is write a post on one of the prompts, share and link up. And don’t forget, you can now vote for your favourite post of the week from Monday.
Image credit : 2017 happy new year with word faith, hope, love on the river stone via Shutterstock
Wish you all the happiness in 2017, Corinne.
I love your word for the year and maybe I’ll think of one for myself as well 🙂
Thanks, Nabanita, I wish you the same. The Word of Year exercise certainly works for me. Let me know if you figure out one for yourself.
this post has made me think my word of the year well i would love to steal the word being happy for myself though:)
Hi Corinne,
Hope you’re well!
I think my word for 2017 has to be kindness. This would be showing kindness to everyone I encounter and showing kindness towards myself.
Wishing you a very Happy New Year! 🙂
I have decided on “determination”. I am determined to improve the life of my brother in law, who is developmentally disabled, and to help my husband (his oldest brother) to attain that goal.
Your word of the year is great! And I love the bit about resigning as general manager of the universe – I will have to remind myself of that occasionally! Happy New Year and all the very best for a happy 2017. 🙂
Ah yes, I have The Happiness Project too…. I think it’s time for a re-visit as well. I like the word simplify, and it featured in the post I wrote about my 2016 reflections and 2017 goals… so I guess that’s my word! I love your list, and I’d like to take more photographs and sing loudly more often, I might just pinch those if I may?! Happy New Year, Corinne!
Seems like a big list Corinne. I wish you more happiness for you in 2017.
My word for 2017 would be ‘Engage’. It could either be engaging with myself, peeping inside once in a while, or it could be interacting more with others. Your list shows that you are already so focussed in sticking to your resolutions next year. Good luck to you. Have a great year ahead, Corninne 🙂
Wishing you all the happiness you want in 2017. Love your list particularly singing loudly.
Loved your post Corrine for its bursting with hope and joy! In our race to live life at its fullest, we often forget to be happy and end up with that sinking feeling of having acheived nothing.
Wish you abundance, joy n cheer for 2017!
What a happy post and that word is my favorite. Staying happy is a choice and I have made that choice. There are days I sulk but I think that things could have been worse and then I choose happiness.
You should also take up the #100happydays challenge, Corinne. I take it every year and it brings my focus back to small things around us.
Wishing you a great 2017!
I hope you have a happy 2017 Corinne! It’s a beautiful word and I think the intentions you’ve set out for yourself will certainly make you happy.
It’s happiness in the little things that matter and last longer. Happy new year Corinne, and a great word of the year! I would choose my word of the year to be ‘explore’ since it seems to be the right time to try something new out, what with a new lifestyle and new environment in college. 🙂
What a great choice for the word of the year. May you be happy now and ever, Corinne.
Happy New Year Corinne! Love your Word of the Year, and I’m certain you’ll make it happen. Mine is quite simply ‘More’. More travel, more reading, more yoga, more wine, more phone calls, more love, more smiles, more writing, more opportunities.
I have to read The Happiness Project….Your choice is simple and beautiful, as necessary as the breath we take to live…..