With the new year knocking at our doors, I’ve been thinking of words to focus on for the year. Choosing focus words is an important step toward staying focused and achieving goals. And if you take your time and carefully think about it, you’ll have a better chance of choosing words that will be helpful. But let me backtrack a minute. Before you choose focused words, you need to determine what aspect of your life they’re for. Do you want a focus word to guide or help you with your business or writing? What about a focus word for your life? What about a spiritual focus word? Keep in mind that you can have more than one focus word. And you can create focus words for every aspect of your life. My Work Focus Word: PROSPERITY I decided on prosperity, and although I know the general meaning of the word, I decided to look it up. Here’s what I discovered: Cambridge Dictionary: “The state of being successful and having a lot of money.” Collins Dictionary: “A condition in which a person or community is doing well financially.” Dictionary.com: "A successful, flourishing, or thriving condition, especially in financial respects; good fortune." Financial advisor Marie Bostwick notes, “Being prosperous involves having sufficient resources to live the life you want without fear of running out of money.” (1) In an Inc.com article, Ethan Willis and Randy Garn, authors of the New York Times bestselling book, “Proper: Create the Life You Really Want,” define prosperity: "When you are happy when you have enough money and are at peace with how you are earning that money, this leads to the sustainable state that we describe as prosperity." (2) While prosperity is usually associated with financial success, the word can also be associated with good fortune, flourishing, and good social standing. On the downside, though, everyone strives for prosperity, but there is no clear-cut understanding of its meaning. According to the Guardian, “The mavens of Madison Avenue tell us: ‘He who dies with the most toys wins.’ So we measure self-worth by what we buy, going deeper in debt to project the perception of plenitude.” (3) This means people work harder and harder to be prosperous or appear to be prosperous. In addition, even when corporations are thriving "and the stock market is booming," only the top tier will reap the benefits. The average Joe will not. So, there are negative aspects of prosperity. But in regard to my focused word for work, it’ll do just fine, as my vision of prosperity is how Ethan Willis and Randy Garn convey it. If you’re wondering why I chose prosperity over success, it’s because success is a broad term. Success can mean getting an education, becoming a good cook, landing your dream job, being a good parent, mastering a musical instrument, becoming an artist, or becoming a career writer. I could have used success in regard to writing success, but what would that mean? Being famous? Making a lot of money? Being a freelance writer? Being a self-published author. Getting a literary agent and publishing contracts? Prosperity can include all work avenues I choose to take. My Life Focus Word: ABUNDANCE Abundance can be a good word, but unlike prosperity, which is usually associated with money, abundance needs a target; it needs its own focus word. Cambridge Dictionary: “The situation in which there is more than enough of something.” Collins Dictionary: “A great supply; more than sufficient quantity.” Given the definitions, abundance is a word I wouldn’t leave open-ended. It’s a word I wouldn’t want to be vague about. If abundance is left open to universal interpretation, you could have an abundance of debt, health issues, relationship troubles, family problems, and other negative issues. It’s wise to be careful when using this word. Using abundance as a focus word in my life, I wish for an abundance of health, happiness, and peace. Now, some may say that happiness and peace are interchangeable or you can’t have one without the other. Well… According to The Times of India, Executive Editor with The Times of India Vinita Dawra Nangia explains: “Happiness is ephemeral, fleeting, and is dependent on external stimulants, whereas peace is more a lasting state of mind that comes from within. I am not sure if it is a choice, but between the two I would aim for peace, since that would presume happiness. Being happy need not mean you are peaceful.“ After reading Nangia’s article, I’ve changed my abundance focus words to health and peace. If I were to throw in a spiritual focus word, it would also be abundance, an abundance of spirituality and devotion. What focus words would you use for the various aspects of your life? References: (1) https://mariebostwick.com/prosperity-is-so-much-more-than-money/ (2) https://www.inc.com/benjamin-p-hardy/3-keys-to-long-term-prosperity-health-happiness.html (3) https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2014/oct/10/challenge-narrative-possessions-equal-prosperity
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