2018 is here and I can’t be any more excited. Last year was splendid for me. You can read my Gratitude 2017 post where I looked back and wrote about all of my favorite moments of the year. It’s now time to look forward to what this year has in store for me. Oh, and what better than finding a Word of the Year and taking it up from there?
Last year, I chose the word ‘Thrive‘. The word meant so much to me, for I wanted to declutter and flourish. I wanted to take a break and progress forward. My goal was to improve my health, focus on my blogs, travel and explore, and most important among these were to take time for myself. While I would confess that I couldn’t do it all, 2017 helped me in many ways. Travel was on our cards, either by choice or destiny. P and I visited so many new places and it helped us rediscover ourselves. And the best part was that I thoroughly enjoyed every single bit that 2017 had to offer us.
2015 and 2016 were rather depressing. And no, I am not using the word ‘depressing’ in a casual sense. My heart was broken and there were days when I felt my heart being ripped into pieces and I went through a seething pain in my heart. I couldn’t sleep, or concentrate on my work. I hated everything about life and relationships. I had lost hope and faith. When I chose the word ‘Embrace‘ in 2015, all it meant was to stop fighting so hard for people who were just not worth my time. While a part of me still miss them, I believe, maybe it was for the good. And that’s when I chose ‘Focus‘ as my WOTY for 2016. I had to take some life-altering decisions including choosing a life with my husband over my career.
And that brings me to my word for 2017. I had been contemplating over this one for the last one week and there were many words that came to my mind. A few of them include Dare, Strive, and Simplify. I couldn’t just pick one. And then a dear friend, a blogger pinged me for a casual chat. She said she was in awe of my energy. And I left it at that. Next day, I saw a tweet from another dear blogger, who I admire very much mentioning the same. Though I was overwhelmed, I somehow let it go. The third day saw another message from a friend who said he was inspired by my enthusiasm. Well, that says it all, don’t you think?
I may come across as an overenthusiastic person. I take up so many things in one go and I always have so many things on my plate. But sometimes, it is just too much. There are days when I scream my lungs out. Enough! Because deep down, I have this fear of overanalyzing things. What if I do this? What if I don’t do this? What if it goes wrong? What if no one reads me? What if I don’t write anymore? Yup. That has led me to be stagnant most of November and December.
So what should I do? I need to slow down. I need to breathe. Let go. Put my feet up. Relax.
..and that’s exactly why I chose my Word of the Year as Savor.
What does Savor mean to me?
Believe me. It’s not a word that comes easily to me. I cannot sit still for longer periods. My mind jump jumps around all the time. There are so many things to do, so many projects to try.
But this word has a gentleness about it that makes me think of a beautiful day, of sunshine and ease of being. Savor would mean that I need to take it slow, to take a chill pill. That I should do things out of my interest and not of compulsion. It could be about reading a particular blog or a book, or participating in a campaign or choosing a brand.
Savor would mean that I should slow down and be in the moment. To take a breath and enjoy the crisp winter chills. To smile at the neighbor with the jaunty hat walk his dog. To stay still and capture on my camera the varying colors of the hills as the sun sets.
No. This doesn’t make me stagnant. It will help me grow. I can pay better attention and focus on things that are important to me. It will help me appreciate each moment more, to consciously stop and enjoy the good moments in life instead of thinking ahead about the next thing. To also be angry or grieve in the moment. That’s the point, right?
…and with that, I bring to you my first project for the year 2018!
In the Moment 2018
Starting today, I will be taking pictures and sharing them on Instagram daily under #IntheMoment2018.
Wish me luck! I might have something lined up for my food blog as well. But as you can see, I am not pretty sure about it yet. So if I make it to the second month, I will make an official announcement. What say?
❤ ツ ✿
Do you have a Word of the Year? I would love to know. Please jot it down in my comment section. Or if you have written a post, feel free to drop the link.
Ciao.
Happy New Year Shalini! I hope you can be in the moment in 2018 and savour all that it has for you. Best wishes for the year ahead!
All the best Shalz.. and hope you be in the moment always in the year ahead!! Travel, read, write and enjoy your life!!! Cheers!!
What an absolutely beautiful word! I enjoy the peace that comes from savouring the moment. The joy that comes from being present and mindful. That’s precisely what mindfulness is, by the way.
I highly recommend Tiny Buddha and Leo Babauta if you are keen to explore these concepts, Shalini.
Wishing you great joy and peace as you savour every moment of 2018. Much love and many hugs.
So Shalini that explains your near silence in the latter half of the year. Also glad to know about your new project. I do look forward to your photos that are getting better by the click.Good luck and hope you can continue being bubbly, enthusiastic and productive in 2018. My word of the year is Calm ….something that follows from my woty 2017 which was patience…..
The word itself is a beautiful one, T. To live in the moment and enjoy doing so, how nice! 🙂
This word is inspiring, and I hope one year, I can do it. I know it won’t be for 2018, with a bit of change on the agenda. 😛
Hope your 2018 is fabulous like you. Happy New Year, T! 😀
Happy New Year 2018. Nice to know of choosing a word for year. Inthemoment2018 is a very nice idea and would be following in on your instagram. All the best for your year of Savor.
That’s a lovely word you have picked for yourself. In fact I can totally understand when you talk about your mind jumping around. It’s the same with me. Hope you savor many more moments by the end of the year.
Loved your word of the year and more so getting a glimpse of your choice of words over the years gone by.
Mindfulness is always a beautiful choice, so glad you chose it this year.
Here’s wishing 2018 is loaded with moments you’d love to savour for a lifetime.
Savor each moment, live in the present and be grateful! I try to live my life with these as guiding points too! Such a beautiful word! Wishing you lots of happiness and success in 2018! Love!
Oh absolutely. If only we’d slow down and concentrate on what is existing, we will find so much more joy in what we already have. I wish you good luck wth the word. Savour and be mindful of every experience. I also enjoy your enthusiasm and joy. May you always stay this warm and childlike.
Lovely word Shalini! And will savor all your recipes and try out the ones I find easy for me to handle. All the best for the new year and new projects.
Haappy New Year Shalini. May you have many big and little moments to savour. All the best for 2018.
Wish you many enlightening moments in the coming year.
Savor! Oh why didn’t I think of this word before? Lovely 🙂
Happy 2018, Shalini. Love!
Awesome WOTY – very unique and fits you so well. Loved the way you related your past words in this post – seems like a journey through the years and thats what made this word so fitting and perfect.
Wish you a very happy loved and blessed 2018!!!
A wonderful choice… I honestly haven’t been able to reach that phase yet where I can savour the world around me…
Wishing you an awesome 2018! Happy new Year 🙂
You know what Shalini? Savor suits your food blog so well too, going by your gorgeous pics and easy to follow recipes we savor visually.
Great choice of word and i am sure you will accomplish all that you wish to.
Have a great 2018!
That is a really beautiful word, Shalini..one that we all need to remember in our hectic everyday lives!
Wish you the best for every venture you undertake this year..and, God bless!
My post on WOTY:
https://shilpagupte.com/2018/01/04/two-words-that-will-guide-me-through-2018/