courage - strength - vision - soul - authentic - thrive - desire - passion - dream - inspire - essential - hope - imagine - persevere - reflect
I carefully considered each one, ultimately deciding that these very good words were better suited as foundation words from which to build and support my OneWord choice. I wondered: Could my OneWord sum up all that I hoped for in my vision of purpose and interaction with people, things, time? It is to lead, persist, and inspire with soul, yes, and to lead from the truth of who I am.
The word I claimed for myself is, BOLD. In the past few months of living with the word, I have come to understand that to focus on it is to arrive at what is most essential; a word of purpose and commitment that is applicable personally, professionally, and in my public life.
"Change is easy - you go first."
We know that change is hard. One thing I like about the OneWord concept is that it enhances who I already am. This isn't to say that adopting my word has been easy, but it has been illuminating. PLN colleague, P.A. Cormeny noted that when one begins to focus on one's word, one sees it exhibited in others (see her OneWord blogpost). I also like the way her post included quotes in support of her word and so I offer the following:
One must be bold, at the risk of having been deceived and making mistakes.~ Camille Pissarro
Freedom lies in being bold.
~ Robert Frost
Even as far back as between 29 and 19 BCE, Virgil provides: Fortune favours the bold.
Themes of Justice and Mercy, Virtue and Sin predominate in Shakespeare's Measure for Measure, where we find: Virtue is bold, and goodness never fearful.
Reflecting on a good use of the word for public service, Thomas Jefferson said: I was bold in the pursuit of knowledge, never fearing to follow truth and reason to whatever results they led, and bearding every authority which stood in their way.
Be bold. Be dynamic. Be unafraid. And continue to make this the #BestYearEver.