Word of the Year 2014: FOCUS

For the last few years I have been picking a word for the year and trying to use it to inspire me for the year.  In 2011 it was “courage” as I faced redundancy and faced making big changes in my life.  In 2012 I was pregnant and too nauseous and exhausted to think of a word, but on reflection it should have been “patience”.  My word for 2013 was discipline – in eating, spending, raising my children and use of my time– with downsizing as my back up word.

Looking back on 2013 and reviewing how I did, I can see I could have done better.  I ate way too much, I’m still heavier than my healthiest weight and I still need to be more mindful of my spending.  I could have spent more time doing productive things rather than wasting time messing around on my phone or watching rubbish on the internet.  On the other hand, after many years of trying I did finally manage to get the kids into a good routine with a sensible bed time and I did manage to be more forthright with my in-laws after years of being a people-pleaser.

I am looking forward to the coming year with a really positive feeling alhamdulillah.  I feel a lot clearer about what I want from life and what I have to do to achieve those things.  I have clear goals regarding my children, my writing, work, my business and my finances.  I think I might just be able to screw up some courage and actually get on with trying to achieve some of them.

So my word for the year 2014 is FOCUS.

Insh’Allah, I hope to focus on one project at a time, work hard and get it done.  I tend to have lots of ideas and love capturing them and then instead of focussing on delivery I am busy getting excited about the next idea that I think up.  Ideas are useless until you act on them and do something with them.  For that reason, I need to focus on one thing at a time and then keep my energy and attention on it until I can bring it to fruition.

In terms of my health I have been trying to manage my eating better and found that although I have managed to improve some habits, I find it hard to eat less.  So this year my focus will move from dieting, abstaining and feeling dissatisfied to focussing on feeling good about my body and mindful of its genuine needs, focussing on health and in particular focussing on movement and physical activity.

I’ll also be using my 2014 Muslimah Inspiration Journal (coming soon!) to write down my goals and map out how I am going to achieve them and review daily how I am doing with this.

What's your word for 2014?

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“Concentration is the secret of strength in politics, in war, in trade, in short in all management of human affairs.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson Quotes from The Selected Writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Be occupied, then, with what you really value and let the thief take something else.” ~ Mevlana Rumi, Quotes from Rumi Daylight

“The focus in the Creator Orientation is on a Vision or an Outcome. You orient your thoughts and actions toward creating what you most deeply want to see or experience in life.” ~ David Emerald, Quotes from The Power of TED*

“Being selective—doing less—is the path of the productive. Focus on the important few and ignore the rest.” ~ Timothy Ferriss Quotes from The 4-Hour Workweek