Every year, I wait quietly and listen for the word that will shape my year. One year, my word was vulnerability and I practiced opening myself up to others and challenges so I could gain depth. Last year, the word was promotion and while I thought I would be promoted at work with a title and a raise, I was promoted in richer and more fulfilling ways without being overworked and underpaid. This year, the word discipline came to the surface.
I wasn’t surprised when I recognized that it would be the word I would focus on. I looked it up in the dictionary to ensure I understood my assignment, and the definition “self-control” felt like a sucker punch in the stomach. I wondered how I had drifted away from the regimented person I used to be. A few things came to mind: being an empty-nester (no kids, no schedule), working in academia (no clock-punching nowhere), moving to Florida (nobody’s in a hurry here), and the pandemic (well, you understand that one). Like anything else, I wasn’t undisciplined in just one area of life, it showed up almost everywhere—time, appetite, finances, physical activity, and so on. I’ve got a feeling that 2023 is going to bring some challenges and opportunities that will require me to have discipline, stamina, and competitive prowess. To prepare myself, I joined a free 6-week kickboxing and nutrition challenge. Well, it’s free if I meet the goal of losing 6% of body fat. If not, I lose $500. I have a few things in my favor: I’m a Leo, I hate losing, and I love free. I plan to kick butt In 2023!What’s your word for the year and how are you preparing yourself to develop or obtain it? Let me know at connect@blackmentalhealthtoday.com or on Twitter @BlackMHToday or Insta #blackmhtodaymag. Cheers to the best year we have ever had!
First published in Black Mental Health Today, Winter 2023 (Vol. 6).