“Find your center and stay there. It will allow you to live your life to its maximum.” – Barbara Ann Kipfer
For over a decade, I’ve been forgoing New Year’s resolutions in favor of choosing a single word by which to live. As life goes, this practice has been more successful in certain years than others, but I’ve found deep meaning and transformation in it much more often than not.
In 2024, my word was Joy:
- Just remembering to be playful. Much of what I listed above comes with responsibility, but it’s also supposed to be fun.
- Joy is rooted in the senses. There’s a certain quality to it that takes us out of our heads and into our bodies. God knows I could stand to spend less time up there.
- Increased embodied joy brings relaxation, calm, and confidence. And these things will lead to a better performance and outcome.
When I checked in on the word in July, it seemed to be going well:
This practice has helped keep me on track, as well as kept me mindful of this word on a daily basis. I’m more likely to appreciate small experiences such as watching a bird out my window or a really delicious meal or a song that catches my spirit or a great night’s sleep. I’d have enjoyed these anyway, but they’ve taken on an extra dimension of gratitude for me thanks to this practice.
More recently, I’ve been noticing a shift in how I consider upcoming events or activities as well. There have been several instances when I’ve weighed whether to do something, and an inner voice has asked, “Will it bring you joy?” It may involve some extra preparation, but if the answer is yes, then I’ve been more likely to go through with it. And then sure enough, I’m glad that I did afterward.
The overall best way for me to describe my experience of this word was that it was steady. My daily practice of keeping a joy logbook kept this word in front of me at all times, and as described above, it changed my perception for the better over time. There weren’t any monumental revelations with this word…it was more a steady, slow-developing constant in my life that led to gradual change. That’s all it needed to be.
This coming year will be an interesting one. Certainly in a national sense, but I’m also speaking personally. This past year has been one of emerging questions concerning my sense of identity and vocation. They’ve invited reflections about the past and speculations about the future. I used the term “mid-life crisis” to refer to myself more than once this past year. And I’m carrying these questions and wonderings into the new year, still unresolved, and in the midst of all that I’ve been thinking about what grounds me.
So I’m going to lean into that wondering this next year. My word for 2025 is Center.
I’m going to explore what is at my center nowadays. I’ll seek practices and experiences that will help me name it and focus (or re-focus) on it accordingly. And then I want to practice letting go of what’s not (or shouldn’t be) at my center as needed.
This will take a few specific forms:
- Ongoing discernment and re-affirmation of my calling (this never really stops);
- A 2-month sabbatical in late summer during which centering practices will be featured;
- Daily meditative exercises;
- Continuing to practice Wing Chun, where protecting one’s center line is fundamental, and considering its spiritual implications more intentionally;
- Relevant reading and writing practices.
I’m sure that I’ll write and podcast my way through my experiences of this word through the year.
Remembering my center seems particularly important for me right now. I look forward to where this word takes me.
Jeffrey A. Nelson 