A new year and a new word

okay, it's an escalator but you get the idea

Last year I took up the practice of adopting a word for the year. You can read about how I first got into this process in the post on January 25, 2011. My first word was “focus.” It turned out to be a great word in my personal and writing life as I focused on what was most important to me and how to advance my writing career. In writing, I continually reminded myself to stay focused on the subject. Of course, I won’t forget to focus as I move on to my new word.

Towards the end of the year I started playing with different words that could be helpful or fun for me to mull over for a year. Choosing a word has actually turned out to be a fun project, a little gift of a word companion to guide me through the year. As I mentioned last year, I pick out two words. The other word will remain private, it is my meditative word—a word for me to contemplate throughout the year. By late December I had picked out my words and had even written them down, but they didn’t feel quite right.

Last night I finished the process of filling in the dates of birthdays and special events in my new day planner. I copied in a quote I had read in Hope C. Clark’s Funds for Writers:

“The elevator to success is out of order. You’ll have to take the stairs… one step at time.”
~ Joe Girard

“Step”—that was one of the words bouncing in my head. That’s how I envision my progress: each contact, each writing assignment, has been on a step. That’s how I see my goals too. This year I will get one step higher. That word, “step,” just fits for this year. So there it is my word for the year. I like it.