Power Word

Hey there Speaking Purpose readers,

I know it's been a while since we have posted but IPCG has really been growing and digging into the vision and mission of our movement. We made a year old y'all and in doing so, have experienced all the joys and frustrations of being in the infant stage of our business, but we couldn't ask for a better dream in bringing quality mental health services to our community!

Now you might be wondering, why "power word"? Well, recently I had a friend reach out to me who explained that annually she chooses a word to encourage and motivate the things she'd like to see occur/improve in her life throughout the year. So this year, she decided she would ask her friends to join her in selecting a power word. I looked at the message, put my phone down, and admittedly could not think of a single word...so I left her on "read". Extreme lol? Maybe. By the time I came to the conclusion that I did not have a word, it was too late to text so don't judge me! After about 2 days and some real introspection, I chose a word. It was move. Simple but deeply meaningful.

Why move? I've recognized that a lot of the work that I do both professionally and personally can be daunting and at times I may not feel adequate to "do it all" . This could result in unconsciously dragging my feet or even avoiding certain situations. In essence, I'd be stuck; stuck in fear of failure, stuck in fear of how things might be perceived, physically stuck, or stuck from just over-analyzing a plan. As a therapist, I recognize these thoughts or behaviors are counterproductive, but it happens. In this field and life in general, I have learned that when we avoid things, no matter how big or small, we become less tolerant of those "things", which leads to why I chose move. For example, if I choose to avoid situations where failure might occur, I never learn how to deal with failure. I become intolerant and unable to cope with the inevitability because failure, at some point, is inevitable. It's not the failure that matters, it's what we learn from it. So, this year I want to move in faith, physically move in my health/fitness, move in love, move despite of fear, move in purpose and trusting God to help lead the way so the moving will be positively impactful!

So I ask you, what is your power word for this year? Feel free to share!