Happy New Year Everyone! For the last several years Thom and I have chosen a WOTY (word of the year). Recently I have read on a number of other blogs that the authors wouldn’t be doing one this year because the practice didn’t seem to serve much of a purpose. We are the opposite. My word for 2021 has been on my mind all year long and I can honestly say it has helped to guide my days in a positive way. With that in mind, Thom and I decided to not only pick a word for 2022, but to do a new Vlog and share our words with you. It’s a short video and we hope you enjoy it and most especially, that it encourages you to pick one of your own. As a teacher and author I have followed for many many years named Alan Cohen recently wrote, “The energy you start the year with will be a big factor in the year you experience. Choose a word that represents the keynote experience you wish for your year, and let it resound through 2022!” May your WOTY do exactly that in the days ahead.
Dear Kathy (and Thom) – this was my first experience listening to one of your blogs! I’m so grateful I did so. My WOTY in 2022 is Joy. I want to focus on what brings me Joy and I believe I can do so by focusing on the word. Thank you!
Hi Cindy! Thanks for watching our Vlog! And I’m so happy it inspired you to come up with your own WOTY. Joy is such an uplifting word and idea and I truly hope it brings about everything in the coming year that you hope for. ~Kathy
Hi Kathy and Thom,
I really enjoyed your vlog! In fact it felt like I was sitting across from you listening to both of you and enjoying the lovely sun and nature around you.
I found myself excitedly waiting for what words you chose! I thought they both were wise words for your upcoming year.
And it occurred to me how we don’t actually need to complicate our life by having a lot of words for essentially what is important to us – one word by itself is very powerful.
I chose Trust – it feels like a very comforting and powerful word for me.
All the best to both of you for 2022!
Hi Marnie! Happy New Year to you too! And I’m glad you enjoyed our vlog. I was actually one of the more fun and easy ones to make. I also appreciate you pointing out that the simplicity of just one word is also quite powerful. I completely agree. And may “trust” provide you with as much comfort, direction and insight as it did for me last year. ~Kathy
The last time I had an “official” word of the year was 2013 and the word was “wait.” Maybe I’m still waiting — ha! I loved having a WOTY but I decided at that time that I had enough words in my life, so I suspended the practice. I love reading the comments and the words people have chosen. If I have a word for this year, it is actually a Chinese word which means listen. It can mean simple listening, like listening to someone talk, or to music, but it also means to listen deeply with your whole self. It is one of the governing skills in taiji. You can listen within to your own body, or if working with a partner, listen through touch to the energy in your partner’s body. And of course, it can mean listening to your own inner guidance. The traditional Chinese character breaks down into components that can be put together to mean something like listening in alignment with heaven and earth to the inner voice of your heart. I have the character on a sticky note on my computer to remind me to listen.
Hi Galen! No matter whether you verbalize your word or not I LOVE the idea of “listening in alignment with heaven and earth to the inner voice of your heart.” In many ways that is my intention with the idea of surrender. After reading your explanation I could almost say that my word is actually as sort of listening as well. Such a lovely way to live from my perspective and if I can increase my ability to do it in the next 360 days I will feel accomplished. Thank you so much for sharing this. ~Kathy
I also love the word surrender. Adyashanti says surrender is the name of the spiritual game. So there!
Kathy, I thought you might like this. I have over the years engaged in a form of intuitive writing using my non-dominant hand. I just ran across this part of a passage written this way and I thought it was relevant to your WOTY. Hope you like it. (I’m actually getting ready to publish a book of these writings.)
There are not two ways
But only one
The way of surrender
In silence or in sharing
Sink into me
Eyes only on me
Every breath releases
We give and receive in perfect union
Hi Galen. Thank you. Yes your poem does carry that energy of sweet acceptance that truly hope to experience every single day. And I know about that intuitive writing with the non-dominant hand thing but never really done it. Maybe it is time to surrender to that? ~Kathy
Hi Kathy! We are WOTY sisters!! My word for year is also surrender! Thanks for you VLOG – you & Thom are great! Happy New Year.
Hey Deb! I actually already consider you to be a sister so I’m happy to share WOTYs with you!!! I’m guessing that it will be an equally good one for the both of us. See you in a couple of weeks. We are looking forward to it! ~Kathy
Hi Kathy,
Ajijic looks like a very beautiful place and so relaxing. I love your vlogs – you and Thom are so relaxed in them and impart wonderful tidbits of wisdom. Your words of the year are thoughtful however simple.
As you said to Thom, you would think the purpose of life is to live would be simple however, I think, the simpler the concept the harder it is for us as humans to grasp sometimes. Surrender is an excellent word for the year and I like your definition of it much better. Live is something to strive for and to, as you said, be present in your own life, be kind and not cranky. Accept and flow with everything is a great way to interact with the world. I think all the words chosen are fantastic!
For my WOTY, I have to choose “serenity”. It’s along the lines of surrender, accepting there are things I have absolutely no influence over. And to not let those things invade/damage my inner happiness and life. You are so right, there’s been so much happening it’s hard to sometimes stay positive everything will work out (what will be will be que sera, sera – Doris Day). So, my plan is to stay serene, change/adapt what I can, accept what I can’t and not internalize any bad vibes.
Thanks for the vlog! Enjoy your stay and Happy New Year to you and Thom! 🙂
Hi Debbie! Thank you…and serenity is a very sweet and compatible word with surrender. As you say it is gracefully accepting what we can’t change and remembering that we can only control how we respond and deal with what is happening to us. Plus I love the idea of not internalizing bad vibes!
And yes you should come visit Ajijic. It is quite low key and relaxed and was the perfect place for us to be over the holidays…except that New Year’s Eve was firecracker hell. :-). We are already thinking of coming back next winter as well. Come visit! Meanwhile stay warm and take care…. ~Kathy
Happy New Year Kathy and Thom! What an excellent vlog. You two send out such positive vibes. You hit on so much that touched me that I was talking back as though you could hear me. Kathy I’m with you about being kind not cranky. Yes to inspiring others through living a good life and staying positive. Thom you are right we get to make it up for ourselves and live our own lives. What a waste if we don’t. I was first introduced to WOTY through your blog last year. Having a WOTY can be a powerful tool to help one to find their center again when life knocks us off balance. I have not selected my WOTY for 2022 yet. Darrel is going to watch the vlog then we will share both of ours. Looking forward to hearing about your 2022 surrender and live journey!
Hey Amanda! Thank you. I love it that you felt as though you were sitting there chatting with us. Wouldn’t it be cool if there was a way we could tele-port to where each of us were gathered and have a chat now and then. (much better than zooming don’t you think?). I do love a good conversation. And I’m going to be watching for you and Darrell’s WOTY on your blog. I do have great faith that they can help all of us in the year ahead. ~Kathy
Kathy I love the idea of tele-porting…beam me up Scotty LOL. Darrel’s WOTY is ‘focus’ he wants to be particularly attentive to those things that really matter i.e. people not things. Mine is ‘reaction’ there is much outside of my control but I do get to control how I react and whenever possible I will put a positive or uplifting spin on things. As Thom said we get to make it up as we go along so I even gave myself a hash tag #whatIdo.
Hi Amanda! Yes…with Teleportation we could visit all our friends in person! And I think Darrel’s word is wonderful. I could use a little more help with focusing on what matters. And I think yours is really interesting. Picking reaction as your word is probably a VERY good way to remember that (like you say, “I do get to control how I react and whenever possible I will put a positive or uplifting spin on things.”) I too strive for that all the time. Will love to see how it unfolds for you in the year to come. And good for you with a hashtag to help you remember! ~Kathy
Happy New Year to you both, and THANK YOU for sharing your WOTY and your lovely vacation. This will be my first year to select a word and it will be COURAGE. I have totally enjoyed your blog for 3 years and this is the first time to let you know how grateful I am for it, so that’s a start for showing courage. I’ve often not expressed myself to others, strangers and family alike, for fear of feeling dismissed, unequal or unloved. I am older than you and it is past time for me to have the courage to show people who I am and express the things that are important to me. Love & gratitude to you both, Donna
P.S. Was that a lion pacing back & forth in front of a red (door?) in the background on the left?
Hi Donna! Happy New Year! Thank you for taking the courageous step to speak up and let us know your word. Taking that first step is sometimes the hardest regardless of our age, huh? And thank you so much for letting me know that you’ve been following SMART Living for a long while. It is always good to know that others find what we are sharing to be helpful. It is also great to connect with others who obviously find the same sort of ideas to be important. I like to think there are more of us than we know.
And after you mentioned that you saw someone or something moving on the screen we both went back and looked at the video to see what you saw. You’re right of course…we saw what we now think is a gardener mowing the lawn of the property behind our house. Good for you for seeing it! (it did look a bit like a cat or some other creature.). Mystery solved we think!
So may your New Year be filled with good health, happiness, peace and the courage to “show everyone who you are and express the things that are important to you.” Love always, Kathy
Your & Thom’s WOTY resonate with me. A WOTY sets intention for me, reflecting my life’s purpose, bringing me back to how I want to live my life regardless of what’s happening in the world, like a pandemic. In 2020, I had written in my Christmas note to family/friends – 2020 hasn’t been that great but it hasn’t been that terrible either. I can say the same for 2021 as well. Life is good then it’s bad then it’s good again…I strive to focus on the positive without being a Pollyanna. The Libra in me strives for balance. If my purpose is to look after myself and my place, then I get that exercise in; I get those home repairs done. My WOTY for 2022 is SUSTAIN. i need to keep up the intentions and actions that will carry me through another day in a positive way. Like Thom says, we get to make it up and write our own script. And like you say, Kathy, we can surrender to the good and bad. Happy New Year!
Hi Mona! I so agree with you that if we pause and look we can see how there has been plenty of good and some not so great but we do have the choice of how we will view it and carry forward. I think “sustain” is a great word and will no doubt guide you in the coming year. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts on this! ~Kathy
Hi Kathy and Thom, it was great seeing and hearing your words for the year. I love having a WOTY and as you say it sets my focus for the year. Great words you’ve both chosen!
My word this year is Gift – I want to be a gift, share gifts, receive gifts….giving is a special power and I plan to make it work for me this year.
All the best for the year ahead!
Hi Deb! I so appreciate hearing how we all have such unique words and ways of explaining how and why they are meaningful to us. Gift is a very creative one packed full of meaning. And as you say, “giving is a special power.” May your word guide your 2022 in amazing ways. ~Kathy
Hi Kathy and Thom! I always love your vlogs because it feels like we are sitting there with you… maybe with a glass of wine and some munchies… talking about whatever interesting topic occurs to us. I love both of your WOTYs and hearing how you intend to incorporate them into your daily lives. I also love that you talked about Doug and Linda… I feel truly blessed to have met them also. The are wonderful role models. Happy New Year hugs to you both!
Hey Janis! Happy New Year! And thanks for letting me know that you find our VLOG conversational because that is something we both have as an intention for every one we do. And yes aren’t Doug and Linda a special couple. They liked to sit and have great conversations as much and you and Paul do. May we all be as inspirational as them at their age. So did you pick a WOTY? I’ll have to watch your blog to see if you write about it? And next year we hope you’ll come to Ajijic with us! Hope to see you both soon… ~Kathy
Love your VLOG! There are several words that I could focus on but I think CONNECTION is the one I will choose as my “smartest” word. Covid has caused a lot of separation, isolation, and disconnection, in general. It will probably continue to challenge us in 2022, but I’m hoping to offset that in ways that are Covid-safe. I’ll add CONNECTION to my list of word intentions: Think, Dream, Believe, Dare… Connect! Thanks Kathy and Thom for your inspiration! Happy New WOTY! Donna
Hey Donna! Thank you for letting me know you liked our VLOG. I know a lot of my normal readers aren’t really into videos but we do find them fun to do. And I love your word “connection” because it is something every important to me as well. And I also you’re right…it goes perfectly with “Think, dream, believe, Dare…and Connect!” And I look forward to when we can get together and ride our e-bikes…and connect! Happy 2022! ~Kathy
Hi Guys, I left a comment this morning but it seems to have disappeared. Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed your conversation and the words you chose for 2022. Surrender reminds me that we are not in control and Live is just great advice under any circumstances. Happy New Year!
Hey Suzanne! Sorry your comment got lost…I didn’t see it in my spam catcher but sometimes they just don’t make it. Glad you liked our Vlog…and I invite you to find and use one of your own…I really believe they can help guide us to a good new year! ~Kathy
Happy New Year.. Blessings to you both…..my WOTY is “thoughts”….goal is to watch them more closely… censor them when necessary…and not let them push me around any more! xxoo
Hi Fran! Thank you and I think “thoughts” is also a great word…because as you say they are SUCH a profound part of our days. The more conscious we can be about our thoughts, the better IMHO. May your WOTY be everything you hope experience in 2022! ~Kathy
Aww thank you Kathy for that very personal reply, and for sharing your thought about my WOTY perhaps “Inspiring” which made me pause & think. I had liked Mary’s suggestion for “Optimistic” because I always have been but it has been more difficult in the last couple years due to “Covid’s” changes. So I want to be Optimistic about 2022.
Love, hugs & wellness to you and Thom! 😉 –Sherry
Great vlog. My word for this year is abundance.
Hi Janet! Thank you for sharing your WOTY! I join you and hope that you and all of us experience a 2022 filled with greater abundance of good things for all. ~Kathy
Wow, a great vlog session to begin the year. You’re inspiring me to start the year on a more positive and intentional note . . . and not I hope just for the next few days but to carry on month after month. So every day I’m going to try to do something positive, constructive, helpful . . . and now I think I’ve just discovered my WOTY: Positive.
Hey Tom! Thank you. Both of us were pleased that we were able to inspire you to pick a word…especially such a “positive one!” And hey, if it does inspire you to “try to do something positive, constructive, helpful” every day for the next year how can that not be a good thing? May 2022 be as POSITIVE for you as possible! ~Kathy
Great vlog! And I love both of your words for the year. For the first time ever, I chose a WOTY for 2022: Intentionality.
Hi Janet! Intentionality is an GREAT word and one that would benefit so many of us. And thanks for letting me know. May it guide your 2022 in the perfect way! ~Kathy
Great words for both of you – “surrender” reminds me a bit of “acceptance” and, yes, we should all live life like we mean it. 🙂 I hope you enjoyed your little oasis there in Mexico. It looks lush and peaceful (except for the all-encompassing roosters, haha) and I hope your stay recharged your batteries. It sounded like especially Thom was ready for some peace and a change of scenery.
I had a word come to me, out of the blue, yesterday, so I decided to go for it in 2022: joy. While on the outside, it looks like our lifestyle is full of it, many circumstances these last years actually prevented it. So, I will try to be more joyful and have more fun this year, in addition to a more positive mindset! 🙂
Hi Liesbet! Yes our time here in Mexico was exactly what we both needed. And fortunately we picked a place that was perfect for it. And I LOVE your WOTY because it will surely help to remind you what you are hoping to experience more of in the coming year. I’m guessing you will definitely find more of it when you get to Baja! Happy New Year and hopefully our paths will cross in the coming year…. love Kathy
Kathy and Thom,
I can’t even find the words to say how much I enjoyed this Vlog!
I am 79 years old and this is the first time I have ever written a comment to anyone, so that should tell you how much this means to me. I just had such a strong feeling that I wish I could jump into that video, sit across from both of you and chat! Kathy, I found you in 2016, and your written words and your book “Finding Grace” have helped me soo much! I wish I could explain it better. Thank you both!!! Sherry
Hi Sherry! You are an angel. Thank you for taking the time to write your comment because letting us know/me know that it meant a lot. As a writer or a blogger you never know for sure that your words are having much (if any effect) on readers so reading your words has inspired ME. And yes, I wish you could jump in and join us in conversation—I’m sure you have lots of wisdom you could share with us after 79 years! Did you pick a WOTY? If I had to guess I would say it was “inspiring.” I hope you have a happy and healthy 2022! With love—Kathy
Thanks Kathy and Thom
Nice to see you both and for sharing your words for 2022. Here in England I had not been familiar with WOTY until your blog last new year. I decided to ‘participate’ and my word for 2021 was acceptance. At the time I had in mind Covid etc. Little did I know that on 1 March my very healthy husband would need a 10 hour operation to remove 2/3 of his stomach, his spleen and bit and bobs of other ‘parts’ – due to cancer. I shared my word with him and we kept it in mind throughout the year. It helped to keep focus on our ‘job in hand’ and I’m pleased to tell you he is making slow by sure recovery. So a HUGE thank you for the inspiration. My word for 2022: optimistic. All the very best to you both. Mary
Hi Mary! Thank you so much for letting me know that you’ve found the benefit in a WOTY. It sounds like you too have learned that our words can indeed bring us back and dare I say “hold us in a space” that is where we want/need to be. I’m so sorry to learn that you and your husband had to experience his health challenge, but happy to hear that he is “making slow by sure recovery.” And yes, I can see where your word would help you along the way. May “optimistic” be equally as perfect for you throughout 2022! With love, ~Kathy