Pledge…It’s a verb and a noun. And it’s my word for 2024.
Choosing a word for the year has always been important to me. My words have challenged me, inspired me and changed me. I wanted a word for 2024 that would do ALL of those things! I’m turning 65 this month and feel some urgency to be, as they say, ‘living my best life.’ With less years in front of me than behind, I’m determined to make the most of every day; with my body, soul and spirit.
When I choose my word for the year, I always look at what my life is lacking. I spent over four decades teaching people how to eat well and take care of their body weight. I led by example and have always had strong discipline when it comes to maintaining a healthy weight. What I’ve been inconsistent with, is the physical exercise piece of the puzzle. I’ve been active over the years but lack the dedication to make exercise as important as the nutritional part of my health journey. At 65 years old, it’s time to put an end to my erratic behavior and commit to growing a strong future for my body.
I have grandchildren to hold, gatherings to facilitate, celebrations to decorate for, countries to see, golf to play and so much more! I have an active husband to keep up with too. Instead of seeing myself atrophy in the next years to come, I want to grow in strength and be able to fully participate in the life I’ve been blessed with.
When I started looking at the words that would help me accomplish that life changing goal, I realized something. The plan that I would put in motion surrounding my word, might be more important than the word itself.
I published a book in 2023 telling about the transforming power a word of the year had in my life…REDEEMED. Pulling Up Dandelions ~ A Woman’s Journey to Redeem Her Adolescence is the story of how putting together a plan using my word, and then following through with that plan, was the key to a word just being a word, or the word changing my life. Inviting other people into my story and allowing them to hold me accountable to the change I was trying to make, made all the difference. I recognized this year, I was going to need to do more of that.
Because of my desire to commit to regular exercise, words like strong, commit and promise, were floating to the top. But I kept thinking those words weren’t important enough for me. They didn’t feel right. I wasn’t moved by them. When I did a word search on the word promise, (because I kept thinking I needed to make a promise to myself and others) the word pledge came up. My research said that a pledge is more serious than a promise. That was it!
Pledge; a formal or solemn promise or agreement, especially one made publicly or officially. Something that you give as a sign that you will keep a promise. Noun; the person who makes that promise.
So not only was I going to pledge to myself and others about my promise to exercise regularly, I was actually going to be a pledge!
I went about making a plan. I contacted six women who I hoped would receive my pledge, help hold me accountable AND invite me into their active lifestyles. I’d used this kind of plan before and it was life changing for me. I thought I might as well try it again. I emailed and received six yeses’ to supporting and accepting my pledge. I feel like with their involvement, I’m going to succeed. I’ve laid out my pledge to them and asked each of them to represent two months of 2024. They won’t have a job to do on those months…I will, but they will be there to hold me to it.
Pledge; it feels so right. It feels so serious! It seems it’s JUST what I need to be doing to live my best life.
I’m feeling hopeful and committed on this first day of January! HAHA! I’ll keep you posted on my journey. Who knows, I may even write a book about it!
Always encouraging you,
Letha
