My #OneWord for 2017

A couple of days before the start of 2017 and I finally found my #oneword.  But before I share, let's take a look at a few words that first came to mind.

JOY - Personally, I think of joy as a " state of being" that I hold onto fiercely.  As I shared in a tweet, "My joy is trying to exist in that sacred space between happiness and sadness".  It's a constant balancing act to remain joyful, but when you truly believe that you are in control of how you feel and how you react to people/things/events around you - it becomes easy to exist in a state of joy.
Professionally, I believe that #learningisjoyful and serve as an advocate for joyful learning experiences for students.  So choosing joy for my #oneword felt like a cop out since I live with it everyday. 

POWER or CONTROL- The power to control your emotions, feelings, actions, and words was something I also thought of.  Being in control can be a positive attribute but wanting the power to control others can be perceived as negative.  I didn't want to have a negative connotation association with my #oneword so I kept waiting for that right word to come to me. 

INTENTIONAL - Doing things with a direct purpose and knowing my "why" (https://youtu.be/LZe5y2D60YU) led me to believe that intentional would be a good #oneword for 2017.  But for some reason, it didn't stick with me!  

I kept thinking...what #oneword will help me maintain my joy, remain positively powerful and in control, and intentional in my actions?  Finally, it became clear and I chose: 

In a world where I am constantly balancing my professional life, professional goals, personal life and personal goals, it's hard to focus on one thing at a time.  As a Sagittarius, I am true to my sign!  I am known to ...juggle a million projects, hobbies and friends - the more, the merrier!" (http://astrostyle.com/sagittarius/)

While enthusiastic Sagittarius helps us take risks and big leaps of faith, we can bite off more than we can chew. Under this sign’s influence, we need to know our limits. Otherwise, we can get excited about starting new projects, but fail to follow through. (http://astrostyle.com/sagittarius-horoscope) 

So yes, as a natural multi-tasker, I live for thrill of doing it all!  But maybe, for 2017, I won't try to do "it" all.  I'll focus on no more than 1 or 2 things, ok, maybe 3 at a time.  I will take time to focus each day and ask myself: 

1.  Is "it" bringing me joy or will it bring me joy?

2.  Is the "power or control" of "it" driving me or limiting me?
and 

3.  What is my intention, purpose or why for doing "it"? 

Answering these questions truthfully may allow me to say NO to a lot of things and YES to things that really matter.  And with less things to juggle, I will be able to FOCUS on the things that really matter.  

Wishing you a Joyful 2017!