one little word

My sister, Lacey, directed me to this blog that talks about the concept of one little word. On her blog, the author describes exactly what one little word is:

"A single word can be a powerful thing. It can be the ripple in the pond that changes everything. It can sharp and biting or rich and soft and slow.

Can you identify a single word that sums up what you want for yourself in 2009?

It can be something tangible or intangible. It could be a thought or a feeling or an emotion. It can be singular or plural. The key is to find something that has personal meaning for you. This is not your mother's word or your spouse's word or your child's word - this is YOUR word.

One little word can have big meaning in your life if you allow yourself to be open to the possibilities. And here's one thing that is totally interesting: sometimes a word will pop into your brain and it will not make any sense to you right now. Give it some time. Let it percolate a bit. I have often found that our hearts speak to us in very unique ways. Maybe this is a word you need to hear but just aren't ready for it yet. Again, be open to the possibilities."

I love this idea. Instead of writing a list of new years resolutions, just picking a word that you want to focus on throughout the year. It was so much fun to read about the words that people chose for themselves. From discipline, to love, dedicate to simplify. There were so many words that people chose. However, the moment that my sister told me about the “one little word” idea, I already knew which word I would spend 2009 focusing on – JOY.

Back in October, Thomas S. Monson gave a talk that really stood out to me called ‘Finding Joy in the Journey’. One of the things he said was:

"I plead with you not to let those most important things pass you by as you plan for that illusive and non-existent future when you will have time to do all that you want to do. Instead, find joy in the journey - now."

He also took a quote from the movie, The Music Man which says “You pile up enough tomorrows, and you’ll find you’ve collected a lot of empty yesterdays”.

Since hearing his talk I have though a lot about joy. While I am generally happy and enjoy life, I don’t think I am finding enough joy in small things, or routine things. I have a bad habit of looking forward to the end of the week/month/semester, whatever. So this year I want to focus on joy.

Merriam-Webster described joy as a state of happiness or felicity. So after a long and wordy post, that is the point. I want to work on finding more joy in my life, finding more joy in the journey. I know that doing so will be to become a better person.