2. One Word… This was a book written by 3 authors who allowed ONE WORD to be their driving force for the year. Rather than wish lists, goals, and resolutions, you will come up with ONE WORD that will inspire your life for 2015. Everyone has ONE WORD that is meant for them right now. You will FIND the one that is meant for you and you will LIVE it every day.

3. Step 1: Who are you? Who do you want to be? In brainstorming for your ONE WORD, consider the following questions and record your responses in your notebooks. These can be full sentences or a bulleted list. Just FREE WRITE until I tell you to stop. What kind of person do you want to be at the end of this year? (This is all of 2015 not just the rest of the school year, but the school year can be taken into consideration here). How do you want to live your life?

4. Step 2: Creating a Word Cloud Now that you’ve thought about the way you want to live and the kind of person you’d like or hope to be, think about the words that relate to that person (a.k.a. YOU). Consider the following: What characteristics or qualities does that person have? (i.e. compassionate, generous, loyal, motivated, etc.) What things or qualities are important to that person? (Faith, loyalty, balance, will-power, etc.) What may be lacking in life that is needed/wanted? (Time, sleep, love, ) What would you like to do more of (forgive, sleep, relax, etc.)

5. Step 3: Choose your ONE WORD Pick ONE WORD from your list that you can commit to for the next year. There might be several, but don’t over-reach or set your expectations too high. This ONE WORD should be something that is not currently present in your life. For example, if you already feel as though you’re loyal/possess loyalty, then don’t choose it. The point is to find ONE WORD that will give you something to aspire towards/live for each day. Once you have your ONE WORD, record it in your notebook. Explain briefly why you chose it. My ONE WORD for 2015 is _______ because…

6. Step 4: Tracking Your Progress This process isn’t meant to be a piece of cake. Living out your ONE WORD may seem unnatural because, simply put, you haven’t lived it before. It is not a part of your world or who you’ve been up to this point. Periodically, you will be journaling your progress on this assignment, and you will produce a writing piece about your ONE WORD in marking period 4. Find a way to remind yourself about your word (i.e. reminders, screensavers, daily tasks, etc.) Ms. O will be completing this mission and journaling along with you.