Welcome to the final ONE LITTLE WORD Blog Hop of 2011 and the 1st Blog Hop of 2012!!!
If this is your first time visiting my blog, welcome! Starting last February 1st a group of us students in Ali Edwards' ONE LITTLE WORD class at Big Picture Classes started a blog hop to share our assignments from the previous month. We found it so motivating that we continued our blog hop every month for the rest of the year.
SERENDIPITY 2011
I chose SERENDIPITY as my word for 2011. I loved the word and what it represented, accidental fortune. For me it represented a feeling of abundance and of the universe supporting my hard work. I wanted some good luck and magical results.
I think I expected too much out of my word and so I experienced a bit of a slump in the middle part of the year. But by the end, my word did give me some serendipitous moments and results. It just took me some time to realize it and notice these events were SERENDIPITOUS.
I am ready to say good-bye to SERENDIPITY. And welcome a brand new word for 2012. SERENDIPITY served me well, but I am wanting more from a word. I think a guiding word would better serve me.
This is a photo of the orphanage where I take photos. The volunteers are hard at work getting the new classroom all set up for the children. Before this, there was no school for the children who were not old enough or "appropriate" for public school as determined by the director of the orphanage.
REVEALING MY WORD FOR 2012
I started thinking about a new word in September or October because it was then I was feeling I wanted more from my word. I wanted a guiding word, a touchpoint.
Loving Kindness is a pair of words that spoke to me as well as productivity. Both are things I want more of in my life. I thought a lot about them both a lot at the latter part of the year. When it finally came time to make a decision, I asked myself which was a more important theme for me in the big picture of my life. And I decided if I were to die tomorrow, I would rather be known for loving kindness than I would for being productive. So, LOVING KINDESS are my words for this year. I plan on being very productive this year so that will be around too, but my pair of words is LOVING KINDNESS.
And the day I made that decision, I picked up a book (The Happiness Project) and read a paragraph that SERENDIPITOUSLY happened to be all about loving kindness. This sealed the decision for me! I would quote that for you but my book is in China and I am in California! So maybe, I will do that during the February 1st blog hop!
LOVING KINDNESS
The reason LOVING KINDNESS is so important to me this year is because I find myself changing. As many of you know, I live in Beijing CHina and have for the past three and a half years. The culture here is incredibly different than where I come from. People out in public, are not considerate in the way we define considerate. People don't open the door for you, they don't insist you go first, they don't stop and wait for you as you cross the street at a crosswalk. There is very much a survival mentality or a eat or be eaten mentality. Over time I have lost my positive attitude. Add to the fact that I now have a teenager with some attitude, and three children who are all adjusting to their third school in in three years as well as the fact that one must constantly fight or assert oneself to get quality or be ripped off, I have gradutally lost my positive attitude.
I want to reclaim that! I want to emit LOVING KINDNESS. I want to treat myself with LOVING KINDNESS. I want to treat my children (especially my teen) with LOVING KINDNESS at all times and treat my husband and marriage with LOVING KINDNESS. I think it will be an excellent pair of guiding words for me.
PRODUCTIVITY
This will be my underlying word in 2012. I plan to be very productive in 2012. Enough said!
I just saw the Optimist's Creed posted on my friend's Facebook status yesterday and I thought it would be an excellent tool for me to live my words, LOVING KINDNESS, in 2012.
The Optimist Creed
Promise Yourself ...
To be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.
To talk health, happiness and prosperity to every person you meet.
To make all your friends feel that there is something in them.
To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true.
To think only of the best, to work only for the best, and to expect only the best.
To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.
To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.
To wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living creature you meet a smile.
To give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others.
To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.
REASON FOR THE OLW MONTHLY BLOG HOP & AN INVITATION TO JOIN US
The reason I started the blog hop was because I was afraid I would flake on the year-long class if I didn't have some accountability. The blog hop was the perfect solution and it really worked! I completed all but one assignment all thanks to the blog hop and its particpants. And the only assignment I didn't complete was for July 1st and that was because I had just received word my husband was critically ill in China! I did manage to go ahead with the blog hop, but I didn't share an assignment.
If you are a student in Ali's 2012 class at Big Picture Classes and want to join us for our blog hop on February 1st at 8 AM PST. Please send me an email (link in the right column of my blog) with FEB 1 OLW BLOG HOP in the subject line (I might miss it if you don't follow this step.) and include your email address and blog address in the body of your email message.
OTHER BLOG HAPPENINGS
I also host another monthly blog hop on the 5th of every month. It is called FAMILY x 12. A small group of us support each other in taking more family photos throughout the year. We post at least one family photo every month so we don't go through the entire year with only one taken around the holidays if we are lucky. If you would like to join us, please send me an email (link in the right column of my blog) with FAMILY x 12 BLOG HOP in the subject line and your email and blog address in the body of your message. To see all our past FAMILY x 12 BLOG HOPS, click here.
Please visit my blog every Tuesday in 2012 as I will be posting my daily photos for the week as well as my completed album pages for my Project Life album from the week before. Again, this is the way I plan to hold myself accountable for my memory keeping goals. To see all my Project Life posts from 2011, click here.
TIME FOR MORE ONE LITTLE WORD INSPIRATION...
Thanks for stopping by! I'm so glad you came. Please leave me a comment and let me know what you think. Now, it is time to continue on with the OLW blog hop. Cheri is next on the hop. The rest of the participants are listed below. If you should get lost along the way, please come back here to find your way. I encourage you to visit every blog as they will not disappoint. I find every blog post worth the read and always come away inspired.
EDITED on Jan 3, 2012: Just found out I have a really awesome BPC give-away coming up on MY BLOG! More details coming very soon...
Margie http://xnomads.typepad.com <--- You are HERE.
Cheri http://cheriandrews.blogspot.com <--- Go HERE next.
Veronica www.veronicanorris.typepad.com
Kara http://iwannabemewhenigrowup.blogspot.com/
Rebekah http://istampscrapcraft.blogspot.com/
Sharyn http://www.LaVieEnChic.com
Lynn http://www.crafty-creativity.blogspot.com
Monica http://scrapinspired.com/
Lisa http://backtoallen.com/writers_blog
Cynthia H http://paperpapereverywhere.blogspot.com
Lee http://thelinarstudio.typepad.com/embracelife/
Abbey http://athomewiththerichardsfamily.blogspot.com/
Monica B www.questtoperfectimperfection.blogspot.com
Nikki http://www.inkyart.com.au
Tere http://terecontodomicorazon.blogspot.com/
Melissa S http://blog.mshanhun.com
Nicky http://seejanebake.blogspot.com
Stephanie http://www.scrapworthylives.com/
Jenn L www.studiojenn.blogspot.com
Cindy http://seriousplay.typepad.com
Amanda http://scrappnbee.blogspot.com
Sam http://learncreatedo.wordpress.com/
Jan http://mysimplelittlelife.typepad.com
So glad it all worked out Stephanie. Very happy to have you join us for the first blog hop of 2012. Happy New Year, Stephanie!
Posted by: Nihao, Cupcake! by Margie | January 03, 2012 at 02:50
So glad you stopped by to leave a comment, Kristina. Awesome that you still got so much out of your word despite not joining us - that is what it is all about, after all. Good luck with your new words. And you said it all about China - fascinating but nothing is easy for sure!! Happy New Year!
Posted by: Nihao, Cupcake! by Margie | January 03, 2012 at 02:52
Thank you for keeping our OLW blog hop going all year and now into this new year! Looking forward to the new journey! Love your new word and your thoughts on it. Wow, what a culture to live in...and unfortunately we are seeing more of that here too I think. I've been working on that a bit myself with my mindfulness word this past year. Smiling at those I pass by etc.
Posted by: Rebekah | January 03, 2012 at 08:34
Thanks, Sharyn! So glad to have you joining us in 2012 and looking forward to sharing the WORD journey!
Warm Regards,
Margie Scarpignato
ph: +86 15910899243
Nihao, Cupcake!
Posted by: Nihao, Cupcake! by Margie | January 03, 2012 at 11:36
Thanks, Nicky. Glad to have you in the blog hop. Looking forward to a great 2012!
Posted by: Nihao, Cupcake! by Margie | January 03, 2012 at 11:37
I've been sick this past week so I'm late with making the OLW Blog hop rounds. I am so thankful that you host this hop every month; thank you for letting me be a part of it and, in doing so, holding me accountable to spend some time with my own word. Sounds like we had the same experience with our 2011 words; here's to 2012 and all the wonderful things I know we'll be experiencing soon. Hope your travels are safe and congrats on the Design Team! Can't wait to check that out.
Posted by: Lisa | January 07, 2012 at 17:30
I just read about the OLW blog hop in the forums in the OWL classroom. This is my first time participating and taking the class. I look forward to participating in your blog hop next month! http://coleybelle.blogspot.com/2012/01/focus-word-for-2012.html
Posted by: Coley | January 09, 2012 at 04:59
I love that Loving Kindness was found serendipitously in the Happiness Project Book (a great read!)...I agree with you that Loving Kindness is much better to be remembered for than productive!
Also really like your idea of the family photo each month. That is a goal to pursue for sure!
Thanks again for doing the blog hop...great way to connect with other OLW students.
Posted by: Veronica | January 10, 2012 at 11:33