One Little Word

2011 is almost here and I can't help reflecting on the year gone by and thinking about the one about to start. 2010 was great for me in some ways and extremely difficult in others. I'm fairly new to blogging so most of you probably don't know that my nearly 3 year old son has autism. He was diagnosed about a year and a half ago turning our family's life completely upside down. We've been working through it though and Tyler is doing really well. He's a happy, giggly, cuddly and sweet little boy and I love him more than anything else on this planet. He sees the world in a unique way and I've learned that if I take a minute and look at things the way he does a world of incredible possibility opens up.

I'm finally at a place now where I feel like I can take a step back and stop stressing so much. To let him grow and develop and trust all the fantastic therapists who are working with him to help him become the best little boy he can be. This has allowed me to shift my focus a bit and start thinking again about where I want to go in my own life.

Have you heard about One Word Resolutions? This is a concept that has been floating around the Internet for a few years now but something I've only just discovered. Several amazing bloggers out there have been talking about the idea and it has piqued my interest and got me thinking.

The concept is this; Instead of making the usual types of resolutions that get broken by Valentine's day (if you're lucky to get that far), choose one word that describes what you want for your life in the next year. One word. It seems so simple yet it is incredibly powerful!

So many words began floating through my mind but one word just stood out. One word captured my fleeting attention and made my heart flutter. One word excited and scared me at the same time. One word kept me up at night thinking about it.

My word for 2011 is... learn. This word feels so powerful to me because isn't that what we're all here to do? To learn is to grow and to grow is to open up our minds and our worlds.

2011 is my year to learn new things, to branch out and to take a leap.

First and foremost, I will continue to learn about my son's condition and how to treat it but I also plan to learn things that will take my creativity to a new level.

Here are some of my plans for 2011.

~Learn Photoshop!!

I have already signed up for Kim Klassen's Photoshop ~ The Essentials eCourse! I'm so excited to get started January 17th!

~Learn to make ceramic beads!!

This is a BIG one for me! I've been dreaming about this for a long time. Now that I've said it I have to do it right? I've been scouring the Beads-of-Clay Blog and absorbing as much as I can. I plan to buy a kiln (yikes!!) and get started soon. Of course I will blog about it every step of the way!

I know my word will come up in all areas of my life too. Perhaps I need to learn to manage my time better so I can get my butt to the gym. ;-)

I'm so excited for what the year will bring!

What is your one word for 2011?