2023 is a recovery year.
The last three years have been incredibly challenging. Along with all the demands and challenges of a pandemic, 2020-2022 was a time of deep loss for me personally.
So many people I loved and cared about left this life including my dad at the beginning of 2022.
At the beginning of the year, I typically pick a word that helps me focus and gives me direction. A word that guides my thoughts and becomes a filter for decisions.
I didn't pick one last year. It was just too much, but looking back, the word of the year would have been survival.
For 2023 I've landed on a word. The word AMPLIFY.
am·pli·fy /ˈampləˌfī/
increase the volume of - cause to become more marked or intense
to make larger or greater
to increase the strength or amount of
to expand by the use of detail or illustration or by closer analysis
The word has a broad meaning, and I can use it to focus on a number of areas in my life.
Lots of things in my life need amplification. There are so many elements that should be larger, and of greater priority. So many places need to be increased in volume, expanded, and become more marked and intense.
I want to amplify my relationships with the people who have been my support and my anchors. I need to amplify my time by finding ways to prioritize things that are faithful, purposeful, and have value beyond myself. I hope to amplify my health and become more intense about my need for rest. If you know me, you know I have plenty to say, but I want to amplify what is true and kind and helpful.
I hope to amplify the voice of the many teens I have the privilege of working alongside. My work for the past 30 years has primarily been with teenagers. There's so much we can learn from their pain and their ideas. I hope to help them be heard.
There is more that needs to be amplified in 2023 and I am eager to see how this word guides me this year!