Flow - my word for this year
(of a liquid, gas, or electricity) move steadily and continuously in a current or stream
For the last three or four years, at the start of a new year, I have chosen a word rather than setting rigid goals and resolutions that often fade into the abyss after two or three months.
I like to find a word to reflect on and help me manage the year ahead.
I probably got the idea from Pinterest, but I brought into the idea to guide my thoughts, my choices, and the rhythm of my life.
This year, I went with Flow.
It felt right at the time when I was setting up my personal journal for 2025.
Not just as a word, but as a mindset, a promise to myself, and a quiet rebellion against my desire to control situations and life.
We can't control what is out of our control.
Why Flow?
Flow felt like a whisper, a word not in everyone's daily vocabulary yet unassuming.
But the more I sat and thought about the word, the more it felt relevant for where I am in January and now.
It reminded me of when I stretch and flow in yoga, moving my body as gracefully as is realistically possible at my age.
To me, it represented strength, a transient state of movement.
Flow doesn't feel passive, nor does it epitomise drifting aimlessly or resigning myself to whatever my fate is.
It's about movement, which is important as I rarely sit still and must move regularly.
It's about aligning myself with the current state of life rather than constantly swimming against it, which is how it has been for a few years.
Despite all the Christmas shenanigans and chaos, the organisation and rushing around that heralds that time of year, I remember thinking about how I felt then; I was in a flow state, calm and centred, unusual for me.
Last year taught me that no matter how many to-do lists I write or how tightly I grip the steering wheel of life, some things are simply out of my control.
Plans unravel. People change, things change.
The unexpected barges that don't knock but bang the bloody door down, demanding your attention.
Should I fight back or go with it?
Often, I'll fight, trying to work around the problem or challenge, but something has changed this year; I flow and go with it.
Silently, I live in Flow, not to anticipate what might happen next but to meet each moment with presence rather than resistance.
I'm making choices that are right for me and not trying to force something that no longer fits.
It means taking a breath, dropping my shoulders, and exhaling when anxiety tells me the opposite, pausing instead of going straight into panic mode - not easy for someone who doesn't relax easily.
Flow doesn't mean I've given up on ideas and goals. I show up at my desk, I work hard, and I allow myself to daydream boldly in a free-flow state.
Flow means I trust why this is happening and its timing.
I have put my trust in the process, responding to what comes when it comes and not trying to imagine what or if this or that will happen.
It has been quite a mind shift.
Walking in nature has inadvertently taught me Flow.
As water flows, so do I. Water moves around rocks rather than trying to move them, and continues to flow freely.
And that's how this year is shaping up - flow freely.
The challenges I have overcome this year have been met with the same resilience as a river flowing freely.
Letting go of the need to have all the answers immediately and trusting that the detour is the right path.
I like to think I am adaptable, can flex when needed, and am moving forward, even when the pace is slow or the route unclear.
Why has that one word made such significant changes in my life?
Because I have allowed it to, I've gone with it, and I give myself permission:
To change direction on whatever it is I am choosing.
To rest without guilt, knowing that stillness is also part of the journey - this one is taking a bit longer as the nature of who I am, and I don't find it easy to sit and just be.
To welcome what comes rather than second-guess what might happen, even if it arrives in an unexpected package.
To not be dictated by other people's timelines that were never mine to begin with.
I trust that I can handle what life throws at me, not because I'm always prepared but because I'm aware of what is around me.
Flow invites me to live from the inside out rather than the outside in, to listen more deeply, to move with intention, not just momentum, and hopefully be engaged with what's around me.
A simple word that is quiet yet so powerful and transformative.
Flow slows you down, smooths the rough edges, and offers a clear view of life.
It reminds me that I'm not here to make life more complicated or to fight my way through life, but to participate in it with openness and trust.
This year, Flow has proven to be a mighty word.
Life has offered surprises, sadness, and fun, giving me energy as I course and flow like a river.
I don't know what the second half of this year will bring, but I would rather flow with it than wrestle it.
