At the start of the new year, it’s common to encapsulate goals in one to three words. I found my three words for 2024 and wrote about it on Substack.
These two posts about my words for the year were Substack posts on January 1st, 2024.
(Your) Three Words for 2024
It’s important to know where you are headed.
Before reading Dan Blank on Substack last Friday morning, I determined my word for 2024. But that word is about how I see the world and my life. Dan was asking about his readers’ writing life and career. His three words are pretty catchy; they are clear, calm, and craft.
It would have been easy to say, “Those are my words, too!”
But honesty is my #1 value. So, I wanted to look deeper for the words that describe what I will use as my guiding lights in 2024.
I’ve been working for years on connecting to my higher self, spiritual guidance, and my resulting intuition. So, all I needed was to close my eyes, take a few deep breaths, and ask what my three words were. I will go through this process multiple times, but having a starting place is nice.
How do you ‘find’ your three words?
Journaling is an excellent way to tap into the deepest part of your being. The connection to your higher self bypasses your thinking as the words flow onto the page.
I also suggest writing the question at the top of the page. This further clarifies what you want to know.
“What are my three words for 2024?”
As I’ve said in my blogs before substack, journaling takes courage and patience. You must write for at least 30 minutes or fill in three pages.
When I first started journaling, I would write like this, sometimes filling a full page with a rant.
- This is stupid.
- I hate this. I hate this. I hate this.
- This is never going to work.
And then the words would begin to flow.
All of this started from a time and place that I remember vividly.
How Did I Start My Journey?
It was in a watercolor class at the home of Dolores Schmidt in Winter Park, Florida. There were about five of us who gathered for a weekly on Wednesdays. Dolores would set up a still life, and we would paint it or work on something that was a personal piece. Since I was new to watercolor, I usually worked on the still life.
In addition to teaching watercolor, Dolores attended the Learning Institute for Elders at the University of Central Florida. That is where she was introduced to The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. Each week, we read a chapter, individually worked on the tasks that appealed to us, and then discussed some of our experiences the previous week. This was all during a break from painting.
We used two basic tools. Every day, we wrote morning pages (journaling), and every week, we had an artist date. If this interests you, I highly recommend The Artist’s Way. I have the original publication, available only from used bookstores. The 25th Anniversary version doesn’t appeal to me. So, I haven’t included a link to buy it. Let your heart lead you to the version that is best for you.
My Favorite Early Watercolor Painting
This is one of my paintings from Dolores’ class that I treasure.
Everything in this still-life painting belonged to Dolores, but I remember the little glass pitcher the best. It was so interesting. The light played with the swirls of colors introduced from the glass blower. And the plate with hearts also intrigued me. Dolores had Swedish grandparents, too. And the heart is a favorite symbol in Sweden. Finally, kurume azaleas have been a part of my gardening life in Florida since I was a little girl. Right now, when I close my eyes, I can catch a whiff of their sweet, subtle fragrance. If you close your eyes right now, what fragrance comes to mind?
There is one aspect of this painting that doesn’t bring a smile. I don’t know when I painted it. All my early journals are missing. And I failed to note the year in my signature. It’s also missing from the back of the frame.
I love a good mystery, but it’s not something I relish when it is about my own life.
Some Words of Advice
Date everything you create and include the year: letters, journals, artwork, and photographs. Everything. Once I entered the digital age, I thought it would be easy to track everyday occurrences. But you can’t trust file dates either. Scans can be done long after the original file. And when you bring files over from a previous computer, the dates can also be misleading.
So, What are My Three Words?
Funny thing about that. Today is the first day of the new year. Although I don’t make resolutions, it has been a great time to assess what I want and how best to achieve it.
Having a small income from my writing is one of my goals this year. So, when you click on the prompt to manage your subscription and follow through with a paid upgrade, my next post with my three words will become available on my Substack feed.
Happy New Year!
Here are My Three Words for 2024
(Originally published on Substack 01/01/2024 10:47 AM)
Faith, Peace, and Joy
When I read or see these words, my heart feels light and I am centered all the way down to my first chakra.
I’ve started gathering materials for my 2024 vision board. These words will certainly be there. And it’s time to move to my new desk calendar.
Some Final Thoughts
When I was living in Colorado, I made several attempts to return to watercolor painting. The teacher I chose was Peggy Morgan Stenmark. She posts a new quote each day on Facebook. Sometimes they show up in my feed. Sometimes they don’t.
Peggy led a small group of artists down their creative paths at the Center for the Arts Evergreen. I attended a Christmas Card class and then another class learning a method that employs gesso and black paint. Although I don’t paint anymore, I still have my thick board from the second class, hauling it over 3,000 miles as I moved twice during the last eight years. Some dreams are hard to let go of.
My quote to live by in 2024
“The key to a wonderful life is to never stop wandering into wonder.” – Suzy Kassem