For 2023, I have chosen STRENGTH as my word for the year.
As I pondered over what word I would choose to focus on in 2023, I kept coming back to STRENGTH.
Strength comes with age and experience and, well, life. I cannot measure it. I can only feel it. Sometimes I feel it more when I am at my weakest. Strange, I know.
Strength comes from the whys, what-ifs, tests, trials, hurts, aggravations, and actual bone-tired weariness. It sounds like an oxymoron to say weary strength, but it’s underneath the questions and hurts and hardships of life where I find my strength. I can tell you with all certainty … my strength is weary.
My strength looks like a beaten-down old warrior with a broken sword and bruises from the battles it has waged. It has a limp and sometimes struggles to look up. But … it responds to hope when even the tiniest bit is found.
My strength remains steadfast though a bit worn in places. It knows it can get through any battle because it has been through many worst of the what-ifs. It knows that Goliath looks different with each battle. He’s always big and scary, no matter the battle.
There is strength in my brokenness. I think hope bonds the shards of brokenness together. There is beauty in those shards. Beautiful brokenness. Another oxymoron.
Photo provided by Janet Hart Leonard
While pondering strength for 2023, I need to see it in a new light. It needs to be nurtured.
How will I go about nurturing my strength? Here are my thoughts so far …
Give grace to my time. It’s okay to stop and rest and read and just sit and ponder. I don’t have to stay busy.
Lower my expectations. Do what I can do and let others do what they can. Janet, read that again. You do not have superpowers.
Do not take the opinions of others so personally. Okay, this one will take some work. I cannot control what others think about me or my writing.
Don’t put undue pressure upon myself to live up to the expectations of others. Oh, how I hate to disappoint the people I love.
Don’t engage in battles that I am not supposed to be a part of. Turn down the invitation to engage in conversations that will only end in frustration. Remember that boundaries are a good thing.
People-pleasing is not a sign of love. Janet, read that three times.
I can’t fix everything, for everyone, all the time. I will always be a recovering fixer.
Do not dwell on what I cannot control. It is futile. Janet, the Serenity Prayer is your go-to prayer.
Get off the worry wheel. It didn’t change the past and won’t change the future. I will always struggle with this one.
If my strength is not nurtured, I will find myself exhausted. Physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.
I have found it is okay to ask for help. I have a very wise therapist. His words give me strength.
And of course, I will pray. My faith is so much a part of who I am.
Maybe there is more to be learned while nurturing STRENGTH. I think I have a lot to learn. It may take all year. Stay tuned, I have more to say.
Happy New Year and thank you for all your support this past year for my book, When the Hart Speaks, and for the speaking opportunities. I am blessed.
Janet Hart Leonard can be contacted at janethartleonard@gmail.com or followed on Facebook or Instagram (@janethartleonard). Visit janethartleonard.com.