Hi, friends! I took a little break last week to organise my thoughts and make some plans for the new year. I spent a lot of time jotting down ideas and made some goals for my blog, Etsy shop, social media, and my personal life. Do you pick a word of the year? I typically don’t choose a word of the year, but one word kept coming to me as I went through this process. GROW!
word of the year – grow
What initially brought the word to mind was, of all things, one of my fiddle leaf fig plants. I’ve had two real fiddle leaf fig plants for several months and they both have failed to grow. I moved one of them into my office in the fall and it bit the dust over the holidays! Totally dead and gone! I thought the other would soon follow, but as I was cleaning up my Christmas decor, look what I saw!
To my amazement, there was a shoot of new growth! Seeing this got me thinking about the word grow and how I want to grow in so many areas of my life. I made this little definition print for you and me to remember how I chose the word grow as my 2018 word of the year!
grow printable
Here are some goals I’ve set for myself this year to help me grow.
Blog
- Be more consistent with my posts – have a weekly schedule that is planned in advance.
- Make it a priority to reply to comments and answer questions.
- Make some technical improvements that are needed.
Etsy Shop
- Work on new products that are easier to produce and ship.
- Find alternative ways to produce products.
- Update shop design.
Social Media
- Engage more with you on facebook and instagram.
- Do facebook lives on my Facebook Behind the Scenes group with tutorials and glimpses into everyday life.
- Set limits for myself on how much time I spend on social media.
Personal Life
- Spend more time in God’s word and prayer
- Make time to connect more with my family and friends
- Focus on health – get active and make healthy food choices.
This is just a basic outline of the goals that I’ve made for myself. I have pages and pages of ideas and plans written down that I can’t wait to implement! Growth can be slow or fast, but more than anything, I want to have consistent growth.
It’s a new year and a fresh start! Let’s make 2018 a year to
Grow in Grace * Live by Faith * Walk in Love
I love your word this year and hope you create with the word. I the past my words have been joy and hope. It is a great idea. For JOY I put I choose Joyvon A black boaardvand many sones/rocks have hope. Thanks for inspiring us😊😊
Hello Doreen! I’m a reader all the way over in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and I have one of your free printables (poster sized, mounted and framed) in my living room.
I love your style – thanks for all the inspiration.
God bless . . . and happy growing!
Tanya!
Thanks for commmenting to let me know you follow me all the way from Belfast! That’s amazing and I’m so blessed to have you!
I have enjoyed your blog…it is one I always read. May you be blessed this new year, as you have blessed many of us with sharing your time and talents…and sharing the Lord!
Sounds like a Great year coming up!! U are my favorite blogger & I always look forward to your posts. God Bless!
Happy New Year! Love the word you have chosen for 2018. I also select a new Word each year and my Word for 2018 is “Contentment”. Contentment isn’t about our calendars or to-do lists, our situation or season. Contentment is ALWAYS about the heart! I’m looking forward to understanding its layers, the true meaning of it, and leaning into God’s Word to more fully grasp the secret of contentment. “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.” ~Philippians 4:11
What a wonderful word for 2018! Amen!
Thank you for taking the time to do the survey and make plans to ‘GROW”. I wish you all the best this year and look forward to those pillow covers!
Thanks, Ivy! I’m working on them!
Grow, is this 2017 or 2018 Word of the Year? I love Grow in Grace, Live by Faith, Walk in Love. Thanks for doing the hard work of creating your blog. Love it.
It’s my 2018 word of the year. So glad to have you here, Vicky!
Love your word for the year Doreen! God surly has so much in store for your 2018! Thank you for letting me be apart of it!
Alice 🙂
Thanks so much, Alice! So glad God brought us together!
As long as we’re sharing words, I need to put my two cents in…actually, my two words: Live Outwardly. Let other people, especially those who share your home, know you’re interested, listening, engaged. Live outside of your self. Thanks, Doreen, for all your tips, motivations and transparency!
Great words for the New Year! Ones we can all do more of!
Hi Doreen!
I like your word for the year! I too decided to choose a word to focus on, but I am going to try focusing on a different word each month! I really need to do some growing in 2018! 😉
“Organization” is my January word! I chose this word for a few different reasons, the biggest one was because I took a leap of FAITH recently and retired from a 30 year nursing career so I could do something different that I truely enjoy…Restoring Furniture! This year I am trying to make my furniture restoration hobby more of a business! Now that the holiday busyness is behind me, I am organizing and planning and it really feels good!
I actually would love for you to make more printables! 🙂
Happy New Year ~Patty
Hi, Patty! I’m so excited for you! I made a similar change when I started this blog and I’ve never been happier! It’s a lot of work, but I love what I do, so it doesn’t seem so much like work! Getting organized is so important and I’m working on that too! And, there will be a lots more printables to come! Have a few winter ones that I’ll be sharing soon!
Oh dear. I comment but I don’t want that to mean more work for you by making you answer. So if you see it is me, unless I’m asking a question please just read it for my comment. Give your time to planning.
I like your decorating ideas. I feel like you are so quick to something new I don’t really get to linger. Example is your porches. You could devote a few “posts” around that setting!!! Pillows, recipe, decor, plants, shopping tips, diy. So that we don’t see the space just once!! You work so hard and we like seeing your design.
I’m excited to follow. My only thing is that the print is a faint gray. But I’m maybe too picky. Hard to see now.
Have a nice day. I read you best on the blog. I look for it!!!
Love love your word grow…so much meaning to this word! Love your saying:
I love Grow in Grace, Live by Faith, Walk in Love. I am looking forward to see what you have for us in 2018… God bless
Thanks for sharing, Doreen! I want to let you know again, that I believe reading and enjoying your blog adds value to my life. Our time is precious, and at least for me, I try to limit my time online to things that will really add something to my life and not just “waste time.” I can see that you’re a fantastic lady, and I look forward to learning more from you this year!
Your comment means the world to me, Christina! Thank you for being here! Blessings to you in 2018!
Hello Doreen,
I discovered your blog jut recently, it’s definitely a favorite, I love your clean crisp style! I’ve been looking for a vibrant print for pillows, and I absolutely love the rich magenta colors in the floral pillows you show in your summer home tour! Would you be willing to share where you found that print? I didn’t see them in your resource guide. Thank you, keep up the beautiful inspiration!
Janna
Hi, Janna. I so wish I could give you a link, but I actually made those pillows from fabric I found at Joann Fabric. I checked online and didn’t see it. It was last spring and I found it in the apparel fabric, so it’s not even a true home decor fabric. But, like you, I fell in love with those bright colors!
Thank you so much for your reply! Yes, I’ve been looking. So much lovely coral this year, but I’m craving the deep pinks!
with appreciation,
Janna
Thanks for your hard work here, Doreen! So I’m battling a nasty flu bug and deleted every blog notification but yours! Your blog is beautiful and while we are extremely limited in finances, I still feel like your decorating is for me too! You are very accessible and relational and it’s always a treat to see Hymns and Verses in my inbox! Thank you!
Thanks so much for this comment, Claudia! I totally get the limited finances! So been there and still am to some degree! I really want to share more of how to decorate on a budget – because I’ve done it most of my life! Lots of experience from this girl, ha, ha! I’m always trying to figure out if I can make something for less! It can be a fun challenge! Thanks for being here!
Doreen, I love your word of the year! That is so wonderful how your plant surprised you that way. I am interested in anything you want to teach us on the tutorials. I am not really good at DIY but with your projects, you make things look do-able. I have purchased a pillow cover and also a hymn print also. Love your Etsy products! I never miss your blog.
Thanks so much, Debbie! Working on some easy and quick DIY’s for this year!