2017 Word: Expansion
“When you open up space in the body, you open up space in the mind”
A couple of years ago, I wrote this blog post on choosing a word of the year, rather than setting New Year’s resolutions. There are many statistics out there (to be honest, I am not certain if they are true or not) that show that by the end of January, most people have given up on their resolutions. The majority of the time, it is simply because the resolutions were unrealistic, followed the all-or-none mentality, or too big a goal to tackle all at once.
While I believe in setting goals (I set goals annually, and have a systematic approach to achieving them), one of the common reasons why we don’t achieve our goals or stay committed to our resolutions is because we haven’t changed our behaviours, thought processes, or habits. By changing our thoughts, we are far more likely to be successful in achieving our goals.
A fitness colleague shared this in a workshop, and it stuck with me. Thoughts lead to feelings, feelings lead to action, and action results in outcome. With that in mind, rather than focusing on the end result (the outcome), focus on the first two – thoughts and feelings, and the process and end result will follow.
Choosing a theme word for the year is a wonderful way to get clear on how you want to feel, and can serve as intrinsic motivation to achieve your goals. My 2015 word of the year was Spaciousness, and was all about creating space in both my personal and my professional life. Continuing with a similar theme, the word I have chosen for 2017 is Expansion. I’m not talking about expansion as in an expanded waistline because of too many holiday cookies, but rather expansion in all senses of the word: personal growth, curiosity to try new things, and opening up emotionally, physically and mentally.
In the studio, the GYROTONIC EXPANSION SYSTEM® does exactly what its name states – creating space in the body, in particular the joints, so that the body becomes balanced, efficient, strong and flexible. (see the recent video on what GYROTONIC® is here). My 2017 word, and desire for expansion, extends to you:
That you will expand and deepen your own body knowledge, by listening and noticing how your body moves.
That you will enjoy being curious, and perhaps look at things from a different point of view. Our perception of the world is through a lens that we have created by our own experiences
try putting on a different “lens” and you might be surprised at what you see!
That you will create space in your body. Opening up your joints, stretching your muscles, moving in optimal alignment so that you can physically do, and continue to do, all the activities you love doing.
That you will push beyond your comfort zone. Open up space in your mind, and infinite possibilities will appear. You can do it!
What will your 2017 word be? How do you see it coming to fruition? I would love for you to share in the comments below!
Xo,L
GYROTONIC® and GYROTONIC EXPANSION SYSTEM® are registered trademarks of Gyrotonic Sales Corp and are used with their permission.
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