My One Word for 2019: Possibilities

I had to rethink what word would be my one word for 2019. How can you pick just one? I thought I was going to choose “curiosity†and then I started going over the past year. What a year 2018 was for all of us!

The world is changing so fast, but in too many areas, we are going backward. Our children need us to consider all the possibilities they can have for their future. We need to be there for our kids and help them make what may seem impossible, possible. That is my #OneWord2019: Possibilities.

Last year my one word was “YET,†because I had put off doing some things out of a loss of confidence in myself. Yes, me!! I know I’ve talked to many of you about building yourself up, being strong, building confidence, etc. But I had lost some of my confidence about who I was, where I was going, what I wanted to share or not share. I couldn’t see the possibilities in front of me. I knew I was a good storyteller and could write, but it was like I had a writer’s block or something. I worked on it and talked with awesome thought leaders in my podcast who had the confidence I wanted. Actually, I thought they had that confidence I wanted. What I found out through all of the conversations is that many of them struggled with confidence and had difficult times as they grew up as I did. All of us struggle. I heard this from my parents: “Life isn’t supposed to be easy.†If we couldn’t do something, we can try again.  I learned through the conversations with many of the educators, that something changed them that helped them build their confidence. In most cases, nothing is holding us back but ourselves.

I used my 2018 word YET over and over this past year. I changed and developed a growth mindset. I realized I could make mistakes and learn from them. YET was just that. I might not be able to do something just YET, but I could only succeed if I tried. So I did. I struggled, took risks, made mistakes, and got right back up and tried again. It’s that idea of learning, unlearning, and relearning. I was using the idea of YET, but something else was still holding me back.

My Why for My One Word for 2019

I thought about what 2019 holds for all of us. The new year holds endless possibilities. I want to write more and possibly write a book or two. It is possible, not IMpossible. I’m possible. I didn’t see it until now. I love this word. “Possibilitiesâ€

I see us considering “Possibilities†to achieve our hopes, dreams, and goals.

Hopes

I hope for peace, love, and compassion in 2019. I hope we see more random acts of kindness. I hope to share all the kind actions taken by people in my #PLN. Thank you Tamara Letter @tamaraletter, Roman Nowak @NowakRo, Hans Appel @hansappel094, and so many more who spread kindness and share stories. I see possibilities for kindness around the world.

Dreams

I dream about a world that uses empathy and finds ways to help people who are struggling. I plan to find more stories or seek them out on social media, through projects, and from EDUheroes and students who took risks to help others. We are on this planet together so we need to be there for each other. We can dream big, look at real-world problems, and design activities that make a difference. Dream with me so you can believe in all the possibilities. Just look at the kids who started #MarchforourLives. It is now an international movement. Nothing can stop them now.

Goals

I just got accepted as an ambassador for the TeachSDGs Cohort 3. The possibilities are endless when you look at the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). When you review the SDGs for 2030 and not sure what to do, you can start with Be The Change to take an action every day. Look at all the possibilities for students of any age to use the SDGs to research one of the global goals and how they can apply them locally. I’ll be writing about the SDGs more this year when I learn more.

****

I really believe the possibilities are endless. 2019 needs us to take action around something we are passionate about. It can be the year all of us can be the change, take risks, and choose to redesign our learning experiences around authentic real-world problems.

#OneWord2019 — POSSIBILITIES