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Sometimes goal setting can seem overwhelming. It’s proven that writing down one’s goals helps them come true, but this can still seem daunting. For these reasons, I like the idea of simplifying the whole concept and coming up with one word.

What could be your word for 2015?

What word could each family member come up with for themselves?

Brainstorming and thinking of each person’s word for the year could be an activity over dinner or during a family meeting. To keep everyone accountable, it would be important to write down each person’s word in a notebook or create an image such as a Wordle to display the words in a fun way.

Some ideas of words that could be your focus word for 2015:

• Calm
• Present
• Trust
• Organized
• Mindful
• Flexible
• Open-minded
• Simplify
• Prioritize

My Word: TRUST and the story behind it

I am going to choose the word TRUST for 2015.  This has been my word that acts like my mantra, for many years.  However, I’m going to try to incorporate this word more intentionally into my thoughts this year.  I walk my Golden Retriever, Bailey three times/day and my goal is to spend one of those walks focussing on TRUST.

I first became aware of the two opposing energies of Love(Trust) and Fear in my early twenties and this concept created a tremendous shift for me.  At the time I was teaching a grade 1/2 class and was in the midst of preparing to take a year off to teach in Japan.  (In the ’90’s this was a popular quest!).   It was too late for me to apply to teach through an official program, thus I applied for a general working visa and booked a summer flight to Tokyo.  I was given the name of a friend of a friend in Tokyo and off I went!

Trusting Lesson #1:  Meeting new friends

I arrived in the Tokyo airport and found my way to the Tokyo youth hostel.  With trust on my side, I was fortunate enough to meet a group of 30 international business students, travelling and studying around the world, and spending the next month in Tokyo.

Trusting Lesson #2:  Finding a home

For the first month I stayed in a Gaijin house (a home for foreigners) where one could rent a tiny room by the month.  During that month, the friend of a friend (whose name I’d been given in Vancouver) informed me that she was moving back to Vancouver and I could take over the rent of her room in a beautiful traditional Japanese house, with two lovely roommates and I could buy her bedroom furniture and bike.

Trusting Lesson #3:  Finding a job

I applied to advertisements in the local English newspaper.  It was August and schools were starting up in September, but fortunately the Japan International School in Tokyo had increased enrolment and was suddenly adding on an extra junior kindergarten class and I was hired!

If I had let fear hold me back, none of this would have come true.  I had to trust it would all work out and it did.  Back in my early twenties, I had no idea how much this adventure would shape my philosophy about life, and give me courage to continue to adventure and step out of my comfort zone.

I don’t think any of us realized how challenging parenting can be, until we became parents.  Becoming a parent is an adventure like no other and I believe it requires a lot of TRUST.  To focus on trust versus fear in parenting, it’s a good idea to write a list of everything that went well in your family in 2014 and focus on these points. We also need to trust our intuition, let go of fear, and know that we are the experts of our children.  We know our children best but this also means knowing when to seek professional help and guidance, because some challenges are too big to manage alone.  For example, anxiety can turn one’s family upside-down.  Anxiety is like a snowball that can get bigger and bigger, without appropriate intervention.  It is a privilege for me, to work closely with all my families that I support.  I always TRUST that there is a solution or a less-stressful path, and it is always my philosophy to support families in finding a way to make parenting less challenging and more joyful.

Here’s to you and your family, for a 2015 where your parenting goals come true,

Warmly,