CHANGE was my focus word for 2023 for two reasons. First, there would be lots of change in my family during the year, and second, I wanted to make changes to my habits, both personal and in my writing.
Here’s my post at the beginning of the year about CHANGE.
And I wrote a post at the end of the year showing how much change really did happen for me in 2023.
SYNONYMS of this focus word, CHANGE
Transform. Innovation. Renewal. Advance. Development. Refinement. Shift. Transition. Alter. Make Different. Evolve.
I love how all of these words reflect change in a positive light. Many times change can be thought as a negative word, but look at all these words above! They are very powerful and motivating.
CHANGE Bible Verses:
There weren’t a lot of bible verses with the word change in them, but I found some that spoke to me as I headed into this season of change. I also found some Bible verse focused on topics related to change from my mom’s Bible.
Malachi 3:6; I the LORD do not change.
Ecclesiastes 3:1; There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens
Isaiah 43:19; See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.
1 Corinthians 15:51; Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed…
CHANGE Quotes:
“I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.” ― Mother Teresa
“Some changes look negative on the surface but you will soon realize that space is being created in your life for something new to emerge.” ― Eckhart Tolle
“They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.” ― Andy Warhol
“Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.” ― Rumi
“Change is hard at first, messy in the middle and gorgeous at the end.” – Robin Sharma
“Any change, even a change for the better, is always accompanied by discomforts.” – Arnold Bennett
“Vulnerability is the birthplace of innovation, creativity and change.” ― Brene Brown
CHANGE graphics I created throughout the year:
CHANGE sitings found throughout the year:
Articles and blogs about my focus word for 2023, CHANGE:
Writing Time Literally Going to the New Dog
How My Life Changes Affects My Storytelling
From Aspiring to Contracted Author, A Very Big Change
Why CHANGE was a good focus word
It’s interesting all the positive quotes I found. Change can have a negative connotation to it, but everything I encountered leaned toward the positive, and that really helped me focus on change in a positive way. About how I think about changing something in my life. Changing my attitude. Making change in my life by adding yoga into my daily schedule. Change how I chose to rewrite my chapters. Change our daily habits with our kids schedules changing. and so on.
The word CHANGE was the perfect word for me in 2023.
From a writing perspective I chose this word because I wanted to change how I approached my writing. To not be afraid to change my opening or what my characters said. I wanted to be able to try new phrasing and change my manuscript for the better. I wanted to embrace change in different ways including pitching and trying new contests.
And because of that, I can now add additional changes that have happened this year!
- I finaled in a contest and got to submit my entire manuscript
- That entire manuscript won 1st place in a contest
- And then won the grand prize in that contest
- That grand prize included my first book contract
- My first book contract is now a 3-book series titled Best-laid Plans
- And my first book, When Plans Go Awry, will be published June 4, 2024
Very Big Changes in My Personal Life, Too
Change has been up front and center in my personal life this year as well. With one college graduation and our youngest’s high school graduation, we are moving on from being booster presidents and weekly performances or activities to attend. Our middle son asked his sweetheart to marry him, and we are experiencing new things with being parents of the groom. We’ve been blessed with new responsiblities in our day jobs, and been able to travel quite a bit this year.
I’m so excited for June 2024. We will celebrate a book launch and a new marriage.