Back in 2014, I started the tradition of choosing a word for the year. I was inspired by author Gretchen Rubin’s advice to choose a one-word theme for the year.
It’s been fun each year choosing my word—or allowing it to choose me. This year was a bit tricky as I wanted to embody both my theme as well as the energy I was feeling. I looked at the Tarot decks on my desk and the word came to me: divine.
Quite some time ago, I used to read Tarot cards and I’ve also acquired a large collection of decks over the years. I recently bought a few new decks to add to my collection and was inspired to dig out my trusty Rider-Waite deck that I used for readings back in the day. Thinking about the “divination” energy behind the cards made me realize it also applied to other areas of my life.
The word divine means “to discover or declare (something obscure or in the future).” Now that I’m two decades into my business, I’m “divining” what will come next in my branding and marketing business. How can I take all these years of experience and create strategies and tools for nonprofits to enhance and improve their branding and outreach? How can I follow my passions and do what I do best?
Deciding which new services or tools to offer can feel like “telling the future” because I have to discern and understand the needs of my clients and prospects. And I also need to constantly look to future trends and technology (oh hello, AI).
p.s. Stay tuned for the launch of a new branding product for nonprofits!
Image by Los Muertos Crew on Pexels
High school is looming for my tween, so I’ve also been thinking about his future. How can we best prepare him? What environment may be best for him? What interests can he explore in high school? Knowing his interests seem to change daily, it’s impossible to divine his future, but it can’t hurt to think about it—and plant some seeds for future success (perhaps an entrepreneur lifestyle is in his future!)
The word divine is also used to describe something excellent or delightful, such as “a divine smile.” I am all for welcoming more divine experiences into my life this year (and more smiles!)
Lastly, as someone who has always been interested in the spiritual and mystical, I can’t ignore the fact that I believe in divine intervention. I am always seeking signs from loved ones who have left us, noticing serendipitous events, or seeing recurring themes in my life.
And after all, my logo and brand are based on a celestial being—the sun.
See all of my past words for the year:
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