Welcome to Matt’s Mix Tape: A steady beats approach to midlife fitness, writing, and mindset. Do you have a word for … you? We like to have words for other people. “I’d like a word with you!” But having a word for ourselves, one we carry through the year, can help guide us in a way all those New Year’s resolution lists cannot.
Love the "word of the year" nudge! I write long-form, as you know, so I allowed myself to pick three: Resilience, Radiance, and Roots. Should be an interesting year for both of us. "Deeper" will make it meaningful, for sure!
Each of my 5th grade students chose ¨One word¨ for 2023. We spent several days choosing a word, defining it, writing synonyms and now they are all on display in our classroom. Mine was ¨Joy¨ which sounds simple but I want to find the joy in every day tasks, focus on the joy of being with the people in my life and bring others joy through kindness and service. I also want to laugh more!
I really like "neutral thinking," a concept that arrives in a needed moment for me, just today grappling with an online critic and watching what my brain wants to make of it, even though it's but a tiny blip on the screen of my overall publishing experience. My word for the year is courage. Your story about Trevor Lawrence reminds me of a similar athletic demonstration in 2005 when Ralph Federer fell off the face of the planet in a match against his nemesis, Rafael Nadal. He lost the first two sets looking like he had no business in a professional tennis match and even the commentators were all but predicting the end of his career. But it was stunning to watch him refuse to descend into self-judgment, claw his way back in the 3rd set, and in the last two sets completely dominate Nadal to win the match. Sports are so inspiring to watch that way. I really like "deeper" and your comment about it being a life prompt that wasn't generated by intellect.
Love the "word of the year" nudge! I write long-form, as you know, so I allowed myself to pick three: Resilience, Radiance, and Roots. Should be an interesting year for both of us. "Deeper" will make it meaningful, for sure!
This will be my third year selecting a focus word. It’s a helpful practice that I recommend to my clients as well. My word for 2023 is ABOUND.
Each of my 5th grade students chose ¨One word¨ for 2023. We spent several days choosing a word, defining it, writing synonyms and now they are all on display in our classroom. Mine was ¨Joy¨ which sounds simple but I want to find the joy in every day tasks, focus on the joy of being with the people in my life and bring others joy through kindness and service. I also want to laugh more!
I really like "neutral thinking," a concept that arrives in a needed moment for me, just today grappling with an online critic and watching what my brain wants to make of it, even though it's but a tiny blip on the screen of my overall publishing experience. My word for the year is courage. Your story about Trevor Lawrence reminds me of a similar athletic demonstration in 2005 when Ralph Federer fell off the face of the planet in a match against his nemesis, Rafael Nadal. He lost the first two sets looking like he had no business in a professional tennis match and even the commentators were all but predicting the end of his career. But it was stunning to watch him refuse to descend into self-judgment, claw his way back in the 3rd set, and in the last two sets completely dominate Nadal to win the match. Sports are so inspiring to watch that way. I really like "deeper" and your comment about it being a life prompt that wasn't generated by intellect.
Happy New Year Matt! (from Denver today)
Hey Matt. Your word sounds fantastic. Best wishes. It is "connection" for me in 2023. Outside my comfort zone, where I need to spend some time.