Words for 2012: Curiosity and Action

A year in waiting. I wonder what will come of it?

I'd say it's more of a theme for 2012: moving through trepidation with curiosity and action.

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trepidation: n.: nervous agitation: APPREHENSION syn horror, terror, panic, consternation, dread, fright, dismay

curious: adj 1: having a desire to investigate and learn ...

action: n ... 2: the manner or method of performing 3: ACTIVITY...

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I'm interested in replacing fear with possibility, in replacing...

"I could never do that, I'm not ready. It scares me." with "What do I need to do to be ready? Is there a small action I can take and see where that leads?"

or

"I better not push my luck and do that extra <insert challenging task here>, I'm already pretty tired and I'm new to this." with "How about I try and see how far I can get?"

or even better,

"Who am I to do <insert idea/initiative/project here>? I'm going to fall flat on my face." with "Just try it and see how it goes. If it sucks, re-think it. If it doesn't, do it again and make it better."

There's more where that came from.

In addition to moving through fear, curiosity and action are also great ways to work through uncertainty which, let's face it, usually scares the crap out of me (thank you Susan Jeffers for that nugget!). When faced with uncertainty, instead of worrying about every possible way things could wrong I will try asking myself:

"I wonder how this is going to pan out?"

"I wonder how I'll choose to handle this?"

"Is there anything I can do to increase my chances of making this work?"

It's all easier said (or written) than done, but I'm after progress not perfection.

Practicing curiosity and action when faced with fear releases expectations and allows things to unfold without staying stuck. It encourages gentle risk-taking.

Fear has its place and raison d'être, but often it doesn't serve me at all and I'm getting tired of it. Hence my choice to adopt this theme for 2012.

I wonder how that's going to work out for me?

Word for 2011: Unfold

evening shadows on a garden wall, Maplelawn Historic Garden, Ottawa

"If there are no emergencies in your life, what situation could you allow to unfold more gently?"

~ Julia Cameron, Walking in this World

unfold: vb 1: to open the folds of: open up 2: to lay open to view: disclose 3: blossom, develop

It's what I see happening this year. It's what I struggle with. It's what I practice.

Letting things unfold.

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What could you allow to unfold more gently today?