Fearless: My One Little Word

Fearless. It’s my one little word for 2015, the word that I’m holding onto for dear life as I navigate this already intense year.

Synonyms: bold, brave, courageous, intrepid, valiant, heroic, daring, audacious, indomitable.

Remind me of all that when I’m ready to cower under the table. Remind me when I can’t seem to make out the road ahead. I’ve already been there, terrified and clinging to fearless. I’m hanging on, good, bad, or ugly.

The fearless quote I love: “Be truthful, gentle, and fearless.” I recite it to myself daily, hoping it will sink all the way down into my bones. I want it to be a part of me.

And, of course, I’m afraid. I’m afraid that relationships won’t be able to be restored. I’m afraid that the next step will take my family somewhere we don’t want to go. I’m afraid I’m going to fail.

But fearless is helping me choose. I choose not to fear the uncertainty. I choose to follow my faith and intuition and values. I want to worry less, doubt less, and fear less.

January was a month to explore what fearless means to me. February was a month to play with it. The assignment was to make a vision board based on the one little word. I preferred to think of it as a collage (vision board doesn’t sit right with me).

I sat down with my daughter, cutting out photographs from magazines, anything that spoke to me. I had no plan; I just went with my gut. I loved it. There’s something wonderful that happens when I use my hands to create — it’s like something inside me gets unlocked (or maybe it’s all the happy memories of an art-filled childhood). I could have looked and cut all day.

But mothering left me with limited time, so I gathered enough to cover two 8.5×11″ pieces of cardstock. And near the end of my magazine flipping, I finally found my word. It was on an add for hair products, but oh well. There it was, ready to be laid in the middle of my collage. Fearless. 

Now to hang it in my office where I can see it everyday.