As many do, I chose a “theme” word for the year 2026.
I have a fairly consistent morning routine, where I do some spiritual reading, journal as I am doing so and meditate for a period. It helps calm me, find my spirit and allow me to be present.
When I am at the office, I am also pretty intentional about outlining and planning my day. I have used the Monk Manual (not affiliated) for this purpose for quite some time and I would highly recommend it.
Whether it be in my journaling or my daily planning I write it at the top: forgiving.
I suppose I could have chosen resilience, power, abundance, strength, discipline…
Why “forgiving”?
Living in a forgiving state means you are actively choosing peace, love and harmony in the now. It is the eternal Present we should all be striving for, myself included.
Grievances held from the past cause pain and fear. Our tendency to look ahead to the future causes anxiety, as we inevitably draw upon our past experiences to “inform” what we believe will happen in our future.
Time is not a continuum. Past, present and future are broken and past and future simply do not exist. We need to understand the infinite power of being present and in this moment as it is all we have and all we ever will have.
Writing that word at the top of every page, making it the theme for the year makes it top of mind for me when I need it most. Who do I direct my forgiveness toward 100% of the time?
Myself.
The world around me is merely a reflection of what is going on within. Be the Light you wish to see.
That work will go on without end.