Maybelle Crabtree here. I did a post on the book, One Word That Will Change Your Life, by Jon Gordon, Dan Britton, and Jimmy Page a few weeks ago. I told you about my journey that started about two years ago after I read this book. Using One Word changed my life! And I also told you that around Chinese New Year I would have my Word for 2021.
Well, the Chinese New Year began on February 12 (the Year of the Ox) and I am writing today to share my word to you. If you need a refresher on that post, then this will get you there.
My 2021 One Word
My One Word for this year is (drum roll, please) “Believe!” Once again, God directed me to this word by simply reading a book I have called Simple Abundance by Sara Ban Breathnach. In that book I read these two entries:
- Believe. Believe in yourself. Believe in the One who believes in you. All things are possible to she who believes.
- Take a leap of faith and begin this wondrous new year by believing. Believe in yourself. And believe that there is a loving Source – a Sower of Dreams – just waiting to be asked to help you make your dreams come true.
What I Believe Already
When I read these two items I knew “believe” was my one word for the year 2021. Now a definition of believe is “accept something as true; feel sure of the truth of.” It’s a solid, no-holds-barred, no-doubt-about-it belief. It’s a truth that is unshakeable.
Granted, I have a lot of beliefs that are unshakeable. For example, my belief in God is strong. No one will ever convince me there is no God. You know why? Because I have had too many miracles in my life which is another thing I believe in: miracles. There are no coincidences in my life. Only miracles. No one is going to change my mind about that either.
Another thing I believe in is the power of pray. Seen too many of mine answered to think otherwise. I know there’s been some talk the past few years about how saying someone’s in your thoughts and prayers is meaningless. Those people just don’t understand how prayers work. Sometimes prayers are answered and sometimes it’s a no. Prayers are like anything else. You don’t stop praying because you don’t like the answer. I’ve had a “no” to quite a few of mine and I keep on praying.
I also believe in kindness that bounces back like a boomerang. Some people call it Karma or you reap what you sow; all I know is when you’re nice, niceness comes back to you. Be positive and that positivity swings back around. But the opposite is true too; be mean or negative and that’s exactly what you’ll get in return.
Believe in Myself?
There are other things I believe also: love makes life worthwhile, grace, encouraging others, hope, dreams, and one voice can change the world. But there’s one thing I have trouble believing. And that is in myself. I am my own biggest, and loudest, critic and naysayer. I don’t know why that is because growing up my parents were very supportive of all my endeavors. Oh, I was disciplined and put in my place sometimes but nothing that scarred me forever.
Ways to Believe
So that’s what I’m going to do this year: believe in myself. Commencing today, I am changing my perspective. I am the driver of my own success! Well, maybe the co-driver because God’s going to get me where I need to go. I’ll just enjoy the ride. But I’m going to change my self-talk. No more, “Maybelle, you can be a dumb idiot sometimes.” Instead maybe I’ll say, “Maybelle, you just made a mistake. You’re human. It’s okay. Don’t let it get you down. Take a break and figure out another way.”
In fact, maybe I’ll learn some new skills and create goals for myself. And write those goals down with a step by step plan to make them come true. And, most of all, I’ll celebrate every time a step is completed. Why I’ll even have a credo this year – I believe God is doing something amazing in my life! By the way, did you know “cred” is the Latin root word for believe?
So there you have it; my One Word for the year 2021. I’m so excited. This is going to be a great year. But I’m curious. Did any of you take up my challenge? Did you come up with your own Word this year? It’s never too late to start. Come on. Give it a try. What have you got to lose? You might even change your life for the better.
Leave me a comment and let’s discuss. Maybelle Crabtree signing off.
I’ve been reading Sarah’s book off and on since it first came out, and I’ve been working on the one word since you mentioned it a few years ago. My word this year is “ Savor”— especially since we learned in the last twelve months to live one day at a time and plans for the future are very uncertain. I savored the sun today in my backyard, especially for the people in Texas going through such tragedy.
You’ve chosen a perfect word for your present path. There is much power in believing!
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