Courageously, She Lived

Do you have a goal for yourself, but are looking for a WORD that reminds you to actively work toward that intention?

Read Megan’s Story below to see how she turned her intention into a WORD that she continuously applies to her daily life:

Words, particularly inspirational words, have been something that I’ve always gravitated towards. I love how certain ones look when written out, how they sound, and how they make me feel empowered. When I first heard about the MyIntent mission in 2017, I felt that it aligned perfectly with my love for words and their meanings. Immediately, I knew I had to have a bracelet with a word of my own.

The next step was to choose my WORD. I was initially overwhelmed by all the words that I could stamp on that little round token. The process took longer than I thought and, as I sifted through the “rolodex” of words in my mind, none of them seemed to resonate strongly enough. So I started to dig a little deeper; what did I want more of in my life? At the time, I wanted to step out of my comfort zone. I wanted to be brave, have courage, and take a chance on adventure. All of these things were part of my truth, but none of those words felt like my WORD. I began to play around with writing quotes that encapsulated how I wanted to move forward and that’s when I came up with COURAGEOUSLY:

“As a writer, words mean everything to me and every year, I like to pick a specific one to focus on. After last year's focus on living effortlessly, I felt that I needed a new word, a reminder to be me - to stand up for myself, to fight for my goals, to keep my standards high, to step outside of the lines. For so long, I've let myself hide away from fear of the unknown. So, COURAGEOUSLY is the word I choose because it is the start of a brave sentence. Courageously, she lived.” - Megan R.

Over the last four years, I have worn COURAGEOUSLY on my wrist as a constant reminder to be brave. It has been with me through healing, growth, new opportunities, love, loss, and - most recently - my graduation. Other WORDs have popped up here and there as I’ve navigated through short-term goals, but COURAGEOUSLY has remained the WORD that continues to motivate me in all chapters of my life.

To me, COURAGEOUSLY defines the journey leading me to the best version of myself.

 

Now, it’s your turn to work with your WORD. Think of it as an idea. Elizabeth Gilbert, in her book Big Magic, personifies ideas. She writes that “ideas have no material body, but they do have consciousness…the only way an idea can be made manifest in our world is through collaboration with a human partner…The idea will not leave you alone until it has your fullest attention. And then, in a quiet moment, it will ask, ‘Do you want to work with me?’” (Gilbert 35, 36).

So, what WORD is asking to work with you? 

Reflect on your goals. These can be long-term or short-term goals. You could even think of an intention that you have for the present moment. You might ask yourself: What do I need more of in my life?

Do you need STRENGTH to get through a difficult situation? Are you wanting to find and accept LOVE? Do you want more PEACE in your life?

Once you establish what you’re looking for, you'll have a better idea of what your WORD is. Next, try brainstorming ways to activate that WORD. 

Using Megan’s method, try writing your WORD into a sentence or a short quote. Use the following example as a guide:

With strength and determination, I move forward ______________.

With strength and determination, I move forward RESILIENTLY.

The goal is to answer how you want to live. Adding a suffix - like -ly - to your WORD (e.g. courageously) helps you to answer that "how." It creates a small narrative that guides your understanding of the active role that your WORD plays in your life. How are you living? How are you moving forward or letting go or conquering obstacles?

This activity helps to put you directly into the storyline that you’re creating. When you can visualize yourself in the moment with your intention, you will feel more connected to and empowered by your WORD.

For a more in-depth guide on how to find and activate your WORD, click below to download our Journal Activity.

Download Journal

Adding -ly is not the only way to “activate” your WORD.

Here are some other ways to get creative with your intention and activate your WORD: