At the beginning of each year, our Change Matrix (CM) staff selects a Word for the Year that embodies how we plan to approach the year ahead and with what intention. At the end of every year, we then collectively reflect on what we have learned before picking a new word in January. Here are our staff words from 2021 and reflections.
Alice | Now – I want to embrace the now, and right now there’s so much change, so enjoy the present moment.
Reflection: This year I embraced spending time with friends and family more intentionally. I made sure I made time for the people I love.
Alina | Ikigai – This is a Japanese philosophy that means to find the cross-section of your values, things you like to do, and things you are good at.
Reflection: This year, I found many of the things I feel called to do come together through me. While they didn’t necessarily intersect with each other outside of myself, I dove more deeply into my equity and advocacy work, became a dog mom again, and have begun to explore ways to connect my passion for social justice with environmental justice work. I look forward to continuing this discovery into next year and beyond!
Annie | Active – My goal is to be more active in equity. Not only an ally and learner but an active participant or co-conspirator in this space.
Reflection: Taking action in equity showed up for me in 2021 as I got more involved with Asian-Black solidarity groups to help build connection and power between these two groups, who are often pitted against each other. Being active looked like participating in rallies, joining discussions, organizing healing spaces, encouraging community members to vote, and setting an example of empathy and compassion for my daughters.
Chyenne | Intention – I want to focus on living with intention, living a balanced life with passion and mindfulness.
Reflection: This year, I worked on doing even the most mundane day-to-day tasks with intention. By giving everything purpose, I made even the mundane special which truly transformed my year.
Elizabeth | Savor – I want to savor not only when it’s joyful but when it’s hard.
Reflection: Savoring, it turns out, is challenging when one is busy. And yet, when we slow down and savor, it offers perspective, wisdom, and generosity. This year, I have worked hard to intentionally savor moments of possibility and hope as well as discomfort and the learning that comes from it.
Eve | Receptiveness – I’m trying to be a better listener and be better at absorbing what people really mean which makes me better at my work.
Reflection: My word for 2021 was receptiveness. I made an effort to not only be a better listener but to better apply critiques and observations from others into my own work in order to grow and challenge myself. I’m eager to continue these efforts in 2022.
Evelyn | Breakthrough – As a transition-aged youth, I began working to help others with the traumas they have gone through, and now I want to focus some time on myself, my life and my relationships.
Reflection:
Jennifer | Embrace – I want to embrace what is to come. There are challenges coming this year, but I want to embrace them with positivity.
Karla | Be – I want to ground myself to be more present in the moment and live every day one second at a time.
Reflection: Being is sometimes over-rated! Escaping from reality, and indulging in activities that help you have fun/de-stress may sometimes be best.
London | Flow – Flow exists at the intersection of ease and challenge. Throughout this year, I have revisited this word and its meaning several times. I have seen it show up in my work as a project director, coach, and supervisor. I have experienced its fruition on both a personal and professional level and continue to find it aspiring and motivating.
Rachele | Renewal – The unexpected nature and challenges of this past year led to a real need for intentional focus and new starts. I tried to remind myself that learning, growth and strength can come from struggle.
Sandra | Be brave – I have been thinking about areas I want to grow in and it’s going to require that I get out of my comfort zone and be brave.
Suganya | Gratitude – With everything that is going on at a rapid pace in this world, I am going to try to stop and take a moment each day to be grateful for family, friends, and a caring loving community.
Reflection: A close friend sent me a gratitude jar after my mother died and it sat for many months with no notes of gratitude placed in it. I kept looking at it every day but could find no inspiration. Then, I read about the 10,000 cranes project. Now I am learning to make origami cranes to fill that jar – each crane a hope for others and myself to stay healthy and strong through this pandemic — and the gratitude to be able to do so.
Susan | Adaptation — there was so much change that happened this year, it really called on me to be flexible and adaptive in ways that could sometimes be stressful, but also that helped me grow.
Tennille | Evolution — Every year, I work on myself a little bit more and work on changing, and it’s changed my outlook on life.
Tonicia | Stillness — Inner peace, finding space just to be, just to do nothing, press reset, be in control of myself regardless of my environment – in work, community, neighborhood, etc.
Reflection: 2021 was a year that required intentionally taking time to just be still, reflect, resist, and recalibrate. I am blessed to have found spaces that embraced these same principles. It’s important as healers, teachers, and individuals who are frequently pouring into others, that we take the time needed to refill our own wells.
Tina | Self-discovery — Tapping into unrealized potential, finding my purpose, and pushing myself to evolve.
Ghia | Gratitude — Learning to be grateful for my many blessings and to incorporate the practice of gratitude in my daily life.
Reflection: In this pandemic (and in life in general), it’s easy to get overwhelmed by what is going wrong and what you can’t control but I’ve learned to balance this by taking the time to pause and think about all of the wonderful things that I have in my life. We all have so much to be grateful for!
Nancy | Gratitude. With everything going on in the world, I am continuously working on reminding myself of how grateful I am in this very moment, place, & time. The past few years were incredibly difficult phases of life for me and yet continue to shape my growth as a person.
