Personal Growth Through an Expansion Mindset
My tradition of choosing a yearly theme started over a decade ago, spurred by a family tragedy that impacted my outlook on life.
This yearly ritual was a silver lining during that time, which has grown into a practice I hold very dear – finding my expansion word.
What Is an Expansion Word?
An expansion word is like choosing a personal growth theme for the year! It's a different take on resolutions that gives me a self-discovery North Star.
This approach to goal-setting focuses on expansion and learning, not productivity and accomplishment.
It allows space for the lessons of the word to unfold before me (letting intuition guide me down a path) instead of pushing towards a pre-conceived outcome.
I’ve found this approach works best for my self-discovery practice, where I’m anchored in being a student and work hard to release control and view life from the observer's seat (which is no small feat).
To say it more succinctly, my expansion word is a:
Year-long personal growth theme
Self-Discovery North Star
Way to focus on learning, instead of productivity
Container to understand myself more deeply
Gentle, sustainable approach to goal-setting that won’t burn me out come February
I think of my word as the lens that shapes the way I observe + learn, influences how I show up in the world, and guides where my energy goes throughout the year.
It’s kind of like having a growth mentor.
My 2024 Expansion Word: Acceptance
I went with a doozy of a word this year and landed on ACCEPTANCE.
It’s a big theme. And one that I know will challenge me in the ways I want to continue growing.
To be honest, I initially had another word in mind for this year. I tend to start calling in my theme a few months before the end of the year so I can sit with it and decide if it feels right for me.
I really liked my original word and felt connected to it, but for some reason it didn’t give me that “click” feeling that I’ve come to recognize as my intuitive “YESSSS!” so I held onto it lightly and stayed open for different guidance.
Then one day it hit me. The word acceptance came into clear view and the “click” was there.
I knew instantly.
Almost as soon as it landed, it started sending the lessons (before the new year was even here!).
Things like my car getting stolen a couple of weeks before Christmas.
And our beloved pine tree (the only old-growth tree we had on our property) dying from a beetle infestation and having to be cut down.
It hasn’t taken its foot off the gas pedal (more things are headed my way), so I have to stay firmly planted in my knowing that I asked for this and I’m being sent what I need for the next phase of my evolution.
Life Guided by an Expansion Mindset
I feel like I’ve seen the phrase “growth mindset” buzzing around the internet a lot recently.
I like the intent behind it, but the energy is off for me.
The essence (from my POV) is that it’s encouragement of living up to your full potential through dedication and hard work for the ultimate goal of accomplishing more.
That’s all well-and-good, but felt in direct opposition to the “learning over productivity” element of my expansion word.
So I thought about how I would soften the edges to make it feel more aligned to what I was working towards and I landed on the phrase expansion mindset.
For me, it retains the elements of focused attention and effort towards something new, but keeps the goal more open-ended. It feels more aligned with holding space and openness for learning.
More an act of allowing than efforting.
Or as Rick Rubin eloquently said, “simply a state of continual welcoming.”
Anatomy of Acceptance
I’ve had a few months to noodle on this expansion word and I’ve come to realize there are two parts to dealing with this word.
There’s the obvious…having to accept things as they are and as they come to me.
But there’s a less obvious counterpart that kind of holds the whole thing together.
I realized that in order to accept something as it is, I also have to hold the belief that everything is happening as it should be.
Or, to use a more common phrase, “everything happens for a reason.”
Luckily for me, that’s a concept I already buy into.
I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but here’s the thing…
I don’t hold it as just a phrase. For me, it’s a constant practice. An intentional belief I choose to hold about life.
Believing everything happens for a reason wasn’t something that came naturally to me. It wasn’t my first instinct when faced with adversity, heartache, or grief.
It’s something I’ve learned, over time, to be true. And something that I consciously decide to subscribe to.
It’s an act of faith.
I also know deeply that I have zero control over what happens in life – the good or the bad.
So I get to choose one of two things. I can resist what is (that’s how I used to live and it was the source of some deep-rooted anxiety and depression), or I can accept what is.
That acceptance comes with trusting (a faith) that there is a lesson to be learned from everything.
All of this is vital to living with an expansion mindset.
Looking Ahead Through 2024
Based on the pre-2024 encounters I’ve already had with my expansion word, I know deep in my bones there’s a lot coming for me.
But my lived experience shows the magnitude of the learning will be equal to that of the lesson.
I’m embarking with an open heart and my tools (writing and meditation) to keep me grounded and steady as I move through the lessons it will bring.
If this has inspired you to find your own expansion word for this year, you can do that with my guided 3-part email series that will lead you there.
The activities are a mix of reflection, imagination and getting in touch with how you're being called to expand – an exercise you can do any time of the year, not just at the start.
Sending you big love for the year ahead. May it be expansive in all the ways you want.
If you decide to join me with an expansion word for the year, I’d love to hear what it is below in the comments!