CHOOSE!

I have read a few blogs and found something I really like...a one year "theme" for the year!  It goes along with setting new goals for the year!  I am a goal-setter...a list-maker.  I like to write things down.  That part of making goals I can do.  Each year I love to set new goals...some I accomplish...some I keep setting year after year.  I have heard though-setting a goal and not writing it down is merely a wish.  Writing them down remind us what we wanted to change to become who we want to become!
This year I did it a little bit different though.  I thought about the one word I wanted to think about this year.  It took me a few weeks to decide which one I wanted.  There are lots of good words and lots of good things to work on.  I kept debating, and as I debated I decided I had the right word for me...
CHOOSE!
That is my word for the year...CHOOSE!  I decided this one word can help me EVERY DAY!  Maybe it will help me accomplish more of my goals this year.  To "choose" is an action.  Sometimes we don't want to choose and guess what? That is "choosing"!  Sometimes I have a hard time making decisions (ask Brett when we go to dinner and I am trying to decide what to order).
The more I thought about this word the more I loved it and the more I wanted to get my whole family on board.  A couple of weeks ago it was my turn to be in charge of the lesson for Family Home Evening.  I decided we could do this as a family.  We talked about what it meant to choose and that each choice we have has a consequence.  We can choose our choices, but we don't get to choose our consequences.
We talked about this quote:

Sometimes you are not choosing between right and wrong.  Sometimes you are choosing between good, better, and best.  As our kids get older, Brett and I are realizing there are lots of choices to be made.  Our kids have lots of choices...friends, activities, how they spend their time...the list could go on and on.  Those kind of choices aren't only for our kids, they are for us too...what kind of friends will we have, how will we use our time, what kinds of activities will we be involved in?
We realize as a family we have choices to make.  We believe family time is the BEST time!  There are certain times when we try to be together.  Monday nights are one of those.  We hold those nights dear and try to teach our kids that this is a family night-not a night to be with friends and other things.  It gets harder as they get more involved, but we keep it as a priority that we will have FHE even if it is late!

So we made some posters to hang in our home to help remind us that we all have choices EVERY DAY!

Those choices we make, even the small ones, will determine who we become!
We each wrote down three things that we want to CHOOSE to do this year.

Sometimes we get caught up in what we CAN'T do as members of the church, but I really liked this quote:

We have to be actively engaged in the gospel and it will become a part of us and we will become better people because of it.  "CHOOSE" to live it!  Just a few more quotes I liked:

This is going to be our family theme this year:

and hopefully when we are faced with choices, we will remember that scripture and CHOOSE to be on the Lord's side.  It isn't always easy to make the right choices, but if we are trying to do what is right Heavenly Father will help us!  The gospel is designed to help us be happy!

The thing I love about this word is it can help me with EVERY goal I set this year...goals being on this page. We each set goals at the beginning of January and I typed them up so everyone would remember the goals they set.  The choices we make each day can help each of us with our goals.  For example, "will I eat that sugary treat or eat fruit instead?"  Will I set up my running schedule and follow it so I can run my 5K or 10K?  What time of the day, morning or night, will I take time to read my scriptures or write in my journal?
I have been amazed how by picking a word for the year has made my goals seem more attainable.  It is a daily process and doesn't need to be overwhelming.  I am realizing it is the little choices I make every day that will get me to my bigger goals.
This one is my favorite quote:

I truly believe whatever path we choose, that is where we will end up.  If we have chosen a path we don't want, we can turn around and try another path, but the road back may be a lot harder than if we had chosen different in the first place.  However, that is something else I love about the gospel...Heavenly Father has given us the gift of repentance to help us when we need to change!  None of us are perfect and the atonement is a wonderful gift for each of us if we will CHOOSE to use it!
I would love to hear if anyone else does this and what their word is they chose for the year.  Even if you don't choose a word for the year, what word would you CHOOSE?  I would love to hear them ALL!  Please share!