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Sparkle

Word of the Year. When I was trying to choose my word for this year, something to set my intentions around and to focus on throughout 2024, nothing really jumped out at me like it has in the past. So, I googled a list of “Word of the Year” options and made a list of all the words that really resonated with me. From my list, the two that stood out the most were “Sparkle” and “Thrive.” This past year, and MANY throughout my life, has been about surviving. Just making it through the best I can. But I strongly believe that we were not put on this planet to “just survive.” We were meant to thrive.

Inspired by myself going overboard with the glitter last night for New Year’s Eve, I chose “Sparkle.” I feel that “Sparkle” encompasses thriving as well. After all, it’s difficult to sparkle and shine when you’re just getting by, scraping through, surviving. 2023 was the year of Barbie, Taylor Swift, Beyonce, Princess Peach, and an overall growth in women supporting women. I want to keep that momentum going for myself. One thing all these (real and fictional) women have in common is that they thrive. They sparkle and shine. But how will this word apply to me?

She leaves a little sparkle wherever she goes.

This has always been one of my favorite quotes. Last night I may or may not have left a literally glitter trail everywhere I went. But for serious, in life I want to be the woman who enters a room and there is always at least one person (preferably more) who notices and/or is happy to see me. I want to be the woman whose presence leaves a mark. When I leave the room, I want people to have good feelings and nice things to say. I want to be noticed and I want it to be for my joy, my confidence, my kindness, my generosity, my compassion. I want to be a woman that others aspire to be more like. I want to be a blessing and not a burden. I want to be one of the first people that other people, especially the women in my life, want at their dinner party, book club, networking event, etc. I want to leave a positive, impactful, and lasting impression on everyone I meet.

This means working on loving myself. It means to quit seeking approval from outside and start building my confidence from within. It means starting to believe that I can be, that I am already, this woman that I aspire to be. If I don’t believe it, no one else is going to.

Never let anyone dull your sparkle.

My confidence has to come from within and so does my joy. I cannot let other people or bad situations bring me down. I won’t be the person I want to be if I let that happen. This doesn’t mean “positive vibes only” or pretending to be happy when I’m not. It means feeling my feelings but choosing to rise above. It means fortifying my cracks with gold. It means if I find myself in a pit, I am going to claw my way out and emerge victorious. It means never going back to “just surviving.” And it means being truthful, vulnerable, completely raw, but being able to find joy in the pain. Not plastering a fake smile on my face and pretending everything is okay but choosing to find the positive and the lesson in every situation. It means being truly authentic. The strongest and shiniest diamond needs to be tested to see if it’s real. Surface may get smudged but after a quick “cleaning,” it shines again. That’s what this means to me. Authenticity. True shine. Like a diamond.

Honestly, there is so much more I could say about the word “Sparkle” and about why I’ve chosen it for 2024. But for now, I’ll leave you with this.

Here are some other words that I feel “Sparkle” encompasses:

Thrive, obvs.

Self-Love.

Enough.

Worthy.

Balance. (Gotta keep those chakras aligned.)

Freedom. (For me this means freedom from alcohol, from other’s opinions, from debt, etc.)

Unchained. (Same as freedom, but with a cool mental image.)

Some quotes/affirmations that I found online (not sure where all of them came from):

Eat glitter for breakfast and shine all day.

People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within.– Elisabeth Kubler Ross

A diamond doesn’t ask if it can shine. It just does.

“A star never lets anything dull its sparkle, not even darkness.” - Matshona Dhliwayo

Life won’t sparkle unless you do.

Do what makes your soul shine.

Less Bitter, More Glitter.

Consider the fact that maybe…just maybe…beauty and worth aren’t found in a makeup bottle, or a salon-fresh hairstyle, or a fabulous outfit. Maybe our sparkle comes from somewhere deeper inside, somewhere so pure and authentic and REAL, it doesn’t need gloss or polish or glitter to shine. - Mandy Hale, The Single Woman: Life, Love, and a Dash of Sass