Seven years ago, I stumbled upon a simple yet profound tradition: selecting a singular word to guide me through the year. It's a practice that has not just shaped the contours of my life but one that I eagerly share in the opening of Season 4 of the Mind Body Project. As we explore the transformative power of words—the ones we gently murmur to ourselves—I recount the indelible impact of my previous words of intention, from 'courage' to 'persevere.' It's a journey that underscores the essential truth: the seeds of substantial life change are planted in the fertile soil of our mental landscapes.
Join us as we navigate the pathways of personal growth and invite you to engage with the Mind Body Project beyond the podcast. From daily text messages that offer a shot of inspiration to email updates that keep you looped in, every exchange is crafted to support your journey. I share the intimate sign-off ritual my wife and I practice each night, a testament to the day's end and the promise of a new dawn. Your words have power, and by sharing your personal word for the year with our community on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube at Aaron Degler, we create a tapestry of shared intentions. For all those who've walked with us thus far, your continued support through ratings and reviews fuels our collective evolution. Let's raise our voices and our spirits for a season of words that heal, empower, and transform.
Seven years ago, I stumbled upon a simple yet profound tradition: selecting a singular word to guide me through the year. It's a practice that has not just shaped the contours of my life but one that I eagerly share in the opening of Season 4 of the Mind Body Project. As we explore the transformative power of words—the ones we gently murmur to ourselves—I recount the indelible impact of my previous words of intention, from 'courage' to 'persevere.' It's a journey that underscores the essential truth: the seeds of substantial life change are planted in the fertile soil of our mental landscapes.
Join us as we navigate the pathways of personal growth and invite you to engage with the Mind Body Project beyond the podcast. From daily text messages that offer a shot of inspiration to email updates that keep you looped in, every exchange is crafted to support your journey. I share the intimate sign-off ritual my wife and I practice each night, a testament to the day's end and the promise of a new dawn. Your words have power, and by sharing your personal word for the year with our community on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube at Aaron Degler, we create a tapestry of shared intentions. For all those who've walked with us thus far, your continued support through ratings and reviews fuels our collective evolution. Let's raise our voices and our spirits for a season of words that heal, empower, and transform.
Welcome to the Mind Body Project Podcast. After over a decade in the health and wellness industry, erin realized that our bodies change only short-term, unless our mindset changes for long-term success.
Speaker 1:Both our mind and body are forever linked. We are continually building up new ideas and tearing down old ones in our construction zone. We call our mind. After this podcast is over, make sure you give it a like and a share, and please subscribe and review this podcast. I would now like to introduce you to your host, the man connecting your mind and body to create a limitless life Erin Zegler.
Speaker 2:Welcome back to the Mind Body Project. Thanks for taking a long time to join me and welcome to Season 4, episode 1. It's hard to believe that we are starting our fourth season. So many shows behind us and so many guests and so many topics. Just excited to start the fourth season of the Mind Body Project. Thank you so much to each one of you that listen on every other week, appreciate you so much, listening and sharing our show as it grows. It grows each season and I know it's going to grow even more this season.
Speaker 2:We're at the first part of the year, we're in January, we're about in the second, third week of January 2024, and, as always, I like to talk about the first of the year, about words. We all say so many words in a day if we think about it and I'm sure there's been research about how many words we say in a day and it's a lot. It's a lot of words and I think sometimes we forget that words have power and when we say words we probably kind of understand they have power because they can make somebody smile, they can make somebody laugh, they can make somebody cry, they can make somebody mad. They have power. But what about the words that we say to ourself. They do have power, but so many times we overlook those words and the beginning of each year, and I've done this for, talked about it last year, in 2023, at this time of the year, and I'm going to talk about it again because at the first of each new year, I believe it is so important to talk about words and how the power that they have on us, and for the last five or six years I think this might be my seventh year I pick a word. I pick a word that will drive my intention for the year, and usually I start working on that word in November or December. I start really kind of thinking about reflecting on my year I started reflecting about in November, on my 2023.
Speaker 2:What did I like about 2023? What are some things I could improve upon? What are some things that maybe those things I want to improve upon I really wanted to dial in and focus on, and so, as I do that, I allow myself plenty of time. I don't try to rush this process. It's not. I sit down and go think was it? Maybe it's poo? He goes think, think, think, think. It may not be poo, but that's what came to mind. But I don't sit down and do that, I just allow it to just kind of ping pong around in my mind. What you know, what's, what words do I would associate with that, what are some of the things I'd like to improve upon? And I just let those kind of bounce around as I go throughout the day, throughout the week, and so I don't put a lot of pressure on myself, I just allow it to kind of naturally, naturally take place.
Speaker 2:And usually towards the middle of December I come up with that word, I come up with maybe three or four words and then I start going through those words and I think about the power of those words and I think about, when I say those words, what does that mean to me? How does that resonate with me? And you know it has to be a word you can remember, it has to be a word that you say and it can alter the decisions that you make. And for me, I know the first couple of years I was guilty of I didn't remember what my word was. You know, by the end of the year, like now, what was my word? So After that I started. After those first couple years I started making.
Speaker 2:If you've heard of my intent, my intent. They have washers. It looks like a washer can go on a keychain or whatever and then you have your word put on it. But I bought all the tools so I could make that myself. You know, I I get the letters out, I stamp them on the the washer, so I and in the year, so I remember, and that put on my keychain. So it's something for me to remember my word by. So it's always right there, it's always handy, it's always and to. It's neat because, you know, I can look back through the years on my keychain and see all the ones I've made and and the words that I've had in the past, and I can reflect on those years and I can look back and and, seeing that word, I can remember each Year what kind of impact that word had on me for that year. I can remember that and if I was just to try to remember, well, in 2021 I Probably wouldn't be able to remember, but by doing that it, it triggers.
Speaker 2:Okay, that was the word. I remember some of the key things I did that year that were because of that word, and so I just wanted to share with you that the the power of words. You know when, when we think about our word, we have to think about when does that start, our word? As I mentioned, I spend a month, month and a half, thinking about the things I need to make improvements, on, the things I'd like to really focus on, dial in on, and and that's where my word comes from.
Speaker 2:So it all starts in what the mind-body project is. It all starts in our mind. It all starts with our thinking because when, when we we come up with that word, we craft that word just the right and I have helped Numerous clients come up with words. You know they have all these different things and you want to be positive and something resonates and so so I talk them through the Process and we boil it down to a couple words and then we talk about, you know Little, get a little bit more detailed about those and and so something that that really resonates with them and it starts in their mind so that when they think of that word, they think, oh, I'm gonna do this because that word, when it has power, when we say words have power, it can alter a Decision. That's how powerful I believe that word of the year is, and I think sometimes we go all word of the year, you know, foo, foo, blah, blah, but it really does have power and I've talked to many of my clients about how that word that they come up with and and I can't come up with it for them but we can Narrow down the process to the that there one word that they come up with that how it has changed their decision-making process in the year and when you finish that year and you've been true to that word many say you know what I wanted to improve on that year? I did because of that word, because that word should be something that is so powerful that, when faced with the decision, if you didn't have that word, you would have probably gone the opposite direction.
Speaker 2:My word for last year was ignite. There's, which was, you know, I had originally thought of start. I thought, well, you know, starts good, but I want something ignite. When I think of ignite, it starts, but it starts with power, and so that's what I wanted. That's the word I chose for 2023 because of the power it had, and so when I said that word, I wanted it to have power, and so that got it. I started a lot of different new things in 2023 because of my word ignite, because I wanted to start things with power, and I wouldn't have done that in the past, in 2022, because and there's things I wanted to start but I didn't because I Didn't have that word, and so it's the word that altered my thinking of this is what I want to do. I want to be true to that word, so I'm going to do those things that I might not say no to and say yes to. How can I start it? With excitement, with a lot of yeah do it.
Speaker 2:So that was my word for last year. I got a lot of things accomplished. I started a lot of new things last year. So it was an exciting year in 2023 that I was able to start. And so as I ended the year 2023 and I started thinking about my 2024, I thought I just felt like I started a lot of new things and in this new year, I wanted to kind of work on those things I started. So one of the things I've kind of told myself was that I'm not going to start anything new in 2024. I really want to dial in on those things that I started and really be able to flesh them out and grow them in a manner that I would be happy with. So, and because of my word last year at night, I did start a lot of new things.
Speaker 2:I reached out to a lot of people, gave a lot of myself through the year, and so for 2024, I decided to choose the word self and you might say, well, that sounds kind of selfish, but it's not, because those are the things that I wanted to work on for myself. In other words, I wanted to some of those things I started. I want to have some self-satisfaction and really get into those and really make those the best I can and not just be. Oh, I have my hand on a lot of things and I do a little good, but I want to do a lot of good in those things, some of the habits that I want to instill in myself. This year. I'm going to have a plan for different habits every month. So that's working on myself, whether it's physical, mental or spiritual. It's working on myself and some of the decisions, and there may be some opportunities that come along that I might say no to because maybe that doesn't serve me this year and it's maybe an opportunity that I need to revisit at a later time, but it may not be for me this year. And so, with that word self, there's going to be a lot of different decisions and things that will come along with that that will remind me of hey, are you being true to your word? That's why I like to say you know, words have power, because when we think that that is our thought, that is our strong, powerful thought, and what comes next?
Speaker 2:Our thoughts come out in speech. And though, knowing my word, knowing your word, will also affect how you talk to others. In other words, I might have an opportunity. I might have to say I appreciate the opportunity, but right now that's not a good fit for what I want to do for this year, which then, in turns our speech, goes into actions. So as I choose the word self, it will. I'll be taking actions in some different habits that I'm going to start some digging into the things I've started and learning new things not starting new things, but learning things that will improve the projects I've already started. And so my goal this year is to really be true to that word self.
Speaker 2:But as you see, as we think about it, our thought turns into speech, it turns into action. So you see how our thought of that word drives our year through actions. And that's why a word is of the year, is so powerful, because if you just sat there and had a word, does it do any good? No, but if you put that word into action, you can see some big, big changes throughout the year. And sometimes you might have to, you might write it down on a piece of paper, you might write it on a post note, put it on your mirror or somewhere you see it. You might you might put it on the back on your phone so you know your screensaver, so you'll always see, you'll always remember it, and I encourage you to do that, so you're always looking at it.
Speaker 2:Because first, like I said, the first couple of years, I couldn't, I couldn't tell you what they were, I don't remember what my word was, and so. But it takes practice. But one word can be so powerful that it can alter your year, it can touch other people, it can touch you, it can make a world of difference to us and to others when we are honest and truthful with our word and we honor our word. So that's why I give so much time to think about it and really meditate over it, about what that word is gonna be, because I know the impact it's gonna make on my year. So I challenge you to find your word of the year, one that resonates with you, not that someone else picked for you, because it has to be one that you pick for yourself. And I challenge you to pick that word and share that word.
Speaker 2:I'd love for you to reach out to me and share what your word is and why you chose that word, because words have power. Words start as a thought and they move into action, and that action can make your 2024 completely different looking than your 2023. So I'd love to connect with you. You can do that. We can do that through text. You can go to my website. Erendeglercom has my how you can sign up for my daily text, sign up for my email, the different programs I have. I would just love to connect with you in this new year and I would love for you to share your word with me. And I just tell my wife every night before I go to bed it's bombin' the night double A out.
Speaker 1:Thank you for listening to today's podcast. If you would like to connect with Aaron, you can do so by going to erendeglercom or find him on social media as erendegler on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. Once again, we greatly appreciate you tuning in. If you've enjoyed the show, please feel free to rate, subscribe and leave a review wherever you listen to your podcasts. We greatly appreciate that effort and we'll catch you in the next episode of the MindBody Project podcast.