One Word changed everything

The other day, I was looking through old photos from when we first moved to London in 2018. There was one of me painting on the living room floor of our rental in Kensal Rise.

I stared at it for a long time. And then, out of nowhere, I started crying.

I felt so much sadness for the girl in that photo.

She was lost, anxious, searching, sensitive, and ashamed of it all.

But alongside the sadness, I felt deep gratitude. Because it was the start of something beautiful.

Shortly after that photo was taken, I chose my first word: surrender.

Quitting my job in 2016 was the first step in a new direction. Surrender was the beginning of something deeper.

The start of living intentionally.

It taught me to let go of control, to trust myself, and to make decisions from the inside out.

Before that, most of the choices I made were on autopilot.

I did what I thought I should.

Subjects that would get me good marks.
A degree that felt practical.
A job I had no interest in.

And when I hit rock bottom at 23, I realised I had no idea who I was.

By the time I moved to London, I had reconnected with painting. But I still felt lost.

I cared so much about how others saw me, and I felt ashamed for not having a clear path.

Surrender became my anchor. It reminded me to let go, to stop gripping so tightly, and to trust myself.

Slowly, I started to build a life that felt more my own.

With each year, each word, I moved closer to myself.

Empower helped me make decisions from a place of strength.
Balance reminded me to honour the things I value outside of work.
Play showed me that creativity is my way of moving through the world.

And ease is teaching me that the path to peace begins with honesty.

That’s the gift of the One Word.
It’s a practice of returning to yourself.
A way to cut through the noise and focus on what truly matters to you.

Because big change doesn’t start with something overwhelming.

It starts small.

As small as One Word.

I know a lot of you picked a word this year, too.

I’d love to know, what was your word?

JYK 🤍

October 2018, Kensal Rise