Every year i try to have a word or phrase to focus on and give me some direction and purpose for the year ahead. Last year’s word was Interdependence, the idea of things and people being connected to move forward well rather than independence which focuses on going it alone and trying to get ahead.

At the start of 2018 my wife tbV [the beautiful Val] and i went to a restuarant in Muizenberg overlooking the beach and spent a little bit of time reflecting on 2017 and looking ahead to this year. We shared the words/phrases we had come up with for 2018 and this is mine:

BRIDGE-BUILDING

With a sub-description of ‘Stepping Towards’ i am hoping that bridge-building will be my emphasis in 2018. Finding ways to pull people together, to unite, to help people engage, to listen more, to create spaces where this can happen and to be a catalyst any way i can.

From the Deep Dive Dinners that we are hoping to do more of this year, to using my blog as a space for others to share their thoughts and stories, to hopefully coming up with some new and creative ways to bring people together, bridge-building is where i hope to see the emphasis lie.

i do think there will still be things to challenge and people to call out and i am not going to relax my philosophy and commitment to live out #NotOnOurWatch where it feels necessary. There is still much that needs to be torn down, systems and structures that need to be interrupted or eradicated… but i do think that when we create and build and step towards and re-imagine that much of that can and will happen naturally as part of the process.

i also want to celebrate and draw attention more to amazing people i know who are doing incredible things in the areas of bridge-building in terms of education and home-building and community work and more.

So for me in 2018, the word leading me is going to be bridge-building. What would yours be if you took time to sit down and come up with a word you would want to lead/shape you this year?

[Check back to my word for 2017]