Rising Stories #38: Alece Ronzino
Alece Ronzino is the founder of OneWord365 which is a movement where you choose just one word for the year and focus on that one word.
” Go where it takes you and Be what it makes you”
Alece and I became fast friends when she arrived in Nashville, after leading a non-profit in South Africa for 13 years. Since then I have seen her grow as a business woman who treats everyone she meets with kindness and respect.
In our conversation today Alece and I chat about how she stays organized and how her company has grown. But, I must tell you that most of our conversation revolves around food and Nashville. She also shared some great apps that will keep you organized in your business.
What Alece is loving: AirBnB + Urban Juicer’s Flu Shot + Whiskey Sour
What she is reading: Rising Strong by Brene Brown and The Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes
Her favorite apps: Spark Mail + Mile IQ + Properly (a visual Checklist to Manage your short-term rentals)
CONNECT WITH ALECE
One Word 365 site: OneWord365.com
One Word 365 Twitter: @OneWord365
One Word 365 Community Group on Facebook: facebook.com/groups/oneword365
Personal blog: gritsandglory.com
Connect with Corine
Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // Pinterest
Music is by Ben Sound
Sponsor: Brentwood Life Coach
Stop Should-ing on Yourself
Alece Ronzino
I’ve lived most of my life by shoulds. Growing up, I was the all-American good girl. I did well in school. I went on mission trips. I moved to Africa when I was 19 to serve as a missionary. I did everything “right”. By the book. The way I was supposed to, expected to, told to. The way I should.
But the treadmill of striving is exhausting. If only I could do more… If only I could do better… For every should I managed to check off the list, more would get added in its place. It’s a vicious cycle of defeat.
I finally realized how badly I needed to stop should-ing on myself. And I discovered just how challenging it can be to get off that treadmill.
One of the ways I’ve found freedom from the shoulds has been by ditching New Year’s Resolutions. I used to make a long list of goals I’d like to achieve in the new year, but never managed to live up to them (or, at times, even remember what they were).
It only left me feeling like a failure.
So I began choosing just one word as I step into a new year. One word that sums up who I want to be, or a character trait I want to develop, or an attribute I want to intentionally add to my life.
And since it’s just one word, it’s easy to remember. I place reminders of it around my home and workspace, and I inevitably start seeing and hearing it everywhere, which helps me stay mindful of it.
One year, I committed to risk more—it forced me to step out of my comfort zone and do things I wouldn’t ordinarily do. Another year, my word was look—it gave me eyes to see divine fingerprints even in the darkest of moments. Yet another year, my word was choose—a daily reminder that while I can’t control what happens to me, I can always choose my response.
My one word isn’t another to-do list. It’s simply a guide as I make decisions, set plans, and go about my life every single day.
And I’ve seen these words shape not only my year, but also myself. They’ve challenged me, inspired me, changed me. Such is the power of intentionality.
I’ve chosen unapologetic as my One Word for 2017, and with equal parts trepidation and curiosity, I am anxious to see how it will grow me this coming year.
Will you join me in choosing one word for the year?
Maybe a word popped right into your head. Maybe you need to let the idea percolate a bit longer. Either way, more often than not, your word finds you. You’ll probably have a love/hate relationship with it. That’s okay. If it doesn’t scare you at least a little bit, it’s probably not the right word. So… Together, let’s stop should-ing on ourselves.
What do you want to focus on in 2017? Who do you want to be by the end of the year?
Once you’ve landed on your word, join us over at OneWord365.com.
Alece Ronzino
After pioneering and leading a nonprofit in South Africa for 13 years, Alece now lives in Nashville, TN. She is a nonprofit strategist, a freelance copywriter/editor, an Airbnb host, and the founder of One Word 365. She blogs occasionally but candidly about the grit and glory of life. Follow Alece on Instagram and visit her blog, Grit and Glory.
I finally landed on my one word for this year:
PRESENT
That is my word for this year. I hope to carry it in and throughout every area of my life. I want to remember to live now. I want to enjoy my family, the stage of life I am living in, the body I have now, and who I am today.