Your Personal Word of the Year

It’s time for one of our favorite New Year’s traditions: Helping you establish your personal Word of the Year. It’s become a tradition for us because we’ve found it so helpful as a navigation tool. It keeps us connected to our hearts while we look ahead and build our future. So, let’s get into it.

WHAT is the Word of the Year practice?

One word. Think of it as your overarching theme for the entire year. You select it based on your desires, goals, and intentions. It serves as a constant reminder of the direction you wish to be going. You’ll come back to it every day to refocus and invigorate yourself.

WHY do we do this?

Choosing just one word simplifies your personal development journey. Of course, you can go in depth with intention setting, habit building, and belief shifting. But on those days when that all feels overwhelming, it is super helpful to just have one word to come back to. Your reminder. Your touchstone. Your goalpost.

HOW to choose your personal Word of the Year?

There’s no right or wrong way to choose! Maybe you already know what your word for 2023 is. It could have popped into your head as soon as you saw this blog post. Or, you may want to take some time to figure it out. You’ve got options. You could…

-Sit quietly for 5-10 minutes, just breathing. See what comes to you.

-Do a visualization practice for the next year. See if any themes come up as you visualize. Your word could lie in your visions.

-Talk to your closest friends and see if they have any observations or suggestions for your word. (Note: If you are working on boundaries, you may want to keep this personal and not reach out to anyone else.)

-Follow the journal prompts in our e-mail love letters and see what themes arise.

Once you’ve done your data collection (on yourself!), you’ll narrow it all down to ONE word. 

WHICH word to choose?

I can’t answer that for you, but I can tell you that your body will feel into which is the right one! Here is a list of sample words of the year. Read through it and see if any strike a chord for you:

RELEASE
OPEN
FAITH
LIGHT
EASE
FREE
CLEAN
LIFT
BOLD
POWER
YES
NO
HOME
EXPAND
PROTECT
WILD

Any of those ring a bell for you? If not, that’s ok. There are sooooooo many words to choose from. Grab a thesaurus or a dictionary and see what vibrates for you.

HOW to use your word of the year?

The trick with this is to keep it front of mind. Start by posting it somewhere you’ll see it every day. (Bathroom mirror, fridge door, bedside lamp, etc.) Make it a mantra. Take a pause several times a day to breathe deeply and repeat your word. Perhaps right when you wake up, during a lunch break, on your way home from work, and before you go to bed. 

Get in the habit of coming back to this touchstone no matter what happens. Are things going super well? Come back to your word with gratitude. On the struggle bus? Come back to your word as a prayer. Your word will be there for you through it all.

Your word of the year is an easy little practice that is there to help you come back to your goals, your dreams, your self. Enjoy this sweet, simple ritual and have an absolutely fabulous year. ❤️