How to Choose Your Word of the Year for 2019

Everyone’s talking about their New Year’s Resolutions, but have you ever considered setting a Word of the Year?

One word to encapsulate your goals, desires, and intentions for the year ahead.

When I heard about this practice on one of my favorite podcasts, I was really intrigued and decided to adopt it as a new New Year’s tradition.

I’m usually very big on goal-setting and resolution-making. But, let’s be honest, who really sticks to their resolutions for the entire year?  (Not me!)

I love the idea of having one overarching theme.  A mantra that I can focus on throughout the year, directing my path and constantly reminding me of who I want to be and where I want to go.  

I also like that there’s no success or failure involved.  Your word is something that you can incorporate in every area of life and work toward a little each day.

“Your thoughts become things!” -Rhonda Byrne

If you believe in the law of attraction, then you know how powerful your thoughts can be. Choosing a Word of the Year will give you clarity and guidance and help you make your thoughts a reality in 2019.

Choosing Your Word of the Year

The possibilities for your Word of the Year are endless.  All that matters is you pick a word (or a few words) that resonate with you and your aspirations.

It should keep you focused, motivated and on track throughout the year.

My word of the year for 2019 is Authentic. I want to focus on being simply and unapologetically me.  That means knowing myself, accepting my strengths and weaknesses, not being afraid to be vulnerable, and not caring what anyone thinks. If you want to know more about my word of the year you can read all about it here!

You might have a word that immediately comes to mind. Or you may need to spend some time brainstorming the right word for you.  

Here are a few questions to ask yourself when thinking about your Word of the Year:

  • What energy or feeling do I want to bring to this year?
  • What do I want more (or less) of in my life?
  • What do I want to improve or do differently?
  • Who do I want to be?
  • What do I need to achieve my goals?

Here are a few more helpful tips for choosing your word:

Take some time

Don’t be afraid to spend a little time thinking about your word. Take your time, ask yourself the questions above, do some meditation or prayer, or try journaling.  All of these will help you reflect on what you want and need most for the year and lead you to your word. It took me a few days to decide. There’s no rush. And there’s no deadline.  Even if it takes you all month to solidify what you want to focus on that’s ok. The important thing is to find a meaningful word that’s gonna keep you on track and guide you where you want to go.

Make a list

Write down all the words that come to mind. No wrong answers! Just let it flow. You can narrow down your list later.

Think about your goals

If you already have some goals or resolutions in mind, write them down.  You may find an overarching theme that ties all your goals together. Or maybe there’s something you need to help or motivate you to achieve your goals--for example confidence, faith, vision.

Don’t overthink

It may come to you immediately or it may take you a little while to decide.   But you’ll know when you’ve found it. I made a list of a few words and there was one that I kept coming back to. I would hear it in conversations, on social media, on podcasts, everywhere. That’s how I knew it was the one.  

101 Word Suggestions

Here are a few ideas to get you started:

Abundance

Acceptance

Adventure

Alive

Authentic

Available

Awaken

Bliss

Brave

Centered

Compassion

Confidence

Connection

Consistent

Creative

Culture

Educate

Elevate

Embrace

Energy

Faith

Family

Fitness

Flow

Focus

Forgive

Freedom

Friends

Fun

Future

Generous

Genuine

Giving

Glorious

Glow

Grace

Grateful

Greatness

Grow

Habit

Happy

Harmony

Healing

Health

Heart

Honest

Hope

Humble

Increase

Inspire

Intentional

Intuition

Joy

Kind

Laugh

Learn

Live

Love

Mindfulness

More

Move

Nature

New

No

Obedience

Open

Organize

Passion

Peace

Playful

Possibility

Present

Progress

Prosperous

Regal

Relax

Release

Renew

Reset

Self-care

Self-love

Service

Shift

Shine

Simplify

Sincere

Slow

Smile

Soul

Spirituality

Strong

Surrender

Trust

Vibrant

Vision

Wellness

Wisdom

Wonder

Word

Yes

Zen

Make Your Word Stick

Choosing a word is the first step, but you want to make sure your word will stay with you all year long. Just saying it once isn’t going to create the changes you want to make.

“What you think, you create. What you feel, you attract. What you imagine, you become.” -Anonymous

The more you focus on your word, the more you’ll be able to manifest it in your daily experiences.

Here are a few ways that you can solidify your word of the year and keep it at the forefront of your mind.

Write it

Once I chose my word, the first thing I did was write about it in my journal.  I wrote out my reasons for selecting it, what it means to me, and how I plan to incorporate it into my life throughout the year.  Doing this helped me to get clear on why this word was important and how I was going to work toward that goal with specific actions.  Defining your word and making a plan will make your vision feel more tangible.

Talk about it

Sometimes when you say things out loud, it feels more real. For me, whenever I tell someone about a plan or goal or something I’m working on, I feel a more accountable to myself to follow through.  Share your word with the people around. You could even encourage a friend or family member to do it with you! Have them choose a word of their own and you can support each other throughout the year.

See it

There’s so much to think about on any given day, but you don’t want to forget about the intentions that you set with your word of the year.  Seeing little reminders here and there will bring you back to your word and keep you focused.

You can write it on your mirror, make it the screensaver on your computer or your background on your phone.  Put post it notes of your word in high traffic areas where you will see it throughout the day like your car dashboard, office desk, front of the fridge or any where you spend a lot of time.

Create it

Make a visual piece that you can display to remind you of your word.  Get creative! You can make a vision board, painting other work of art to represent the meaning and feeling behind your word. This is a great way to visualize your goals daily and attract the things you want.

I’m really excited for this year and ready to start living out my word of the year.  I hope this gives you a few ideas for choosing your word.

Have you ever chosen a word of the year word? What's your word of the year is for 2019!

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My Word of the Year: Authentic