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.