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!
My Word of the Year: Authentic
This year I decided to try something new and choose a Word of the Year for 2019. That is, one word to represent my intentions, goals and desires. A theme for the year ahead.
The first word that popped into my head was peace. I really want to be that zen, mindful person that meditates and does yoga. That person who doesn’t get stressed or worry about the small stuff. The one who’s at peace with themselves and the world around them.
That’s who I ultimately strive to be...And one day I will be that person. But I have some work to do first.
I had a few other options for my word of the year, but the other top contender was authentic. A word I’ve been hearing a lot lately, especially when it comes to blogging. With the hundreds of thousands of blogs out there, you have to have your own unique voice and style so that you can stand out from the crowd, but also be relatable and connect with readers. You must be authentic.
But authenticity isn’t just necessary for writing a blog. I realized that if I want to be that peaceful, zen person I envision, I need to first focus on living authentically--knowing myself, accepting my strengths and weaknesses, not being afraid to be vulnerable, and not caring what anyone thinks about it.
“Authenticity is the daily practice of letting go of who we think we’re supposed to be and embracing who we are.”
-Brené Brown
I believe that is really the first step toward achieving that inner peace I’m looking for.
So this year I’m focusing on being authentic. But how??
Letting Go of Perfection
This is a hard one for me. I’m a HUGE perfectionist and have been for as long as I can remember. My dad always tells the story of how, when my parents separated, he had to comb my hair for school and I would get so upset and make him redo it if ever my pigtails weren’t perfectly symmetrical on both sides of my head. I was maybe 6 or 7 years old then.
So this goes wayyyy back!
Until recently I thought being a perfectionist was a great thing. It afforded me good grades, compliments and praise, acceptance into excellent schools, and many other accolades.
But honestly, it’s draining. I might even go so far as to say it’s debilitating. You put so much pressure on yourself and you fear any mistake and this makes you barely want to do anything at all. It stops you from taking risks, it makes you question your every move, you knit pick at everything you do and you constantly wonder if what you’re doing is good enough to reach that elusive standard you have set.
And when you don’t hit that mark of perfection, it can be painful.
There’s no better example of my perfectionism in action than with this very blog. I’ve been working at it for over a year. Choosing a domain, tweaking the design, deciding on the niche, playing with topics, not to mention all the research on the best way to do xy and z.
Not to mention writing posts and feeling the need to double and triple check to make sure everything, down to each sentence, sounds perfect.
I got to the point where I thought maybe this whole blogging thing wasn’t for me. It shouldn’t take me a literal day and a half to write one post. But I have to shake that pressure off because I don’t want this to hold me back.
I’m learning that "done is better than perfect."
I’m also learning that perfect and authentic don’t mix. You can’t be perfect and authentic because perfect isn’t possible. It’s not real.
So this year, if I’m going to be authentic, I have to let go of trying to be perfect.
Easier said than done...but my strategy is to strive for imperfection.
It’s so ingrained in me to set goals, but instead of doing things in the name of perfection, I’m going to work toward accepting and showcasing my imperfections.
That means...
Being vulnerable.
Not being afraid to take risks and make mistakes.
Being ok with being wrong.
And not worrying about anyone’s opinion.
Self-Acceptance and Self-love
To be authentic is to know, accept and love that person you see in the mirror everyday. It’s being ok with not just the good, but the bad and the ugly. And not being afraid to show all three sides.
I realized that so often I focus on the person I want to become--more successful, more fit, clearer skin, better communicator, happier--that I completely neglect the person that I am right now.
But I must say, who I am today deserves a little more credit. She’s working hard, she’s learning and growing each day, she’s following her own path, and taking more risks than ever before.
This year I want to get re-acquainted with that person. I need to get crystal clear on who I am--values, goals, likes, dislikes, strengths, weaknesses. And most importantly, what gives me peace and joy.
That means...
Wiping the dust off my journal and developing a regular practice of writing to going deeper with my thoughts and feelings.
Giving myself grace--setting goals for the future, but accepting enjoying who and where I am right now.
Listening to and trusting my intuition.
And using positive affirmations of self-love and encouragement.
Living for Me
At some point in my childhood, I learned the importance of keeping up appearances. That there was an image I needed to uphold to the outside world. At home you can let your hair down, but outside you need to be on point--have your clothes ironed and cuffed, be polite and likeable and never overshare.
A lot of the messaging I received was framed as: if you do ____ then people will think ___.
For example, if you dress nicely, then people will think you’re so cute. If you don’t do your homework, then people will think you’re lazy.
Naturally, I became really conscious of my image and how I was perceived by the world. I prioritized external validation and other people’s opinions over my own.
I really became aware of this a couple of years ago when I arrived at an important decision: whether or not to go to law school.
This wasn’t just an idea that popped into my head, but a long term plan I had since college. I was to graduate with a degree in sociology, work as a Teach for America corps member, go to law school, and have a career in education law and policy.
It made perfect sense, sounded great. But I knew, if I was being completely and 100% honest, that wasn’t the life I wanted. It was what I thought I was supposed to do, what would look good to the outside world.
Ultimately, I decided against going to law school and the experience taught me that I’ve got to start living for me.
I’m unlearning those early messages and valuing my own opinion over everybody else’s.
That means...
Reframing my thought process--asking how something will make me feel, instead of what people will think about it.
Doing what feels good and resonates with me.
Posting the things I like on social media and not caring about likes or comments.
Not being afraid to say no.
And embracing the fact that I won’t always be liked.
Authenticity is a journey and something to work at everyday. I'm excited to start 2019 with this focus and intention and I encourage you to do the same! If you want to know how you can choose your own Word of the Year for 2019, check out my post here.
But I want to know...what does being authentic mean to you? How do you show authenticity in your daily life? Do you have any tips for being a more authentic person? Let me know in the comments below.