How To Pick Your Word of the Year
Updated: Dec 3, 2020
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE WORD OF THE YEAR PLANNER
Hello, Beautiful Friend. Welcome to my little corner of the world.
I bet you are here because you are curious about what everyone is talking about, "Their word of the year," or maybe you are just over New Year’s Resolutions and are looking for a fun way to expand your fabulous-self next year.
What is Word of The Year?
Picking a word or theme of the year gives you focused intention on diving deeper into an area of your life that you would like to see improvement in.
New Year's Resolutions focus on a goal, which is why so many people fail. Having a word of the year allows you to stay flexible and curious.
For Example:
Your New Year’s Resolution could be to lose 10 pounds.
Starting January 1st, you hit the gym, pick a diet plan, and by mid-March, your New Year’s Resolution has all been forgotten. Why? There are hundreds of reasons: you did not like that gym, or the diet was too hard with your lifestyle.
Alternative:
Your word next year could be Energy.
Starting January 1st, you google, "how to increase my energy" and hundreds of articles pop up. You read through and you try some. Certain things work while others don't. But when something does not work, you don't view it as a failure. It's part of the learning process. You check out YouTube videos and podcasts while learning about ways to increase your energy. At the end of the year, you have more energy. You might have even lost those 10 pounds if a healthier diet, more water, and working out were part of the plan to increase energy.
Your word is a guide for you during the year. You use your word as a northern star. It paves the path to curiosity, which leads to self-discovery, which leads to natural growth.
one YEAR one WORD better YOU
Once you pick your word, you will be surprised how you start to notice your word appearing around you. Like magical gifts, you will find that you are drawn to quotes, songs, and affirmations that support your word.
When you begin to look for a word, the most important thing is to find a word that you are interested in, that feels right to you. This is very personal and not something you can look to your BFF or favorite social media influencer to see what word they have picked.
Every year I pick a word, never knowing for sure how it will affect me, and at the end of the year, I am always amazed at how much I have transformed. Below are my words of the past three years:
2018 Happiness
2019 Authenticity
2020 Love
2021 Faith
If you find it hard to pick your word, don't fret. This is normal, and I usually "try out" a few words before I land on a word that feels right. Below is the process I use to help pick my word of the year.
Word of the Year ideas and planning tools
I created a FREE Word of the Year Planner. Feel free to use it or grab a piece of paper and follow along.
Step 1 Words that inspire
Use the list of 75-word ideas or find your own that inspires you. Trust your instincts, take your highlighter, and place it over the word. Do you feel lighter, happier, or brighter? Highlight that word.
Step 2 Life Assessment
Take a look at the eight aspects of your life and rank them from 1-4 with how strong you are doing in each section.
Health – Describe your physical and mental health.
Finances – Your goal should be debt-free, 3-6 months in savings, investing and creating wealth (check out Dave Ramsey for more information).
Relationship: Are you surrounded by people who you love and love you back?
Career – How satisfied are you with your career and growth possibility?
Spirituality - Describe your connection with a higher power. It does not need to be God or religion, just an aspect of your life that you feel connected to.
Fitness – Cardio, strength, and flexibility. Fitness does not mean a six-pack but a routine that allows you to stay strong and healthy.
Personal Growth – Healing old scars, having a strong sense of self-love, and joy in your life.
Family – Having a healthy relationship with those in your immediate and extended family.
Step 3 How to choose
Ask yourself the following questions:
Using your life assessment, what areas in your life would you like to grow in?
Review your list of words that you highlighted, which ones can help you grow?
Which words support your values and priorities?
*Full list of questions in the FREE Word of the Year Planner
These questions will help you narrow down your word of the year.
What's Next
This is the fun part, decide what you want this year to look like.
Create a vision board.
Write yourself a letter explaining what you hope will happen.
Write down goals supporting your word.
List the books that you want to read.
Do all or just some of the above. That's the beauty. There is no right way to move forward!
Sometimes it's nice to have a guideline.
Have fun, stay curious, and always love yourself.
Xoxo
Sabline
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