As the calendar fast approaches December 31st and with it all of the perceived need to wrap up all the “things” for a clean start in the new year. Some of us feel compelled to find a “word of the year” to motivate or guide the next year. Are you one of those people? I am! I initially approached the practice with some skepticism but have embraced it for the past two years.
Word of the Year
For me, the practice of picking the word involves reflecting on the previous 11 months. I sit down and think of the things I accomplished, the things that didn’t quite get done, and the things that I thought were dreams and goals but became superfluous. I then think about all that I want to achieve for the next year and what word can guide me on that journey.
Furthermore, I have a great group of fellow microbusiness owners and peers that I talk to regularly. These conversations helped me hone and guide the word I picked, while also helping them pick their words as well. We use such high-tech tools as a dictionary and thesaurus. HA! It can be a total rabbit hole/time suck so make sure you don’t get lost in there!
Additional resources for guiding the practice
As part of a community of bloggers, The Blogger’s Bistro, I am afforded the opportunity to read and follow some really fantastic blogs. Two of our community members have published posts that can help you towards picking your word of the year:
- How to Choose Your Word of the Year by Owl Be Me
- Identify your Word of the Year so that you can Flourish in 15 Minutes by Inspire Kinney Chaos
Another practice that will help you pick a word is reading. Read for pleasure, read for a purpose, read for the sake of reading. My word kept popping up throughout all of my readings in November and early December. It was shouting at me, “Hey, Johanna! Pick me!”
Why should I pick a word of the year?
Do you need to actually pick a word of the year? Nope! Do you need to stress about actually picking the right one? Nope! Can it be an effective tool? Possibly… Love that vagueness and contradiction there? I have been waxing on for almost 300+ words of whys and hows and amazingness of picking a word but if it doesn’t serve your vision or your goals, nor will it act as a motivator to reaching them then don’t stress about doing it!
However, if you think it will provide you a great touch-point and way to hold yourself accountable towards reaching for your vision and to live a life doing what you love then go for it!
That’s a wrap!
Oh, wait? Do you want to know what word I picked? Well, to find out let’s continue the conversation. Drop me a line with your ideas for your word, comment on this post, or hop over to our Facebook page.
Need some help finding your vision for 2020 and beyond? Then join me in taking these courses: 2020 – Vision into Action Bootcamp with The Purple Teacup and Creating a Vision Board That Works! with Windy Lawson.
I look forward to learning what word you picked or why you opted to not pick a word of the year. Talk to you soon!
