Choose One Word to Guide You Through the Year
“Choose your words wisely, because they will influence your happiness, your relationships, and your personal wealth.” ~ Andrew B. Newberg
Happy New Year, Beautiful Friend!
It’s the beginning of a brand new year— A blank slate and an empty canvas just waiting to be filled with amazing adventures, beautiful relationships and potential fulfillment.
The possibilities of 2026 are positively limitless!
If you're like most midlife everygirls you have probably set some positive intentions or life goals for yourself to start the year. Am I right?
We women are always growing, learning, expanding and evolving. At this point in our lives we have amassed an incredible amount of wisdom based on our prior experiences and lessons learned.
We know what we want, and what we don’t. And we don’t really care what other people think… at least not as much as we used to.
(Cue George Michael singing “Freedom, freedom…”)
We are embarking on that precious era of being unstoppable and less inhibited as we navigate our future in any direction we choose.
Are you feeling hyped? You should! Girl, you are freaking incredible! (Plus, your hair looks amazing today!)
Where Do You Want to Focus Your Direction This Year?
January is a great time to hit the “reset” button and create some new intentions for the coming year. It’s also important to set yourself up for success with strategies that you can actually sustain for the next 12 months.
There are a lot of great ideas out there for setting strategic goals, but let’s be honest, for many of us (myself included) New Year’s resolutions don’t stick for more than a few weeks. I applaud the positive effort, but there are several reasons that they just aren’t sustainable: The novelty fades as time goes on. They’re too complicated. They create too much pressure. Or life just gets too busy to keep up with them, right?
Raise your hand if you’ve been down the path of making grand New Year’s resolutions beginning on January 1st, only to abandon them by Valentine’s Day.
Yep, that’s my hand in the air there…
I cannot count how many times I chose the traditional resolutions of exercising more, eating better, going to the gym, or losing 10 pounds. I would go all in on New Year’s Day with the greatest of intentions, writing them down, visualizing the end result and jotting them in my planner. However, without a sustainable plan in place I would drift off course once or twice, and then eventually give up on them altogether.
Can you relate?
But then came the year I hit rock bottom. I had lost both of my parents and was still reeling from an unwanted divorce. Suddenly things that seemed important to me before no longer mattered as much. My self-esteem was in the toilet and my priorities were way out of whack.
I was simply trying to put one foot in front of the other, hold my head up, and take care of my two girls. I needed to keep a strong front for them.
One Sunday at my church we did in an activity in which we chose one word to guide us through the year. Mine came to me quickly: strength. I needed to be strong for my girls, my students, and myself. I needed to pull myself together and figure out how to stand on my own two feet.
What made the word even powerful for me that year was that I had an epiphany:
Instead of focusing on what I thought I needed to do to “fix” things about myself, maybe I should channel my energy into positively incorporating the aspects of my life that I wanted more of.
Mind-blowing, right?
The same questions kept swirling through my brain:
What if I could use ONE WORD to bring clarity and focus to who I wanted to show up as, and what I wanted to accomplish?
What if I just gently reminded myself daily of how I wanted to be, instead of what I needed to do?
What if I used that ONE WORD to be my North Star for 365 days to guide my decisions and actions?
What if I chose ONE WORD that encompassed my current hopes and aspirations?
What if I filtered everything around me through the lens of that ONE WORD and shifted my mindset in a more positive direction?
These questions opened up a whole new way of thinking and changed the course of my life. No more fixing things that weren’t even wrong with me. Instead I used ONE WORD to navigate toward enhancing the beautiful person I already was. Gently moving down a path of becoming the best version of myself. Not changing, but evolving.
Can ONE WORD Change Your Life?
Girl, it’s time to simplify. You don’t need fancy resolutions and lofty goals that aim to “fix” something that isn’t broken. All it really takes is just ONE WORD to serve as an anchor that reminds you of how you want to be, not just what you should or shouldn’t do.
Focusing on ONE WORD throughout the year can completely change the way you approach your life goals, and allow you to keep on track all the way to the end of December.
Even if you go off course momentarily…
By using ONE WORD as your North Star you can recalibrate your GPS of intentions as many times as you need to and still keep moving forward without letting yourself down or giving up.
It’s not about “fixing” anything about yourself. It is about putting all of your energy into being more of the person you were always meant to be.
Are you searching for a realistic strategy that can help you stay on course for the next year? Are you done with New Year’s resolutions that don’t stick for more than month or two? Would you like to try a simpler way of manifesting more of what you want in your life?
Well, here you go. Give this a try. What do you have to lose? That’s right, nothing!
Let’s get started and discover your WORD!
How To Choose Your ONE WORD of the Year
Here are 5 simple steps to discovering the ONE WORD that can lead you through a year filled with more positive energy, joy and productivity.
*By the way, you can print off this worksheet to help you get clarity and put your thoughts down on paper.
Reflect on the Past Year
First, find a quiet spot where you can get cozy, and turn off all the noise and distractions. Reflect over this past year and your place in it.
Remember what you went through and how you handled each situation. Scroll through the photos on your phone to bring it all back.
Keep in mind that every experience you went through taught you something, generated deep feelings, and showed you what you are capable of.
Jot down your big thoughts on the worksheet and ask yourself some guiding questions:
What were the major events and experiences (globally and personally) that occurred in my life?
How did those things impact me?
How did I grow?
What did I learn about myself?
What surprised me about my reactions?
What made me proud of myself?
What do I wish I would have done differently?
2. Brainstorm a List of Possible Words
Grab this worksheet or a notebook and your favorite pen (Don’t you just LOVE a really good pen?!) and write every word that comes to your mind. List each word that resonates with you, inspires you or motivates you.
Think about any common themes or patterns that emerge from your reflections or touch on the goals and dreams you have set for yourself.
Don’t edit or overthink during this step, just keep the pen moving.
Consider these prompts:
What do I want more of this year?
How do I want to show up?
What will I start doing?
What will I stop doing?
What matters to me the most?
What ideas inspire me?
What words fire me up?
What words do I want to use to describe myself in December?
Need some additional inspiration? Click here for a list of 99 possible words to get your juices flowing.
3. Refine Your Focus
This step involves some deep thinking, so clear your mind first. Then go back through your list of words.
Circle the words that leap off the page. Cross off any that you know right away are not the right ones for you.
Don’t forget to check dictionary definitions or Google memes and quotes that come up for any of the best words.
Consider any nuanced meanings that might add depth to your choice.
Once you have circled your top 3 choices, step away. Literally.
Walk away from the list and return to your regularly scheduled life for at least 24 hours. Let it simmer. During this time your brain will percolate over your choices and start determining which one will serve you best in the coming year.
Relax your mind but keep it open. Pay attention to what comes in and out of your thoughts. Listen to signs from God, the Universe, or your heart that guide you toward a particular word, or possibly even brings up a new one.
4. Discover and Commit
After a day or so of pondering, you will discover your WORD. The one that will serve as a touchstone and guide you to your best self.
Once you have chosen your ONE WORD (or it has chosen you) commit to keeping it in the forefront of your mind and allowing it to influence your actions and decisions.
How do you intend to live out your WORD?
Write 3 ways you will intentionally apply your WORD to your life.
Create strategies to make it a part of your daily routine.
Consider ways to filter your professional decisions through it.
Keep it in sight and allow it to influence your actions.
Share it with those around you. (Doing this can create a sense of accountability as well as a feeling of community.)
Get others in on it with you. Support and encourage each other!
*Side note: Don’t be surprised if your WORD isn’t the one you originally thought it was going to be. Like many other people I’ve talked to, my WORD has actually chosen me in a way I didn’t see coming more than once. There have even been years that I wanted a particular WORD to be my chosen one, but then another WORD kept showing up until I realized that it truly was the best one all along.
Trust me, it works out for the best if you stay open and don’t try to force it.
5. Create a Visual Reminder
Your WORD will build power and gain momentum by showing up frequently and becoming a part of your daily thought process. Remember the old saying: Out of sight, out of mind? It’s true! Keep your WORD front and center in a way that prompts its presence, but does not create pressure.
There are a lot of creative ways to keep your WORD right in front of you all year.
Create a vision board featuring your WORD in the center. Grab some poster board, pictures, and stickers and let your creativity spark! Put it in a place where you can see it every day and be reminded of your guiding WORD.
Design a digital vision board in Canva or another graphic design app.
Scan Pinterest for ready-made memes or inspirational quotes featuring your WORD and start a new Pinterest Board.
Make your WORD your screensaver or wallpaper on your phone or computer. Or make it your password. You’ll see it or type it multiple times a day!
Manufacture reasons for writing it out frequently, like in your daily planner. Add it to your week at a glance. Write it at the top of your to-do list. Jot in on a post-it note and stick it to high traffic areas, like your bathroom mirror or your steering wheel. Doodle it in the margin of your notebook while you snuggle up and watch a movie that inspires you.
Wear your WORD everyday on a bracelet. It is a super tangible (and literal) way to carry it with you all day long. My favorites are from Mudlove.com and Myintent.org, both fantastic companies with a lot of heart and amazing customer service.
Ask AI to design a personal plan for you using your ONE WORD and meaningful strategies, or have it write your new daily mantra.
What is My ONE WORD?
In case you're curious, my ONE WORD for 2026 is REACH.
The past few years have been a time of settling for me. Settling into our new location in Florida, establishing myself at my office job, finding my rhythm with my blog. Putting down roots and blooming where I have been planted.
Last year I dedicated myself to shining my light of positivity onto everyone I met, and into each situation I found myself in.
Now it’s time to stretch my wings a bit and expand my horizons.
I want to reach my full potential, physically, professionally and personally.
I want to extend my reach outward and impact more women with a positive mindset.
I want to reach inward and explore my ingrained habits of people-pleasing, and learn to express my own wants and needs.
I want to reach higher and stretch myself professionally while expanding my writing career.
I want to reach out to my friends (new and old) and my family more consistently to keep our personal connections strong.
I want to reach the goals I have set and achieve higher success with my writing.
I want to be open and available for others to reach me, physically and emotionally.
To me, the word REACH isn’t about striving harder. It’s about allowing myself to step forward, speak up, and stretch into who I was already created to be, one meaningful moment at a time.
What is Your ONE WORD?
One really good (and well-chosen) WORD can be your North Star and keep you gently moving toward a way of living you’d like to strengthen, lean into, or enhance. It can be a filter to help you navigate your decisions, or a concept you wrap each action with. It can bring clarity and focus to who you want to show up as, and what you want to accomplish this year.
Choosing ONE WORD to guide you through the year is fun, easy and impactful. It can help you maintain your motivation and stay on track with your positive intentions for the next 12 months, and end the year an even better, stronger, kinder, smarter, more confident version of yourself than you are now. (And you’re already pretty amazing!)
Have you chosen your ONE WORD to guide you through the Year? Comment below and share your best advice for the rest of us everygirls.
Happy New Year, beautiful friend. I believe that 2026 is your year! Now go grab a notebook and your favorite pen and start brainstorming.
The possibilities for you in the coming year are positively limitless.
