Why Choose the Word of the Year?

Intentional living starts with planning. Approach the new year by deciding on your word of the year to guide, inspire and support your decisions & choices and help build a purposeful, meaningful life — or business.

How exciting is it that the new year is finally here — weren’t we all wishing for 2020 to end already? Last year we almost forgot how to plan, let alone dream.

Now that we entered 2021, we might be cautious to start planning the year, but I believe that taking some time to reflect on the intentions and goals is what ensures our success.

As Benjamin Franklin once said, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” And we definitely do not want this to happen.

Intentionality lies at the core of living a fulfilling life. Have you ever noticed that when you manage to set the intention for the day in the morning, it helps you live the day with more meaning, and in the end, you are able to accomplish more?

It is quite helpful to have a picture or an idea of what we want before approaching any amount of time given to us — be it one day, or one year, or our whole life — because it provides us with clarity and focus. This is what we usually call a vision, and our time and our life are spent much better, when before committing to something or making a choice, we take a moment to reflect on that.

A mindful and intentional approach to starting the year is considering just one word that will serve as an inspiring and supportive guide over the course of 12 months. As human beings we constantly evolve, and although some things remain the same about us, like our deep convictions or core beliefs, there are still things that change depending on what season it is, what our circumstances are, and what our needs are for this particular period of time.

That is why today we are not discussing our life mission, but instead just focusing on one year. To make this approach even more gentle, we are not setting specific goals yet. The task for today is to simply choose one word. It is similar to deciding on a theme for a room in the house. Everything you put in this room will now depend on your chosen theme. Only the shapes, colors and materials that create a beautiful and cohesive look will be included. Only things that resonate with the theme and feel right and will make it to the room.

What would you like the theme of 2021 to be?

The following exercise might help you with deciding on your word of the year.

Find a cozy place in your house, pour a nice cup of tea or coffee, bring a notebook and a pen, and go through a few questions I have included below. Answers to some of those questions might just flow, while others require some reflection, so it’s better to take time and not to rush through it.

- What are the 3–5 things that you value most in life, in work, and in relationships?

- What motivates and inspires you? What gives you strength?

- What is fulfilment? How do you find fulfilment in your life?

- What are your needs in this particular stage in your life: what do you need more of? What do you want less of?

Now, is there a word or a theme that keeps resurfacing as you are reflecting on these questions? Do you keep thinking of a certain concept? Personally, when I did this exercise, the word GROWTH kept popping up and seemed to tie all things together for me. I value growing together with people I have relationships with, as well as growing deeper in those relationships. I am motivated and inspired by my growth in a certain area, improvement in learning a skill, or deepening my knowledge on a particular subject. I feel fulfilled when I see measurable results: I love tracking progress to ensure my growth. I want to see more purposeful growth and less stagnancy in my life this year. For you, of course, it might look different.

Next,

- What is the direction you feel pulled to?

- Do you observe a pattern, theme or topic?

Focus on the word that describes it in the best way. Look up various definitions and synonyms of this word. You can also your own definition. Remember, that it is not to put you in a box or restrict you in any way. The purpose of this practice is to inspire you to reconnect with yourself through mindful reflection and journaling, and I hope it will support you on the journey towards living intentionally.

- How will you live it out this year?

- How will you allow your word to guide you and direct you in everyday life?

These are the last and most important questions to ask.

Finally, there should be no judgment of what theme you decide on, and what needs lie behind it. We are often tempted to compare ourselves to the people around, but the truth is that we are all different, we have different priorities and go through different stages in our life. We are allowed to have dreams that are completely different from those of people around us. Do not judge your intentions and give yourself permission to choose what you truly need and want.

And I wish you an intentional, fulfilling, and successful year!