Planning For A Strong and Joyful New Year
my “word of the year” ritual continues PLUS 3 tips for you …
I’ve always been passionate about language. I geek out on why people choose the words they use. I have books like Eats, Shoots & Leaves and The Sense of Style on my bookshelf because I love learning more about language.
I love to dig deep and find root definitions, to discover why people say the things they do … and if they truly mean what they say.
I’ve long believed in affirmations, because words can change your approach to everything. Try this:
Get up one morning and say, “I hate the world” followed by a morning of getting up to the words, “I’m going to have a gorgeous day.” Yes, it will impact your approach and control the way you do everything.
So is it any wonder I’ve found the “word of the year” concept to be so helpful?
I start thinking about the New Year as we move into the last quarter of the year. I buy planners. I review what’s worked and what hasn’t throughout the year.
I am a goal-setter. But years ago, I took on a new approach I like even better.
Setting a word for the year makes every project, every approach a little easier.
Instead of checking a planner or mapping out a detailed plan, you can allow a word to guide you.
Picking a word of the year helps embody what you want out of the coming year. A word that can be your guidepost for all you choose to do in the coming year. One simple word that will help you stay on track, that will help you remember what is most important when you find yourself falling down or getting caught in an endless loop of mundane.
I’ve been doing this for years. I’ve chosen so many words: Become, Energy, Joy.
As this year ended, one word consistently kept popping up on my radar. And the more I heard it, the more I knew it was right for me.
My Word Of The Year for 2025
2024 was a rough year for me. I’ve grown in so many ways, but a lot of the year was spent caregiving for my Mom, and traveling back and forth to my hometown.
This year will be different. I said goodbye to my Mom last month. It’s changed my life in so many ways.
I first heard my word of the year as I listened to a podcast on one of my many plane trips. “To cultivate isn’t just to grow; it’s preparing and working for its growth. It’s tending to it as it grows.” In Brene Brown’s book The Gifts of Imperfection, she states:
“We cultivate love when we allow our most vulnerable and powerful selves to be deeply seen and known, and when we honor the spiritual connection that grows from that offering with trust, respect, kindness and affection.
Love is not something we give or get; it is something that we nurture and grow, a connection that can only be cultivated between two people when it exists within each one of them – we can only love others as much as we love ourselves."
Cultivate, for me, is a beautiful word that I can weave through every aspect of my life as I move forward. How?
Cultivating new interests as I travel - something I’m already booking and planning for this year.
Cultivating deeper self-care rituals.
Cultivating meaningful relationships with like-minded people by joining groups and finding my tribe.
Cultivating joy by deliberately making time for activities that energize me, not deplete me.
Cultivating my expertise by studying and staying current on everything nutrition. Now that I have my nutrition coaching certificate, I want to learn more and more.
Cultivating my author's voice as I write and complete more books this year. (On nutrition and food, of course!)
Cultivating my own garden with more delicious foods and gorgeous flowers!
I think why this word has resonated so much with me is that “cultivate” implies both active effort and patient waiting - like a garden that needs both tending and time to grow.
That’s what I need as I move forward this year.
Have you ever tried the “word of the year” planning rather than going deep diving? I see a lot of posts on this process, but thought I would also throw in my tips for how to make this work.
Tip 1 - It gives you approachable focus
I’m so done with hard-core goals and unrealistic action steps. I think it’s a midlife thing - I need joy in my life and to slow down and truly enjoy all I’ve achieved.
That doesn’t mean I don’t have a lot to do - I have BIG ideas for the year. But I’m refining my process, and “word of the year” does that without cramming goals down my throat. It keeps me on track without feeling rushed.
Tip 2 - Do it for you
You know what you want and have to do. You probably get sidetracked easily too - I know I do. When new ideas pop up, I’m excited to chase things. Word of the year makes me ask different questions, and always pushes me gently back to what’s important.
I do believe you need goals in every area of your life: health, lifestyle, career, investment, spiritual, relationships, future. I also believe you’re more in tune in midlife with the most important things. (And maybe say NO a little easier to the stuff that’s not important.)
I have a running list of affirmations I’m creating using the word cultivate. (Like what I’ve listed above.) Saying it daily helps me really understand what I want to achieve.
Tip 3 - Big picture - Work backward
At the end of the year, as I finalized my word, I thought about how I wanted it to impact me throughout 2025, and what I wanted to see by December 31, 2025. I created a high-level list of things I will accomplish - like “I have a resistance training program built into my week,” and “I have successfully published 2 plant-based books.”
Just a few accomplishments - I don’t think you should go overboard with this. A handful of accomplishments at most - some personal and some professional.
I see the person I want to be at the end of the year, and use my word of the year to build backwards. How will I get there? What should I change?
Hint: You can use AI to help you - I love it for brainstorming. And Claude is my favorite tool of choice for a more personal feel, I think it does better than ChatGPT.
Not sure what your word of the year should be? Feed in your info. Who you are, what you’re doing, the general direction of the year. Your outlook on life. Any ideas for what you hope to achieve, what you hope to do. Have an about us page? Put in that info. Or other writings you have that say who you are.
Put all that into AI, then say: With this in mind, can you give me a list of possible words I can use as my “word of 2025?”
Play with it. Once you find your word, say: I am drawn to the word _____. Can you provide ideas for me to see that word in my life both personally and professionally?
And let me know what your word of the year is for 2025! I love hearing what other people choose.
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I love the word of the year too! This year I wound up with 2 in order to get the feel I was looking for: ground and spark. I am going to try to keep cultivate in mind for future years tho cuz it's amazing!