Like goal setting but more fun… here’s how to choose a Word of the Year.
I don’t know about you, but I’m not one for setting a bunch of big goals and then thinking of all the steps I have to do to reach them. Although I know that works well for some people, for me it feels like a very overwhelming to do list that doesn’t excite me at all. And if I’m not excited and energized, I guarantee I won’t work on a goal.
If that sounds like you too, I encourage you to just find a word of the year and see if it moves you in a direction you want to go. A word of the year is a light, easy, no pressure, way to set your intentions for the year.
A word of the year is very different from a New Year’s resolution. We all know the dismal stats about sticking to New Year’s resolutions. That burst of energy surrounding the new year doesn't always last, so let’s try something different this year. Set yourself up for success this year by finding a good word of the year that you can have fun with. Find something that makes you happy every time you think about it! You’ll be surprised how much a single word can motivate you.
Later I’ll give you an update on my word of the year from last year, but first here are my top 3 suggestions for finding a word of the year that will inspire and motivate you all year long.
1-Look for a word that expresses something you really want more of in your life.
Sometimes it is easier to think about what we don’t want than to figure out what we do want. Ask yourself what you do want and see what comes to mind. Maybe you want to feel more positive, joyful or fulfilled. What’s a word that could remind you of that and that lights you up when you think about it?
I recommend avoiding words that induce guilt or create a sense of duty. If you find yourself saying “I should be more...patient, grateful, organized etc.” find a way to express what you want that has a positive connotation for you. Patient could become calm or peaceful. Grateful could become thankful if that sits better in your mind.
If you want to be more active and have more energy, try words like “active, energized and movement” and see what sticks.
2-Find a word that really resonates, something that brings up positive emotion when you say it. Once you have something in mind, play with different variations and possibilities. Google definitions of words and see what definitions are meaningful to you. There’s a fun website called Positive Words Research that I’ll link to below. They have positive words for every letter of the alphabet. It’s crazy how many positive words there are out in the universe!
3-Take your word for a test drive. If you’re not sure, choose a few words and “test drive” them to see what kind of effect they have on your mind. You are free to change your word anytime if something better comes to mind. No need to overthink it, it’s just for fun and just for you. Have fun with the process and see what you come up with.
Before I tell you my word of the year this year, I want to update you on last year’s word and how it helped me.
Last year my word of the year was FUN. I loved that word so much I almost kept it for another year! After living through 2020, I was really ready for some fun and I made it happen by focusing on my word.
Whenever I was getting bogged down with problems, I’d ask myself, How can I make this more fun? Whenever my real estate clients were getting stressed, I’d remind them, and myself, that buying and selling a house can and should be fun no matter what the market is like.( And let me tell you the 2021 real estate market was C.R.A.Z.Y!)
The word FUN is like pure adrenaline for me. It’s just impossible not to feel excited when you hear the word fun. :)
My husband’s word of the year last year was almost more fun than mine, and it helped him do something he’d been dreaming of for years. His 2021 word of the year was”PUBLISHED” and he was actually able to publish one of his children’s booksa. And the next one is almost ready to go too. His darling book “In Case it Suns” is now for sale on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. I’ll link to it below.
Getting that book published has been such a dream come true. I cried tears of joy when he first read it to the grandkids! They all love it, and it warms my heart every time I look at it. That book was almost 30 years in the making, and I promise you that using the word published to focus on getting it over the finish line really helped!
So without further ado I am excited to share with you my word of the year for 2022…drumroll please…
Ok, I have two of them and they are…
Create and Beautify
Why are these my words you may be asking? Well, for one thing, they make my heart sing when I say them, think about them, and write them.
Why are there two of them? Well, that’s because I had chosen beautify, but it didn’t seem quite complete. I started considering create and they just seemed very complimentary. Let me explain a little more…
The reason beautify came to mind is because I am having a lot of fun right now with making things beautiful. Last year we remodeled our kitchen, and now I just think it is so beautiful! It’s made cooking, and even cleaning, a much more enjoyable experience. I just find that anything that you can make prettier, even just a little, will lift your spirits and breathe new life into your everyday experiences like making dinner.
This year we are going to be renovating the master bath and laundry room, and when I think about beautifying it, it elevates my vision of what I want to accomplish in those spaces. And let me tell you those spaces need some serious beautifying! We were going to do this project the first summer we were here, and this will be our 7th summer. But hey, at least now we really know what we want to do. The extra time turned out to be a blessing because now we will be able to create a space that is more cohesive with the rest of the house.
Speaking of creating, this is why I chose the word create.
Create is the word for everything I want to do in my life this year that doesn’t already exist.
I want to create more content for my blog and expand it into other forms of media like videos and podcasts. And I want to create a bigger community of Moms that are working on their mindset to find more joy in home and family life.
I want to create more meaningful and memorable family experiences.
I want to create an even better customer experience for my real estate clients.
I want to create better relationships in my life.
I want to create/beautify my image and my surroundings, just because that sounds fun to me. (See how I snuck my 2021 word in there? :) I’m actually taking a workshop in a couple weeks to help me figure out how I want to go about doing this. I’ll link to that below in case any of you are interested.
There’s other stuff I want to create, but that is some of what I’ve come up with so far. And here’s the really cool thing that kind of clinched this word for me. In my church this year we are studying the Old Testament in the Bible. I’ve been learning new things that I never knew about the creation. This quote from one of the lessons really spoke to me:
Because the world around us is so beautiful and majestic, it is hard to imagine the earth when it was “without form, and void,” “empty and desolate” (Genesis 1:2; Abraham 4:2). One thing the Creation story teaches us is that God can make something magnificent out of something unorganized. That’s helpful to remember when life seems chaotic. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are Creators, and Their creative work with us is not finished. They can make light shine in dark moments in our lives. They can form solid ground in the midst of life’s stormy seas. They can command the elements, and if we obey Their word like the elements did, They can transform us into the beautiful creations we were meant to be. That’s part of what it means to be created in God’s image, after His likeness (see Genesis 1:26).
Ah, isn’t that such a beautiful thought? I truly believe what that says and it inspires me to create more in my own life with what I have to work with. Life truly is so short and nothing feels better than using your own creativity to bring to life something that didn’t exist before.
When I wrote that I thought of all you mommies out there who have literally created babies in your own body, and those of you who have given life and love to babies born to other mothers. Isn’t that AMAZING?! I hope you give yourself so much credit and so much grace for being willing to create life and raise children. There is no more important or challenging work in the entire world!
I know for me, raising my six kids took all of my energy and focus (and at least a million prayers) for the first 25 years I was a mom. That’s why this blog wasn’t born sooner, and that’s why my real estate career didn’t fully happen until I was almost 50.
So there you have it. I hope this post inspires you to create a word of the year to give you direction and inspire you all year long. Please share below or email me at rachel@mom-mindset.com. I’m sending all of you lots of love and good vibes for an awesome word to come into your mind.
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XOXO
Rachel
