How to Choose a Word of the Year

If you haven’t chosen a “Word of the Year” yet, then you need one asap.

I was first introduced to the Word of the Year concept back in 2012 when I became a health coach. Having a Word of the Year is a really fun way to set your intentions and theme for the New Year, or any other life event for that matter.

Instead of a rigid resolution, a Word of the Year is your constant (yet gentle) reminder to focus on creating positive change.

Use your Word of the Year to help guide your decisions and continue moving towards what you want.

The first step to creating anything you want is to identify self-awareness and specific intention(s). A Word of the Year will set you in the right direction by bringing more awareness to your intentions.

Your Word of the Year sets an intention, a theme per se, for how you want your year to flow.

Picking a Word of the Year is an excellent way to do this. You may just have one word that really sticks out to you for your 2024 theme, if that’s the case, just choose one. Or, you might have a group of words or set of themes that you want to set as your intention—it’s totally up to you.

How to choose your Word of the Year:

1. Grab a piece of paper and make two columns. On one side, write down everything that went well over the past year. On the other side, write what you would like to change.
2. Review the list of what went well.
   • How do these things make you feel?
   • What do you want more of?
3. Choose one to five words that really speak to how you want your year to feel. Nouns, verbs, anything works—just words that feel good to you. Don’t get caught up in the grammar.
4. Review them all together, then narrow it down to one you know you need more of in your heart.

Then, write your word on a pretty notecard and stick it to your bathroom mirror or anywhere else you’ll see it every day. Some other ideas are on your car’s sun visor, your office wall, or make it your computer desktop or phone wallpaper.

Choosing a “Word of the Year” is a personal and inspiring process. This is not a comprehensive list, but if you need some inspiration, here are 50 words to spark creativity and reflection:

1. Transform
2. Courage
3. Harmony
4. Adventure
5. Balance
6. Resilience
7. Growth
8. Mindfulness
9. Joy
10. Empower
11. Focus
12. Heal
13. Innovate
14. Thrive
15. Simplify
16. Connect
17. Explore
18. Gratitude
19. Peace
20. Create
21. Nurture
22. Discover
23. Inspire
24. Flourish
25. Awaken
26. Believe
27. Reflect
28. Elevate
29. Persevere
30. Dream
31. Sustain
32. Empathy
33. Challenge
34. Diversity
35. Kindness
36. Wisdom
37. Freedom
38. Renew
39. Resolve
40. Engage
41. Passion
42. Vibrant
43. Calm
44. Illuminate
45. Transform
46. Integrity
47. Breathe
48. Aspire
49. Unite
50. Evolve

Each of these words carries its own unique energy and potential for personal transformation. The key is to find a word that resonates deeply with your aspirations and challenges for the year ahead.

Again, this list is by no means all-inclusive, just some ideas to get your creative ideas flowing.

Benefits of Choosing a Word of the Year

1. Simplicity and Focus: Unlike complex resolutions, a single word is simple and easy to remember. It provides a clear, focused theme to guide your actions and decisions throughout the year.
2. Flexibility and Adaptability: A single word can adapt to changing circumstances and can be interpreted in various ways as your year unfolds. This flexibility makes it easier to stay committed to your intentions, even when life takes unexpected turns.
3. Promotes Self-Reflection: The process of choosing a word encourages deep introspection about your values, goals, and what you truly want to focus on in the coming year. It’s an opportunity to align your actions with your innermost aspirations.
4. Creates Intentionality: Having a guiding word helps in making more intentional choices. It acts as a constant reminder to align your daily actions with your broader life goals and values.
5. Encourages Growth and Development: By focusing on a specific theme or quality, you’re more likely to take steps towards personal growth and improvement in that area. Whether it’s “patience,” “courage,” or “innovation,” your word can inspire you to develop in ways that resonate with your personal journey.
6. Provides a Sense of Direction: When faced with decisions, your Word of the Year can serve as a guiding principle, helping you to choose paths that are in harmony with your chosen focus.
7. Enhances Mindfulness: Regularly reflecting on your word encourages a more mindful approach to life, keeping you anchored in the present and more aware of your actions and their impact on your goals.
8. Builds Resilience: As the year progresses, your word can become a source of strength and encouragement, especially in challenging times. It can remind you of the bigger picture and help you to persevere.
9. Encourages Positivity: Choosing an uplifting or aspirational word can have a positive impact on your mindset, influencing your actions and interactions in a positive way.
10. Creates a Personal Narrative: Over time, the words you choose year after year weave a narrative of personal growth and change, reflecting your journey and evolution as an individual.

In essence, a Word of the Year acts as a gentle, yet powerful, compass, guiding your steps with intention and purpose through the landscape of your life.

My word of the year for 2024 is Elevate.

A note from the author: I first wrote this post in 2019 and want to leave this paragraph here for anyone who wants to read from previous years. From the Archive: “My word for 2019 is Confident.

My initial list of words was expansive, open, aligned, joy, grateful, and confident. While I, of course, want more of all of these things—when I looked at my year ahead I knew that the area of most fear is the release of my forthcoming book (coming August 2019!). The cover, title and summary will be released shortly. I’ve always felt confident as a blogger, but a book with a major publisher is a totally different level. The ideation phase and writing process stretched me more than I could have imagined, which in the end was the biggest gift of 2018 because I know the final product will help so many people. With a book like this, there’s more exposure, more scrutiny, and of course more people to help and connect with. Instead of fear, I’m choosing confidence. I can’t wait to share it with you!”

And from 2020: Something that the pandemic, quarantine & world turmoil taught me was how much I unnecessarily overcomplicated some aspects of life. With no direction of where 2020 was going to go, I just started to tell myself “let it be easy.” I stopped telling myself that things felt hard and lived in the present moment. I reminded myself that worrying about a future that hasn’t happened yet only creates anxiety, and worrying about the past (where nothing can change) is a waste of time.

If you want to put more visualization into practice, then I suggest making a vision board and putting your word of the year front and center!

Read: How to Make a Vision Board that Works: A Step-by-Step Guide

If you’d like more healthy mindset advice, check out “5 Messy Yet Beautiful Life Lessons Every Woman Should Know” and more positive mindset posts here.

Over to you! I’d LOVE to know what your Word of the Year is and why you chose it. Leave it here in the comments to share it with our community. Speaking it into the Universe is a beautiful way to get things flowing.

Happy New Year!