Word Up! Find Your Word of the Year [PDF included]

Here’s a great alternative to boring, disappointing new year resolutions!

Looking for something more exciting this year? 

Something easier? Something different?

I’m with you!!

Keep reading, and make sure you go all the way to the end because I’ve got a little surprise for you!

***********************************

Or…. Hey, there! I’ve created a fantastic PDF guide (workbook style) that you can download and work your way through the content from this post. Just click HERE to grab that guide now!

***********************************

2024—can you believe it?! 

So, how do you feel about new year resolutions? 

Are you the type of person who sets out to meet a specific goal every year, schedules out detailed plans, and always masters the achievement?

Or….are you the type who sets out to meet a specific goal every year, schedules out detailed plans, and drops the ball by February? (No shame…that used to be ME.)

OR….are you among the crowd of new year resolution haters?

Have you given up on making new year resolutions? Did you decide that you just aren’t going to torture yourself with ridiculous, unachievable to-do lists anymore? Has shame or disappointment gotten the best of you in years past?

I say, forget about new year resolutions!

Forget about setting general, broad goals to lose weight, find the love of your life, make more money, quit something….

These are worthy goals, don’t get me wrong, but resolutions to do these things in this very year can be daunting. Trying to make these big changes requires more than a declaration. 

Losing weight, for example:

If you really want lasting and sustainable results you will need to work on eating habits and learn about food labels, types of foods, portion sizes. You’ll need to learn how to exercise properly, fit exercise into your busy schedule, vary your routines. You’ll maximize your efforts if you discover your body type, understand your metabolism, and then follow more specific food and exercise guidelines according to those factors. Oh, and you’ll definitely want to work on building a strong mindset.

Eeek!

All of this is possible and valuable for your health, but don’t make it your new year resolution.

Make it a gradual plan, a course you enroll in, a 6 week holistic health and weight loss coaching package with me so you’ll get lots of help and support. In fact, I can help you with any of those broad goals.

But again, don’t make them new year resolutions.

Instead—

Fill yourself with hope and excitement for the new year. Shift your thinking about this coming year. Allow yourself something more fun, lighter, easier.

Embrace a word of the year.

Word up! (You bet I was a teen in the 80’s)

This is something I chose to do a few years ago. It made such a positive impact on my life that I decided I would repeat the practice every year. And now I want to share it with you!

It’s choosing a theme for your year to represent how you want to feel and who you want to be instead of what you want to do. 

This isn’t about forcing yourself to change anything. It’s about acting in alignment with the type of person you want to be.

It’s creating an anchor to hold you steady when daily life gets you rocking. 

For me it’s grounding–a touchstone. It’s my righting moment when I’m feeling off keel and need to recalibrate. It keeps me focused on my goals more than any new year resolution ever did because it guides me like a beacon. 

It calls to me instead of hovering over me.

If this has you intrigued, or if you’ve heard about the concept of finding a “word of the year” but haven’t quite figured yours out or how it could possibly benefit you, keep reading!

Grab a cup of something great and some paper and your favorite pen if you like to journal. I’m going to take you through a step-by-step process to help you:

• determine your word and know your why
• recognize obstacles and clear blocks
• embody your word and live your dreams

Also, remember you can download the free workbook right now.

You probably already have some idea of how you’d like to approach this year and how you’d like life to be different. 

These points and questions will help you create clarity, awareness and vision for your future.

6 Steps to Help You Determine Your Word of the Year and Live It

Download the “Discover Your Word of the Year” FREE Guide.

1. Start with a brainstorm.  

Make a list of words that might appeal to you.

My words in the past have been:

• light, delight, within, open, connected, authentic, be cool, quiet and poise

Here are some more words to help you generate your own ideas:

• freedom, happiness, fun, vitality, action, clarity, peace, ease, comfort, kindness, discipline, pioneer, bold, courage, strong/strength, anchored, start, stretch, believe, magical, grateful, greatness, limitless, expansion, surrender, evolve, up-level, trust, forgiveness, simplify/simplicity, responsibility, spaciousness, savor, slow, calm, love, spiritual/spirituality, relationship, full, alive, pause, soulful, authentic, unstoppable, mindful, confidence, compassion, rest, move, powerful, adventure, exhilaration

Do any of those resonate with you?

If not, a quick google search will bring up even more words for you to consider.

Go within and ask yourself:

• What is calling me? 
• What is calling to be strengthened, stretched, learned, deepened, tempered, opened, added, attained?
• What do I want to stand for?

2. Narrow down your list to the top 5-10 that resonated with you most.

Next to each word write a brief note about why each is so great, or maybe not so great.

What does each word mean to you and for your life, family, work, ultimate goals? How does each word fit in with what you long for in your life?

Each of the these words has different meaning for you and for me. Some might be more fitting for your life than for mine right now. Some might be inspiring to me but disheartening for you.

For example, when I see the word “responsibility” I cringe. It reminds me of how I lost my keys a lot when I was a teenager and had to pay to re-key the house a couple times. I made a few new year resolutions to “be more responsible” but I still lost my keys again. So, the word “responsibility” just brings to mind a flaw I need to fix, something for which I might resent myself, not an inspiring theme I want to choose.

However, if you’re taking on a new leadership role at work, the word “responsibility” might light you up and get you rolling every morning.

So, go through your narrowed down list and take a moment to consider which words contain energy and meaning that inspires your heart and that you can get excited about. Any words that scream “should” at you, remind you that you don’t measure up, or might have come from a different place—such as someone else’s nagging voice—nix those words!

3. Choose your word–a word that fills you up and gives you vision for the year ahead.

You can choose more than one word, of course. But please don’t choose more than two or three. Your focus could get strewn and you might lose your commitment. We’re choosing this exercise over new year resolutions to avoid that very issue.

You could also choose just one now and another one later, perhaps mid-year.

4. Commit to your word by getting clear about your reason for choosing it. 

This clarity will make the word come alive for you, help you make sure it’s absolutely right for you this year, and solidify your commitment.

Answer the following questions:

• What would be different for you if you actually live out this word in your daily life?

• What kind of person would you be?

• What would you experience?

• How would you feel?

• From what would you find relief?

• What might you receive?

• What could you create?

• What might come into your life?

• How does this word align with your strengths?

• How are you already living out this word?

• How are you not living this word?

Which leads to….

5. Recognize obstacles and clear blocks.

What has kept you from living this way until now?

Sometimes I get stuck. Do you?

I get trapped in my mind thinking I should, need to, have to be what someone else is expecting. If I want to be accepted then I must conform.

Sometimes it’s my own outrageous expectations. There’s a certain “perfect” mom, wife, daughter, daughter-in-law, counselor, fitness leader, health coach….and I must be each. Right?

Wrong.

I can’t live that way. I’ve tried, but I’m no performer. I’m not perfect.

You don’t have to be either. 

First and foremost, give yourself permission to live out your word. 

If you’ve gone through the brainstorming, narrowing and clarifying processes to select a word, then I believe you’ve found what was calling you.

Believe in yourself. 

Ditch self-doubt. Trust your intuition. Stop pointing out what you’re bad at.

Don’t worry too much about the how yet, just have faith in your word. Don’t overthink it. Be open to how each day unfolds and offers opportunities for you to live your word, your truth.

Don’t worry about what other people will say. Be who you are, hold fast to your compass, and you will thrive.

Make a bold statement using your word, and write it down. Use one of these stems if you want:

• This is the year I will be ____.
• I am the type of person who ____.
• I am a ____.
• I am acting in alignment with ____.

And remember, it’s ok for you to attract what you desire. It’s ok for you to be who you were meant to be. That’s what this word represents. It was already in you—

—now the manifestation begins.

6. Embody your word and live your dreams.

Make a list of 5-10 ways you might integrate your word into your life.

Some questions to help you out:

• What plans could you make for your life daily, weekly, monthly, or according to seasons? 
• What could you increase? Decrease?
• What limits do you need to put into place? What boundaries need to be set?
• What rewards would help you stay motivated? Or would the success of feeling the way you want be reward enough?
• How can you keep your vision in the forefront of your mind? 
• What could you be on the lookout for each day in order to seize an opportunity to exercise your new being?
• What’s one small habit you could incorporate into your day that would live out your word in even the tiniest way?
• What big/small goals are you inspired to set that would honor your word?
• Consider all areas of your life: your home, work, body, food, relationships, activities.

Finally, here are some suggestions to jumpstart your year:

• Share your word and why you chose it. Post it on your Facebook page, your Instagram page, or your own blog if you have one (I’d LOVE it if you add a link to this blog post); put it in the comments below; tell your partner, friends, parents, siblings, mentors; BE BOLD.
• Get support. Find someone who will help encourage you and help you stay accountable to your desire. Better yet, find someone who will do this with you. You can support and encourage each other and help each other recognize opportunities to live out your words and your dreams. A life coach or therapist can be great support, too.
• Post a visual representation of your word somewhere you’ll see it every day. This could be a sign with your bold statement, a vision board you create with your word as the focal point, a daily phone alert, or a more subtle reminder of your intention (a special fridge magnet, keychain, charm, bead, stone, shell).

So, how are you stepping into 2024? 

What are you going to tell yourself this year?

I hope you have decided on an amazing word, and you feel empowered to step boldly into the new year.

Believe in yourself and your ability to have the life you desire and feel the way you want to feel.

Cheers to you, a new year, and all you long for.

I’d love it if you would share your word or your bold statement in the comments or in a private email to me. 

And, if you want to know my word for 2024, you’ll have to get on my email list to receive my weekly-ish newsletter!

Just click HERE to grab the free guide “Discover Your Word of the Year”; and you’ll also get my weekly-ish newsletters, updates, quick links to blog posts, and other special things I share only with my email community. Plus, you’ll receive a free downloadable, fillable Holistic Wellness Inventory and Goal Setting Worksheet—perfect to go along with your ‘word of the year’ venture.

Live, love and be well!

Jen

Oh, and here’s the surprise I promised: a little throw back just for you! Enjoy!