It's a new year - so let's find your word of the year!
You may be wondering: why choose a word of the year?
A word of the year can help you make decisions all year and stay on track - especially when your new year's resolution is loooonnnng gone.
Your word is your compass for the year!
Ok, let’s find your word of the year!
There are two ways to find your word of the year - see which one resonates with the most or try both to really get clear on your word.
Exercise 1: FIND YOUR WORD of the Year
1. Future-Self Success
Choose one of the three ways below to enter your Future-Self World:
Meditate: Close your eyes, center yourself, and connect into your heart center. Feeling the energy of love, see yourself living out your best year or day. What are you doing? Where are you? What's happening? How do you feel?
Journaling: Just for a minute, close your eyes, center yourself, and connect into your heart center. When you're ready, write out your amazing life or your best day. What are you feeling? What are you doing? Where are you? What's happening? How do you feel?
Go as detailed or broad as you want, whatever feels good to you - have fun with it!
Speaking: Close your eyes, center yourself, and connect into your heart center. You can keep your eyes open or closed during this.
See yourself living out your best year or day and just start ranting. What are you doing? Where are you? What is happening? How do you feel? Talk to yourself as you're experiencing this day, what would you stay out loud if you just... (insert dream happening! )
Talk about all the amazing things happening in your world. Would you scream out loud, call a friend and tell them the good news... or it can be you living out a day and you're speaking on a stage or on zoom in a workshop: what are you saying? Say it, feel it, live it.
-> FEELING is key here, so whichever mode helps you to feel the most is what you want to do.
2. Write them out
Write down your main goals or achievements for the year ahead
3. Feel it!
What would creating, experiencing, or achieving your goals and dreams FEEL like to you?
Write down a few one word answers. ie. expansive, joy, soulful, powerful
4. Add the energy!
Now, add some words to your feelings above to give the word some energy and momentum and really bring it to life!
Keep writing and flowing with your words until one stands out.
ie. Soul on fire, Live on purpose, Expansive creator,
-> This is your new word or words for the year.
Exercise 2: FIND YOUR WORD of the Year
Grab a piece of paper and dive in.
This exercise helps you explore your word for the year and understand who you need to be and what you need to do to make yourself proud at the end of the year.
1. Choose a word or words and test it
Don't worry too much about picking the right one, we'll dive deeper - for now, just choose a word that makes you feel good, inspires, or excites you.
2. Let's find out who you need to BE
Start by determining if your word is an adjective or a verb?
• If it's an adjective ( describing you and a way of being )
ASK: What action would you need to take to make that happen?
Example: happy (adjective) --> you might decide that "happy" would look like: spending alone time or playing music (verb)
• If it's a verb ( describing how you would act )
ASK: Who would you need to be to make sure it happens?
Example: get into shape (verb) --> you might choose health-conscious or active (adjective)
Why does this matter?
In order to take any action or start a new habit, you must understand who you are being first, because who you are being drives your thoughts which then drives your actions.
The model is: Be -> Do -> Have
You are being someone - in order to do, and then you will receive or have
( it is not Have -> Do -> Be as some think. )
So, if you understand how a person would think and feel in order to take an action then you can begin to understand how you'll need to think and feel in order to take your action.
You’ll begin to understand who you have to BE to achieve this!
( Remember: success leaves clues. )
3. Gain a better understanding by stepping into someone else's shoes
You can create a clearer picture and have a better understanding of who you need to become by stepping into someone else's shoes for a minute.
In thinking of your word - step into the life of someone you admire and write down what you think their answers would be to these guestions:
• What would they think?
• How would they feel?
• What would they believe?
4. Let’s make sure your word aligns with your goal for the year
( if your goal is your word - you can skip this )
- What is your goal for the year?
- Who would you need to BE to achieve that goal?
- What would you need to DO to achieve that goal?
- Why is this important to you?
- Does your word support your goal?
( You don't want your goal and word of the year to be in conflict but feed off one other. )
5. Let’s create an empowering statement for the year
A. What is your word for the year so far?
B. Who would you need to BE?
Write down as many ideas that you can think of - just let it flow.
Circle the three most important to you.
C. What would you need to DO?
Write down as many ideas that you can think of - just let it flow.
Circle the three most important to you.
D. Let’s create a few different sentences
From your top three ideas above, start playing with the words to see what works.
I am a ______(A)______ person who ______(B)_______ and _______(C)________.
6. Let's finish this up and choose your WORD of the year:
From all these ideas - what word(s) resonates with you the most?
Is it a statement, one word, or a couple of words?
You may decide to keep your original word, add words, or you may have found a statement that really resonates with you.
- For example, if you had chosen the word "Giving" - you may end up with Be of Service.
- Or if you started with "Get in shape" you may decide that Health-conscious is even better because it will help you be the type of person who exercises and eats healthy.
I hope you found a word that really lights you up, inspires and motivates you to go after your dreams this year!
And if you want to really gain some momentum then grab a mug with your word or words carved on the front of a Bistro mug! ( Available in five different colors in my Etsy shop. )
