How to Choose a Word of the Year for 2024
With Six Journaling Prompts to Discover It and Reflect on your Year Ahead
Choosing a Word of The Year for 2024
Better than New Year’s Resolutions?
Must I really start running again in the coldest, darkest month of the year? Resolutions can add pressure to an already dingy, long, damp month. We have less money after Christmas, a time of connection which also reminds us of our losses and pain. The low light can affect our mood and even our sleep (take care of yourself this month, won’t you).
January, your days are short, cold and wet but your promise of hope and renewal tingles in my heart.
Choosing a word of the year can set an no-fuss intention for the year ahead.
If you don’t like resolutions, or are ambivalent like me, this is the simple version. A word to hold you, to cheerlead, and centre your thoughts and actions around when you feel lost. I can see that others might find it a pointless, or worse, a bit ofstedy. Trying to summarise an entire year ahead in a word.
For me, a word of the year sharpens my focus, intention, and adds wonder.
‘Inspire’, ‘courage’ and ‘create’ have been some of my pervious words. I skipped my ritual in 2022. Long Covid had already robbed a year of my life and I had no idea what the future held for me. The doctors were just as clueless. The only words I might have come up with were ‘scared,’ ‘ill’ or ‘bugger’. I’m grateful I’ve improved to around 80% health now, and I’ll take that.
Feed What you Want to Grow
A mediation teacher once said ‘feed what you want to grow’ while I was on a retreat years ago. If we feed the parts of our life that matter most, and stop feeding the parts that no longer serve us, we find clarity in our actions each day. (More on habit change coming soon).
Last year, in 2023, I chose the word ‘grow.’ I intended to grow myself, my Therapy Toolbox course, and help other women to grow too.
Until recently, I confess I forgot my 2023 word (blast you, brain fog!) and I didn’t think of it past March. It’s fine to hold this lightly. I did a slow-grow anyway. I recovered. I decluttered my home, leaving room for growth. My daughter has grown into a lovely young woman. And yes, my Therapy Toolbox course helped others grow too, and my mailing list crept up, though less than I hoped for (a symptom of zero marketing!)
My chosen words of past years: ‘inspire,’ ‘create’ and ‘courage’ would float into my mind every now and then (apart from last year).
Like a gentle hand on my back, the words offered support, helped me focus, make decisions and track how I am living and being.
My heart almost burst open a few years ago when a kind Instagram follower sent me a beautiful leaf with the word ‘courage’ written on it that year; it had been her word the year before.
The sharing and community this simple ritual brings enhances our solidarity with fellow humans bobbing through their lives, just like us. We can all relate to simple words and offer our gentle nod of recognition, or get stuck in to an exciting discussion of our plans filled with tingles and hope.
To pick a word of the year is to set our compass and follow where it leads.
My word of the year 2024 is WRITE.
I intend to write here each week, for the whole year and beyond. I couldn’t make that commitment last year when I opened my Substack account. Now I can. I’m in with both feet, and I can’t wait!
