Tag

word of the year

Browsing

Happy New Year! 

If you are reading this, I wish you a healthy, joyful and peaceful 2025!  Do you have a word of the year 2025? A word of the year is a theme word that you can draw upon to remind you of where you are and where you want to be throughout the year. 

Like holidays of previous years, I took some time this holiday season to reflect on the previous year – and years – thinking about the highlights as well as the challenges I faced personally and professionally. Our family also enjoys talking about Christmases past, sharing stories about past. Reflecting on the past makes for room to a clearer path for the future, understanding unhealthy patterns and lessons learned from mistakes to move forward.

With all of the learning and observations from that year, I like to select a word that can summarize what I’d like the new year to bring and represent. Resolutions are easily broken but a focus or theme word can be easier to recall during times of uncertainty. A theme word can help you focus your intentions more easily, serving as a mantra when you get off track of your goals or lose focus on what your intentions are.

It’s interesting to look back at some of my theme words over the past 10 years:

2014 – flourish
2015 – focus, be, leisure
2016 – nurture
2017 – manifest
2018 – clarify, courage, celebration
2019 – pivot
2020 – open
2021 – grounding
2022 –  grounding* though I didn’t write a new word, the word ‘grounding’ trickled into 2022
2023 –
cultivate
2024 – healing

How do you choose a theme word of the year?

It can seem daunting to choose a theme word of the year that best summarizes what you aspire to be, do and accomplish in a year. What is one word that captures the overall mood or sentiment you hope to embrace in 2025?

With some reflection, you’ll likely discover one word—or even a few, as I did in 2018. Take a moment to consider your personal and professional aspirations for the year ahead. Think about the emotions and feelings you want to foster. Do any recurring themes or patterns emerge?

Where do you envision yourself in the future?

Are you aiming to emphasize joy, resilience, growth, or gratitude? Choose a word that captures the emotional tone you aspire to. Imagine yourself reaching your goals and embodying the qualities tied to your chosen theme. Taking some time to sit or lie down, practice deep breathing, and visualize your future can help the right word naturally come to mind.
 
What do you want to accomplish?

What experiences do you hope to gain? Are there habits you want to build or break? What core values matter most to you? Your theme word should resonate with these values and represent the person you aspire to be. At the same time, remain flexible and ready to adapt your theme word as the year progresses. Remember, nothing is set in stone, and change is constant. Your priorities or circumstances may evolve, so stay open to shifting your focus if needed.

Now that you’ve chosen your theme word, what’s next?

After selecting your theme word, consider creating a visual reminder like a vision board or a desktop wallpaper featuring the word prominently. A vision board can be most helpful as the process of searching and finding images that best reflect your theme and goals can help solidify them. Often, we may not know what we’re looking for until we see it visually, so this would be a helpful exercise.

Alternatively, you can set a daily reminder on your phone with your word, accompanied by an inspirational or motivational message if it resonates. These small prompts can help reinforce your dedication to your theme word and keep you focused throughout the year..

Word of the Year 2025

After a period of grieving and healing, 2025 is a year to start anew and so much two words are:

Regenerate and Explore

Regenerate means to re-create or revive something anew, bringing into existence again a renewed sense of life and hope. Regeneration can apply to personal development, where one might regenerate their mindset, habits, or lifestyle, or even physical regeneration, like focusing on health and wellness. It’s about embracing the cycle of renewal, where the old is transformed into something vibrant and thriving.

Explore is all about venturing into the unknown, seeking new opportunities, and expanding your horizons. It’s an invitation to push past your current boundaries and dive into new experiences. It’s a word that embodies curiosity and adventure, pushing you to seek out the unknown and discover new passions, opportunities, and destinations. “Explore” reminds you to keep an open mind and actively search for experiences that enrich both your work and life.

What is your word for 2025?

Let’s never speak of 2020 again, shall we? I don’t think there’s ever been a year people around the world have collectively wished to be OVER than this past year.  While the pandemic won’t magically disappear in 2021, there is a renewed sense of hope for better days ahead.

With the promise of a number of vaccines, and the eventual trickle down of people receiving it, we can hopefully see our lives returning to normal at some point this year. But the process will be slow… and it makes me wonder how many more months of this limbo-state will we have to endure.

Usually, I like to take time during the first few days of January to reflect on the past year, and then create a WORD, an intention for the upcoming year. A mantra of sorts.

But because of Covid, I think it’s fair to say we’ve all had much more time and reason to reflect. Many of us have been forced to get back to the basics, and practice gratitude for good health, family, and even food and shelter.

So how can I drum up the desire to create a new word for 2021 when 2020 was such a disaster?

Well, it was also an eye-opener, in many respects. Sure, it was frightening and precarious. But it was also eye-opener in many respects. Grounding. There are always lessons to be learned from difficult periods, as long as we realize them and use them towards positive change. And we must hang onto those simple yet profound moments (and people) that make life truly meaningful.

Despite the hardships and challenges of last year, I do think it’s still worthwhile to create a WORD for 2021. After all, with all of the lessons and reflections, that word might be greatly different than previous years – and possibly simpler too.

Do you have a word of the year?

Choosing one word to sum up a theme for the upcoming year is no easy task. What one word can represent all of the things you hope to be, do and achieve?

My word in 2014 was flourish as I looked to expand my business. I couldn’t choose one word in 2015 so I opted for three, while in 2016, my word was nurture. In 2017, my word was manifest; In 2018, I chose three theme words as I couldn’t narrow down to one. My 2019 word was pivot, and open in 2020.  

What is your word for 2021?

Do you have a theme word for 2021? Narrowing your goals for the year to just one word can be a challenge. But what would your word be?

My word is a simple one this year.

Most of us spend many of our waking ours thinking, planning, analyzing, and worrying. Add in technology and social media, and it’s a recipe for mental overload, overstimulation and exhaustion.  This past year has been particularly challenging, pushing many of us into a psychological tailspin. Those who never suffered anxiety or depression were suddenly catapulted into caring for their mental health and prioritizing self-care.

Part of that self-care means more people were taking walks outdoors, going on nature hikes, baking and cooking, spending more time with family, taking up a new hobby, starting a new exercise regimen, practicing yoga or meditation – simpler things in life, unmaterialistic things, that ground us.

So my word for this year is grounding.

Grounding

A practice I began some time ago but truly made priority this past year. It must continue through 2021 – and always for that matter.

There’s a scientific reason why grounding, or earthing, is good for you; connecting with the Earth’s electrons has been found to promote physiological changes including better sleep and reduced pain.  

Grounding also connects us with the here and now, the present moment. Grounding creates calm, contentment, decreases stress and anxiety, and allows us to live in the moment and appreciate what matters most in life. It’s a way to connect deeply with the earth and our own bodies and souls, reminding us of our part in this vast universe.

Grounding for me also means feeling stability and security, something that has been lacking for some time. While last year, I was open to receive opportunities, this year I must stay grounded and nurture what I have.

What is your word for 2021?

Do you have a word of the year? amotherworld.com

Do You Have a Word of the Year for 2021?