January has a funny kind of pressure attached to it, doesn’t it? Suddenly we’re expected to become a brand-new person overnight. New routines, new body, new habits, new everything. Resolutions can be inspiring, but they can also feel like a long list of ways we might fall short. And when life gets busy (as it always does), those good intentions can quickly turn into guilt.
What if, instead of setting endless resolutions, you chose one word to guide your year?
A “word for the year” isn’t a rulebook. It’s a compass. It doesn’t demand perfection – it invites direction. Your word becomes something you can return to when you’re making choices, setting boundaries, or finding your feet again after a wobble. It’s simple, flexible, and wonderfully human.
Your word might be something you want more of in your life: calm, joy, courage, ease, playfulness, health, connection.Or it might be something you’re ready to practise: patience, trust, consistency, self-respect, bravery. There’s no right or wrong – only what feels meaningful to you right now.
Here’s a gentle way to find your word:
- Look back before you leap forward
What did last year teach you? What felt nourishing, and what felt draining? If last year had a headline, what would it be? - Notice what you’re longing for
Not what you think you should want – but what your heart keeps quietly asking for. - Try a few words on like coats
Say them out loud. Write them down. Imagine living with them for twelve months. Which one feels like a steady hand on your shoulder?
Once you have your word, keep it visible. Put it on your phone screen, your diary, the fridge, the car dashboard – wherever you’ll see it when you need reminding. Then, through the year, you can ask:
“What would it look like to choose my word here?”
If your word is ease, maybe you stop over-committing.
If it’s courage, maybe you start the thing you’ve been avoiding.
If it’s connection, maybe you reach out instead of retreating.
And when you slip (because we all do), your word doesn’t scold you. It simply invites you back.
So if resolutions feel heavy this year, try something lighter but deeper. One word. One intention. A quiet guide for the year ahead.
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What will yours be?