Choosing a word of the year that aligns with your core beliefs and values can help propel you into your year with true purpose and clarity. Let's go through the process together to find the right word that will honor your next steps into the new year. Find a word that lights you up, challenges you, and embodies who you are becoming.
Meet your Teacher
Summerville, SC, USA
Transcript
A few years back, I chose a word of the year to really propel my life into a little bit of a different direction. And I found that by choosing this word, Courageous, When really anchoring into that word for the year, I was able to make really grandiose steps. I was able to start a business. I was able to retire from my full-time job after 30 years. I started a podcast and I made big plans to move across the country. Because of this word, Because of being able to embody this word, This powerful process of choosing a word that you can embody for the year can give you such a change and such a big step in your life that it is worth making it part of an annual habit. My name is Joy Bartholomew and I am a life coach, A yoga teacher, A meditation facilitator, And a travel host for a women's 50 plus travel group, Sage and Silk Journeys. And I've been able to step into all of these through incremental steps, Through incremental ways that I've been living my life and changing it, Just allowing it to be on autopilot, Not allowing it to be something that I fall into, But something that is intentional, Something that I plan for. And I want you to have those same steps, To have that same motivation, That same freedom, That same calling and purpose in your life and to be able to step into that. And one of the things that I truly find is a great way to start my year, Whether that's January 1st, Whether it's February 1st, Whether it's your birthday, Whatever time of the year this is for you, Starting that by having a word of your year. I find throughout the year by focusing on this one word, I can find focus and clarity that I can give myself so much better a jump start into this new space. So for today, The goal of this talk really is, Wow, To choose a word for the year and what those benefits really can be. So the benefits, Let's start there because everybody wants to know, What am I getting out of this? What is the end result? What is it that I'm going to be able to achieve by making this change? And again, My personal story, My personal experiences have truly been that I walk away with focus and clarity. Those are my two big takeaways, Because when I can get clear on something, When I can find a path, When I can see that linear path ahead of me, All of a sudden, All of the noise that surrounds me falls to the wayside. So if I can focus on this word, Then it's going to give me that clarity to see through that new year. I can focus very specifically on specific actions, Specific goals, On specific ways of being. This isn't necessarily about achievements as much as it is about embodying who you are becoming. And having this word help keeps you on track for the next 12 months. And that's what we really need, Because so many times we get a resolution, I want to achieve something. And the problem is your motivation runs out, Because you're focusing on this end result. And when you don't see results in two weeks, Three weeks, Your motivations will start to wane very often, Right? Just look at the gym memberships. Everybody joins up in January, Nobody's there by February 14th, Right? You're like, Nope, Valentine's Day is here, I'm out. I've lost that edge. So the word of the year is a motivational tool to help you get there. It's not, It's the carrot versus the stick, Right? And this is the carrot. And this word of the year is that motivation that keeps you hanging on. And the goal here isn't to achieve necessarily every goal, It's to help you grow into your next best self, To help you expand, And to stretch your self image. Because we don't want to rely on who we were last year. We don't want to sit in that stagnant place, In that place where we're not finding any new experiences, Any new growth. And really just sitting in the old. Our goal now is to experience the new. It's to take what we've built upon in this last year, In the year before, And the year before that, And to change, And to grow, And to really hone in on who it is we're becoming this year. So if you would like to take this word of the year challenge, Then I invite you to step into this process. Step into this word of the year and make it something that is your own. I would love for you to join me in this process. I would love for you to take on this challenge of choosing a word for yourself for this next year. And how you do that can be done in these few simple steps. Because I truly believe that if you can find the word, Find the feeling, Find this embodiment that allows you to step into your next best self, That you can transform this entire year by anchoring to this one word. So here's how we're going to do it. So I would like for you to sit. I would like for you to take some time to journal. I would like for you to do some visualization. And who is it that you are becoming this year? Who is it that you are stepping into? Who is it that you are stretching and reaching into this new phase, This new person? Now, This isn't an overnight thing. You know, If you were coming looking for, Oh, I picked a word and I moved on. That's not how this practice works. So what I would love for you to do is just take this opportunity to visualize, To journal, And to really become curious about this next year. Only you know what potential challenges you face in this upcoming year. Only you know where you were last year. Was it a year that was full of chaos and maybe this is your year of rest? Was last year a year that just went on autopilot and you didn't have any direction and now you're seeing that you want to add that in? What is it that you experienced last year? Who were you last year? And who do you want to step into in this year? Because we want it to align with who you are becoming. We want it to align with your values. We want it to align with your core beliefs because your body will not honor a word. It will not accept a new path, A wise path, If it's not part of that core system. So if you thought you were coming to choose a word and you were going to be done in five minutes or that is not where we are. This is a process. So allow this process maybe to take a week. Allow this process to unfold. Check in with how you feel when a word comes to you because as you choose a word, As you go through this process and you start to think, Oh I'd really like maybe to choose a very bold word or a very soft word or something that's very adventurous and motivational. Let that settle in. How does that feel in your body? How does that feel in your nervous system? How does that feel in the morning? In the afternoon? Maybe in the evening when you're tired? Does that word still feel like it is your next best self? So as we go through and you find that alignment and you start feeling a word that may be your word for the year, Then what I'd love for you to do is try that word on. Cry on a word that lights you up or scares you or challenges you. Cry the adventure. Cry the word rest. Cry the word responsibility. Cry different words and see if they are in balance and in harmony with who you are becoming. Now as you choose this word, As you find a word that you feel may be your word of the year, Choose that word that embodies a lifestyle or invokes that inner feeling. Not an emotional feeling because I don't want this to be swayed by emotions. I want this to be a word that resonates with you so very deeply. Very often when I speak with people they will say, Well I'm going to be happy this year. But happy is a word that is dictated by circumstance. Happiness is because you got an ice cream cone and now you're happy. Happiness is that you got a raise that you weren't expecting. Happiness is a beautiful day and a trip to the park. That's happiness. What I would love for you to feel is joy instead. So if you were looking at the word happy this year, I invite you to change that to joyful because of the fact that that is not dependent on external circumstances. That is all dependent on internal contentment, Internal focus, Alignment with your true self, With your values, And it is not dependent on what is going on outside of your system. So choosing a word that is not swayed by emotions is definitely very helpful. Choosing a word that is not swayed by a to-do list. We don't want the word maybe budget, Right? Because of the fact that we don't want this to be a task-oriented word. We want this to be a lifestyle word. We want this to be a value word. We want this to be that motivational word. And a budget is something to do. It's not how you feel. So we don't want something that's going to be a limiting belief or to bring scarcity into our word of the year. We want it to be uplifting. And by having some of those words, Again like budget, You are going to feel lack. And we don't want you to bring lack into this word. We want to bring openness in. Shonda Rhimes wrote a book a few years back, And Shonda Rhimes is a TV writer, Producer, Brought about many shows, But she brought this book out, And it was The Year of Yes. And I love the positivity of this. And I love the positivity of her yes, And how she was a year of yes. But understand, A year of yes also equates to a year of no. I'm going to say yes to a project, But in saying yes to that project, What am I saying no to? Am I saying no to family time? Am I saying no to more free time? Am I saying no to peace of mind because now I'm more stressed? If I'm saying yes to more events with friends, More dinner parties, More evenings out, Am I saying no to quality sleep, Or quality time at home, Or self-care practices and routines? So understand that there is always a yin yang with this potential word. Something that you are getting is something that you are giving up. And what is it that you want to give up, Right? If last year was the year of chaos, Is this year the year of calm? If last year was the year of rest, And maybe you didn't do as much as you needed to do, Maybe this is the year to step up and into adventure and fun. But understand as you're choosing this word, What that is propelling you towards, And maybe what that's pulling you away from. So just understand the pros and cons as you are choosing a word that is going to embody a feeling and a lifestyle for this year. Choose a word that is qualitative, Not quantitative. We want to choose a word that is going to expand and open and just bring in this quality of life, Not micromanage it. So if you want to be bold or courageous, If you want to be abundant, If you want to live in abundance this year, Or softness or strength, Maybe it's a year of ease or of self-care. Maybe it's a year of confidence. We want it to be uplifting and attainable, But we don't want it to be goal-oriented. We don't want this to be a resolution. We want this to be open-ended and to give you a wide berth to really step into a space that you are becoming. You don't know who you're going to become in 12 months, But this is going to give you that opening to become curious to figure out who that person is going to look like when you step in to that lifestyle of being bold, That lifestyle of speaking your truth, That lifestyle of being at ease, That lifestyle of confidence. So we don't want a word, Again, Like lean, Because that leads to deprivation. It's like that budget word. It's a task-oriented word. It has those negative connotations. It's got those connotations that lead to to-do lists and task-oriented, Not in that inner core feeling. So I recommend not using words that lead to deprivation, Maybe something more balanced or harmony or rhythm. I want to live in rhythm with my body, With my routine, With the world around me. I want to be in harmony. So often we hear the word balance and we think, Oh, Work-life balance. Well, You're never going to get 50-50 balance, Right? If you're truly looking at a scale, What you might find is harmony. I have a harmony in my personal, My work, My family life. I find a blended harmony. So understand that now maybe you're looking at something a little different that is going to allow you to expand in new ways that you can't even know right now. So allow that to be open, Allow that to be qualitative and really talking about the quality of your life. Next, Research the word. If you're honing down into maybe a word or two words and you're trying to figure out which word really is going to be the significant player, That primary player in your life this year, Research that word. Look up the definition, Look up the synonyms, Look up the antonyms, Look up the history of that word, The usage. It's going to give you more essence to that word. It's going to allow you to really not just utilize that one word, But all of those words that fall underneath of it, All of those subcategory feelings, Beliefs, And words that are underneath that you can attribute to that same directional movement that you will be making, That same shift that you will be making this year and bringing those other words along with it. My word this year is elegance. And to me, Elegance is not attached to money. It is attached to the richness of life. It's attached to refinement. It is attached to an ease, A manner of speaking, A manner of being, A level of confidence, Subtlety. And so all of these words fall underneath that banner of elegance for me. And for me, Living in that elegant state, In that elegant place of being, Isn't just about how I treat myself. It's how I treat others. It's the lifestyle that I want in my home. I want it to be soft. I want it to be approachable. I want it to be comfortable. But I want that level of refinement. So for me, Looking at those other words, Looking at those other synonyms, Allows me to get a broader feeling of what elegance looks like for me in this next year. So once you get a word, Play with it for a few days. Try it on. Try it on like a hat, Like a dress. Try it on at eight o'clock in the morning. Try on that word at noon. Try that word on at five. You know, If you've got little ones, Maybe, You know, As you're picking up the kids, Does this word still work when you're at work and you're dealing with a deadline? Does this word work? How are you going to embody this word? How is it going to show up for you? How are you going to show up for it? And just allow it to settle in and make sure that it has the right fit for you for this year. We don't want it to be chosen by a mood, But we want to make sure that it has the proper fit. Maybe it doesn't have enough fire beneath it. It's not strong enough. Maybe it's too soft. Maybe it's too strong. And maybe you can make some minor adjustments and switch that word into something that truly fits. Once you've tried on that word, Once you've chosen it, Once you have committed to this word of the year, Go ahead and post it. And I don't mean post it on social media. What I'm saying is post it on a post-it note. Write it in lipstick on your mirror. Put it on a post-it note on your dashboard, On your car. Put it on your phone. Have that as your screensaver on your computer. Put it in a place, In a journal, Where you can see it, Where you can revisit it, Where you can really hone in on what that looks like to you, What that means to you, And how you want to today live out that word. I used Canva to design a backdrop. I used a soft, Silk, Sage green picture of flowing fabric. I used a very elegant, Rightly so, Script to write the word elegance. And I put it on top of this silk, Sage green, Beautiful draped fabric. And I used that as my screensaver on my phone. It invokes a feeling. It elicits a response. It helps me frame it in my mind. It helps me to live it out in a beautiful fashion for this whole upcoming year. So, If you are interested in going through this process, I invite you to go through step by step through the process to create a word that you want to embody. You want to grow into this year. A word that brings you into your next phase. Choosing this word that aligns with who you are becoming. Choosing a word that lights you up. One that embodies a lifestyle or invokes a feeling. One that is qualitative in how you want to live your life. A word that is researched and that you can feel supports who you are becoming. One that you choose because you see the benefits of how it will enable you to become your next best self. And one that you can post and imagine yourself into and visualize yourself into into this next year.
5.0 (3)
Terry
January 8, 2026
Such a simple, yet provocative idea. Definitely set me on a quest to find my word for this year.
Brian
January 7, 2026
Thank you! My word is equanimity
