As the calendar turns to the start of a new year, there’s often an unspoken pressure to reinvent ourselves overnight. New year, new goals, new routines, new everything. But for many of us, traditional resolutions can feel rigid. This is especially true for those craving a slower and more intentional life. These resolutions can also feel overwhelming and short‑lived. It is very much an all or nothing approach that often leaves us unsatisfied.
That’s where choosing a word or theme for the year comes in.
Rather than a checklist of things to fix or achieve, a yearly word acts as a compass. It’s something you can return to in small, ordinary moments. These moments often include making decisions. They may involve the creation or setting of boundaries. You might spend your time or financial resources. You may even choose how you want your home to feel as an extension of your life as a whole. It offers direction without demanding perfection.
This is something I have been doing throughout the last half decade. It has served me immensely well especially if I am actually selective of my word. In the last 3 years my words have been savor, abundance, and exploration. Feel free to reach my prior blog post for these words of the year for inspiration.
If you’re longing for clarity, simplicity, or a sense of grounded purpose this year, this practice may be exactly what you need and have been seeking!
What Is a Word (or Theme) of the Year?
A word of the year is a single word—or short phrase—that captures the way you want to live, not just what you want to accomplish.
It might reflect:
- A value you want to embody (like presence or patience)
- A season you’re stepping into (like rest or growth)
- A posture you want to take toward life (like open‑handed or steady)
Some people choose a very specific word; others prefer a broader theme such as simplicity, home, or margin. There’s no right or wrong approach—the goal is resonance, not rules. As you can see with my recent examples I often tend towards a grand theme. However, I have many friends that will choose very specific word such as motherhood or the name of the business they are attempting to create.
Unlike resolutions, a yearly word doesn’t expire if you miss a day, week, or month. It allows the grace we all need day in and day out without judgment. It meets you where you are and gently invites you forward.
Why Choose a Word Instead of New Year’s Resolutions?
Resolutions tend to focus on outcomes: lose the weight, hit the number, achieve the milestone. While goals can be helpful, they often rely on external motivation and an all‑or‑nothing mindset.
A word for the year shifts the focus inward.
Here’s why many people find it more sustainable:
1. It Encourages Alignment Over Achievement
A word, or theme, asks, How do I want to show up? rather than What do I need to fix?
This naturally will shape your habits, decisions, and rhythms without constant self‑pressure.
2. It Allows Flexibility in Changing Seasons
Life changes—sometimes quickly. If we are being honest, it often changes very quickly or at least feels that way. A word or theme can stretch and adapt with you. It supports you whether you’re navigating a busy work season. It adjusts while caring for family. It also accompanies you when entering a quieter chapter.
3. It Supports Gentle Growth
Instead of chasing transformation, you practice small, daily faithfulness to what matters most. Over time, that compounds into meaningful change. Ultimately, it allows you to more easily and gradually show up as the person you want to be. Thus in doing so, hand-crafting the life you want for yourself and your family.
4. It Integrates Into Everyday Life
Your word can influence how you cook, work, rest, parent, create, spend, and even how you speak to yourself. It becomes a thread woven through ordinary days.
Goals that often live on paper, in planners, or inside a productivity app. A word is something you live with. It doesn’t demand constant tracking or measuring—it simply stays with you.
Your word begins to show up in quiet, practical ways:
- When you decide how full (or flexible) to make your calendar
- When you choose whether to rush through a task or slow down (or if it was even important to begin with)
- When you notice the tone of your inner dialogue in a hard moment and throughout hard days
- When you decide how to spend a free evening
- When you’re choosing between what is seemingly impressive versus what is sustainable
Instead of asking, “Is this productive?” or “Is this what I should be doing?” you often begin asking gentler and more introspective questions:
- Does this support the way I want to live this year?
- Does this align with the season I’m in?
- Does this pull me closer to or further from what matters most to me?
Your word becomes a quiet filter—one that guides decisions without adding pressure.
How to Choose Your Word or Theme for the Year
Choosing your word isn’t about picking something trendy or aspirational—it’s about listening.
Set aside a little quiet space. Light a candle, pour a warm drink, get cozy and reflect honestly on where you’ve been and where you sense you’re being invited.
Here are a few gentle prompts to guide you:
Reflect on the Past Year
- What felt life‑giving this past year?
- What felt heavy or draining?
- Where and when did I feel most like myself?
- What patterns or lessons keep resurfacing?
Often, your word emerges as either a continuation of what’s working or a response to what’s been missing.
Look at the Season Ahead
- What does the coming year realistically hold?
- What kind of support will you need more of?
- What pace feels sustainable right now?
If you’re entering a full or demanding season, your word might be steady or boundaries. If you’re craving renewal, it might be restore or tend.
Listen for Resonance, Not Perfection
Read through lists of words if that helps—but pay attention to the one that makes you pause. The word that feels comforting, challenging, or is quietly persistent is often the right one.
You don’t need to justify it. If it keeps coming back to you, that’s enough.
Examples of Meaningful Words or Themes
If you’re feeling stuck, here are some gentle examples grouped by intention:
For Slowing Down:
- Rest
- Ease
- Unhurried
- Margin
- Savor
For Grounded Living:
- Rooted
- Presence
- Home
- Steady
- Anchored
For Growth & Change:
- Cultivate
- Build
- Stretch
- Become
For Emotional & Mental Health:
- Peace
- Gentle
- Spacious
- Release
For Faith, Purpose, or Direction:
- Trust
- Abide
- Surrender
- Faithful
You may also choose a phrase like “grateful for the ordinary”, “slow and steady”, or “less but better.”
Living With Your Word Throughout the Year
Choosing a word is only the beginning. The beauty comes from returning to it again and again.
Here are simple ways to integrate your word into daily life:
- Write it in your planner or journal
- Place it somewhere visible in your home
- Use it as a filter for decisions (“Does this support my word?”)
- Reflect on it during weekly or monthly check‑ins
- Let it shape your goals rather than entirely replace them
Some months you may feel deeply aligned with your word; other months you may forget it entirely. Both are part of the process. This practice isn’t about discipline—it’s about direction.
When Your Word Feels Hard (or Changes)
Sometimes the word you choose will stretch you more than you expected. A word like rest may surface deep resistance. A word like trust or surrender may feel uncomfortable in uncertain seasons.
That doesn’t mean you chose wrong.
Growth often comes with friction. Allow the word to meet you honestly, even when it reveals areas that need care or compassion. This was very much the case for me last year as you can read more about here. If I were to put it simply our life unfolded drastically different than expecting challenging me to truly seek out those things worth savoring,
If in the event your word evolves mid‑year? That’s okay too. Life isn’t static, and your intentions don’t need to be either.
A Gentler Way to Enter the Year Ahead
Choosing a word or theme for the year is an act of intention in a culture of urgency. It’s a quiet declaration that you want to live with meaning and not just momentum.
You don’t need to become someone new this year.
You can simply become more yourself—more present, more aligned, more rooted in what truly matters.
And sometimes, one thoughtfully chosen word is enough to guide you there.
As always I hope you have a happy and wholesome day!
With love,
Madison Eran
Life Made Wholesome 