When it comes to planning for the year, rather than making New Year’s resolutions, I recommend starting with a word for the year. Having a single word by which to plan your goals is a powerful way to stay focused and keep your goals in sight.

But the one question I get asked most when it comes to choosing a word for the year is how. How do you decide on one word for the year?

For some, it’s trying to figure out how to narrow it down. For others it’s the fear of commitment. And yet for others, it’s simply not knowing where to start.

Whatever brought you to this article, my goal is that by the end of this, you’ll have a clear way forward, and quite possibly, you’ll have your one word.

WHAT ABOUT NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS

By now you might know that I'm not a big fan of New Year’s resolutions. It’s not because I haven’t tried resolutions. It’s because I have.

Studies (and my experience) show that New Year’s resolutions have a very short life.

Many who start New Year’s resolutions give up on them even before January is over. Our good intentions don’t always pan out.

Now, if you happen to be in that very small percentage of people who stick with New Year’s resolutions all the way to the end of the year, I salute you with a virtual high-five!

For the rest of us, New Year’s resolutions are notorious for failing.

That’s not to say that you shouldn’t have New Year’s resolutions. You can in fact, have both New Year’s resolutions and a word for the year.

The key is to find what works best for you, and you won’t know what that is until you try.

WHY CHOOSE A WORD FOR THE YEAR

This is where I (and tons of other people) have turned to redeem my year.

Having just one word feels a lot less overwhelming than having a long laundry list of do’s and don’ts for my year. But don’t underestimate the power of one word. This one little word, along with the goals inspired by your word, can make all the difference in the world.

What starts as just one word, becomes a beautiful tapestry as it weaves its way into your life. My word becomes the starting point for my annual goals in the various areas of my life. These are then broken down into monthly goals and plans, so you can see how this one word stays with me and keeps me focused.

Often, I don’t see the beauty of my word until I pause to reflect — and then I’m amazed by how God almost literally connected the dots.

Moments that I thought nothing of then begin to take new meaning in light of my word. I become aware of missed opportunities, appreciate the lessons that were borne out of periods of struggle, and give God thanks for all of it.

And at the start of every year I get excited all over again for the new thing God is doing in my life, starting with prayer and my one little word.

See, I am doing a new thing!
    Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
    and streams in the wasteland” (Isaiah 43:19 NIV).

Because the truth is, my word, as small as it is, keeps me dependent on God.

That’s the beauty of choosing a word for the year. By the very nature of it, it’s a more intentional and mindful practice than New Year’s resolutions. No longer am I trying to accomplish goals on my own strength. Instead I am looking in anticipation for how God will show up. Sure, I do my part by setting goals but I also hold them loosely, allowing God to shape my year.

HOW TO CHOOSE YOUR WORD FOR THE YEAR

Let me say this upfront, the way I choose my word for the year is probably the most unconventional thing you’ll ever hear.

I pray about it.

Yep, that’s the gospel truth.

I turn to God and ask Him to give me a word that will guide and inspire me throughout the year. And you wouldn’t believe (or maybe you would), He always answers.

Quite often, a word keeps coming to mind. Maybe it’s in a song, a Bible verse, or in a card from a friend. Sometimes it’s in a podcast or book. It sometimes gets to the point where it feels like a word is haunting me. But I’m a little stubborn and I don’t give in that easily, so I pray some more and ask God to make it clear if that’s my word.

Then I get still and listen.

I look for confirmation to see if that word is my word. And if it is, it will continue to show up over and over again.

Just this year, I wasn’t sure what my word was going to be. I was thinking about a word but second-guessed it because it was a word I was using often in a course. I thought maybe the word was just showing up because I kept using it, not because it was MY word. So I let it go.

After the New Year, I started to think more intentionally about my word and decided to look up Scriptures that included this ‘possible’ word. And the very first Scripture I turned to was all I needed to see.

Don’t laugh when I tell you that my eyes started to well up. That first Bible verse was like balm to a hurting soul. And I knew then and there that I’d found my word. See? Unconventional, right? But it works.

NO PRESSURE

Choosing a word for the year is one of those things that you just have to try for yourself. Try it and see what God will do. I bet you’ll never come away the same as when you started.

Sometimes I share my word. And there are times I hold it more closely. Whatever the case, God always has a powerful way of impacting my life and my world, starting with that one little word.

But there have been times when I started my year with my word firmly planted in my mind and other times when finding a word took much longer, or felt impossible. I don’t sweat it. And I don’t choose a word just for the sake of it. I simply allow God to lead me to my word.

25 WORD FOR THE YEAR IDEAS

Speaking of inspiration, if you’re not sure what word to choose for your year, you might want to take one of these for a spin.

1. peace
2. become
3. success
4. heart
5. prepare
6. advance
7. win
8. prosper
9. shine
10. mercy
11. marvelous
12. steadfast
13. full
14. love
15. rich
16. power
17. love
18. commit
19. trust
20. one
21. upright
22. imagine
23. humble
24. joy
25. persevere…

Did any of those words speak to you? Pray about it and ask God to show you if He wants you to have a word for the year and which one it will be. Which brings me to the next point.

DO I NEED A WORD FOR THE YEAR

You might be wondering if you need a word for the year. That’s kinda like asking if you need ketchup on your French fries. No, you don’t. Ketchup goes well but it’s totally optional. Same with your word for the year. It goes well with your year but it’s totally on you if you choose to have one.

Neither should it be a case of divided camps — those who choose a word and those who don’t.

A word for the year is but one of many ways to approach the New Year with all your goals and aspirations. I don’t swear by it, but I find it works well for me and keeps me inspired throughout the year. And that for me, is a good reason to have one.

NO MAGIC, JUST IMPACT

The truth is, it’s not as if having a word for the year is the magic pill that will solve all your problems, remove all your mental blocks and automatically deliver your goals to you on a shiny silver platter. I wish! It doesn’t work that way, but it’s quite possible that this one little word will have a big impact on your life.

Are you willing to give it a try?

 

Editor’s note:

If you like the idea of a word for the year, you might want to take it one step further, using it for "centering prayer” —“a form of contemplative prayer where the prayer seeks to quiet scattered thoughts and desires in the still center of Christ’s presence.”  This is a spiritual discipline that Adele Ahlberg Calhoun, pastor of spiritual formation at Christ Church in Oak Brook, Illinois, USA,  explains in detail in her popular Spiritual Disciplines Handbook (pp.207-210). 

 

Reprinted with permission from sunsparkleshine.com