How to choose a word to make your own
In recent years, I have chosen a word of the year to guide me through all areas of my life. I use this word to set my intention for the whole year. I believe that having a word of the year has truly assisted me in accomplishing my goals and remain focused on what them.
People usually continue with practices that help them accomplish goals in their life. I have noticed a how helpful having a word of the year is for me each year, so I have continued to use a process to pick one each year.
Steps to decide on your word of the year
Step 1
Decide what is important to you. Brainstorm or word map words you would use to describe these things. Make a list.
Step 2
Answer the following questions:
- Who is important to me?
- What is important to me?
- What do I want more of in my life?
- What do I want less of in my life?
- What brings me joy?
Step 3
- Take your list of words from step 1. Look at your answers for questions in step 2 and add them to your list.
- Look for synonyms for the words in your list as well.
- Create a master list of words- not phrases. Just words.
Step 4
Determine if you have like or same type words in your list. Look for themes in your list. Define the words that reoccur or are similar.
Step 5
Take time to read over your words and see what resonates with you. Narrow your list down to 3 to 6 words. Study the definitions of these words. Use the definitions to narrow list down to top 2 words.
Step 6
Decide on your word.
Word of the year ideas
- Abundance
- Balance
- Better
- Brave
- Courage
- Dream
- Focus
- Fearless
- Happiness
- Hope
- Intentional
- Leap
- Mindful
- Joy
- Success
- Thrive
My past words of the year
My word of the year for 2021 was THRIVE: to grow vigorously; to gain in wealth or possessions; to progress toward or realize a goal despite or because of circumstances.
My word of the year for 2022 is FORWARD: situated in advance; strongly inclined; ready; notably advanced or developed; of, relating to, or getting ready for the future.
My 2023 word of the year
My word of the year for 2023 is
STRETCH: make great demands on the capacity or resources of; cause (someone) to make maximum use of their talents or abilities
https://languages.oup.com/google-dictionary-en/
Stretch is what I would like to do in all the areas of my life. At this point, I want to challenge myself to improve. I want to be able to look back a year from today and know that I have made significant progress because I strived to reach a higher level. This is not always easy, because self reflection is involved. Self reflection progresses towards self improvement. It is a constant learning process.
One challenging thing about improving yourself is that as you better yourself in one area, another area may suffer. You can become hyper-focused on an area. This is where balance becomes so essential to what you are doing. You cannot allow progress in one area to be so great that you begin to slack off in other areas. This challenge can be overcome with maintaining your personal focus on what you want to accomplish. Your dedication to self can not become greater than your dedication to your family. Your dedication to family cannot become greater than your dedication to your profession. This does not mean that all areas are equal; far from that. It means that all areas have their own place in your life and that you are in control of how far you are able to optimize your own performance in every area of your life.
Using word of year to formulate goals
There are various ways of thought for goal formation. I have tried many of them. You have to decide what works for you. Important parts of your goals is that you need to have a clear outcome that can be measured so you are sure when you accomplish it and there should be a specific time frame of accomplishment.
I am a pediatric physical therapist by profession and SMART goal formula is used in the medical field. It is an effective way to write goals in all areas of life.
SMART Goals
- Specific- What do you want to achieve?
- Measurable- How will you measure success of this goal?
- Attainable- Do you have the skills to reach this goal? Can you learn the skills to reach this goal?
- Relevant- Is this something you are interested in? Does it motivate you?
- Time-based- When is the deadline to have this goal completed?
I wrote a post about SMART goals. You can check it out here.
Do you have a word of the year? Please share about your word in the comments. If you haven’t chosen a word yet, it is not too late!
Thank you so much for taking your time to read this post. I hope that you were able to find some helpful tips. Please share this blog with others. I am passionate about optimal work life balance and can help you excel in both areas without compromise. I have found systems of planning, organization, and personal development that help achieve goals. I created this blog to discuss topics on our flourishing journey. Come on this journey with me and Find Your Flourish! Be you, be focused, be well! |Shanna|
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