Word of the Year

This post is about how to pick your Word of the Year and what the purpose of it is. Have you ever had one? What is a Word of the Year?

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Word of the Year

A Word of the Year is when you pick a word, any word that you would like to define your year. The year is generally defined as for the Gregorian Calendar year but if you follow a different calendar you can of course start your word then.

For an example, my word of the year for 2022 is Create. I chose this word after much thought because I want to be more creative this year. I can be creative but I usually don’t have the patience to create more than on my blogs. This year I want to change that. Other common words used are: Patience, Productivity, Passion, Confidence, Happiness, Love etc.

In 2017 I chose the word Positivity and then promptly forgot about the idea and my word. I didn’t choose a word in the years in between. For 2022 I want to start up again. This time I didn’t want to forget my word so I did a few things to help me remember.

Make a Painting

This fit especially well since my word is Create but you can do this even if that’s not your word. I created a painting on a canvas to hang up in my living room to remind me of my word. This will ensure I am reminded of my word at least once a day.

Bullet Journal

Bullet Journalling started off as a simple way to make your own date book and to do list in one. It has blossomed however into an artistic venture which can be a simple or fancy as you want. I’m somewhere in between. I like to use colour and washi tape and stickers but I’ve seen people go way over and above that. Do what feels right for you.

My Bullet Journal (BuJo) has calendar pages as well as things such as my cleaning schedule, goals, mind map, blogging plans, info on my pets and more. I included some parts in my BuJo related to my word.

Decorate

Even if you don’t want to make your own painting, you can make or buy your own decorations that fit your theme.

For example if you chose Happiness, you could add emoji art or buy happy face balloons or repaint a room yellow. Depending on how temporary or permanent you want your decorations to be. For Confidence, try a motivational poster or wall hanging, or a mirror with an affirmation written around it.

Try any of the following if it fits: wall art, printable quote/affirmations/bible verses, balloons, coloured pillows/blankets (yellow for happiness, multicoloured for creative), posters, candles with words on them or even jewelry or clothes for you with words or pictures on them that match your word.

Word Suggestions

So what should your word be? I’ll give you a list of suggestions below but really it’s whatever you feel you need to do more of or work on. See which word on my list below pops out at you. Think on it for a bit. Meditate or Pray or whatever feels right to you.

• Positivity/Optimism/Hope
• Confidence
• Happiness/Joy
• Create/Creativity
• Self-Esteem, Self-Love
• Faith/Grace/Believe
• Success/Productivity
• Integrity
• Attitude
• Appreciation
• Gratitude
• Yes (if you need to try things more)
• No (if you overcommit and need to say no more)
• Persistence/Strength/Determination
• Humility
• Honesty
• Courage
• Empower
• Abundance
• Momentum
• Wonder
• Achieve

What To Do With Your Word of the Year

So what do you do after you decide your word of the year? Here are some ideas:

• Journal About It
• Try New Things
• Read Books or Articles About Your Word
• Make Goals Around It
• Share it With Others

Lastly I’d like to mention that you can have a personal word of the year or even a family or workplace word of the year. Good luck with your word.

If you’ve chosen a Word of the Year, please let me know in the comments.