“If we understood the power of our thoughts, we would guard them more closely. If we understood the awesome power of our words, we would prefer silence to almost anything negative. In our thoughts and words, we create our own weaknesses and our own strengths. Our limitations and joys begin in our hearts. We can always replace negative with positive.” -Betty Eadie
If you spend any time on social media, perhaps you’ve seen this before. As the New Year approaches, you’ll find people from all walks of life embracing a single word designed to define the coming year.
Although no one seems to know where the idea came from, everyone agrees that a single word creates a theme. Choosing a word as a guide provides you with something to hang onto throughout the coming year. In a sense, this is the foundation on which you’ll build your year.
It makes sense to hunt down a word strong enough to hold up your dreams and aspirations from that perspective. Let’s look at a few more reasons why choosing a word can help you make this your best year yet.
There’s Elegance to the Idea
With all the craze to simplify and live in a minimalistic way, taking on a single word to define your year holds a certain appeal. When we simplify our approach to building our winning year, it becomes easier to make our vision happen. Instead of slogging through a pile of resolutions and endless to-do lists, you’re being guided by a vision created by a single word. Beautiful, right?
It Provides Focus
This word is the center point of all you do. When confronted by new challenges or ideas, you can hold them up against this word and know instantly whether this is a good fit or not. Are you keeping to your ideals?
It Defines Your Intentions
Your word holds an inherent goal. What is your direction? Your word should give you this heading and then serve to keep you on course in the direction you wish to go.
With so many benefits, a word makes quite a lot of sense. The question now becomes how to find your word:
Think about the coming year. What kind of person do you hope to be at the end of it? Is there a word to define this person?
Do you have a goal you’d like to accomplish? What word will hold you to your goal and act as a beacon to guide you there?
Are you shifting away from old behaviors that might not have served you well in the past? What word describes this shift?
Who are the people you look up to? Is there a word to describe them?
Once you have your word, try it on for size. There is no rule saying you can’t change it to something else if this word doesn’t work. Does this word suit you? Is it something you can live with?
When you’re content with your word, remember to enjoy it. Your word should be a positive part of your life. Embrace it! After all, it’s now part of who you are.
