So you've got a word of the year - now what?

Thoughts on bringing your word alive in 2025

Hello you!

I have finally settled on my words of the year - yes words, plural.

I couldn’t get it down to one and actually it feels really right to have these three different words to guide me this year. After much deliberating I chose:

ANCHOR - to help me explore and develop my self reliance and ways of always feeling tethered and secure

FUN - to remind me that life isn’t all growth, learning and working. That as well as more meaningful, mindful pastimes I also need fun - laughter, play, silliness

ABUNDANCE - to help me focus both on the abundance that is already all around me and on creating more abundance in my life

Maybe you have your word or words for 2025 already decided too? If not and it appeals I can recommend THIS from

Susannah Conway

. I didn’t use it myself this year but I have many times in the past and it really works. Both workbooks are great but it’s the ‘find your word’ one that you need for this purpose.

This year I made my own way to my words. I just journaled and tried to sink into my feelings about how I want the year ahead to FEEL. And eventually the words appeared.

But here’s the thing: There’s no real point in having a word of the year if you don’t use it to change your life.

Sure you can tell people on social media what it is, write it on the front page of your new journal or diary - but then what?

Here are some ideas as to how you can make the best from your word or words.

Create affirmations

The best words are, I feel, those that speak to how you want to feel. An affirmation can be built into your daily routine as a habit, something you say each morning, or that you start your journaling with for example. Or you can use it like a mantra when you need it. do for example, my word ANCHOR. I can create an affirmation such as ‘I am my own anchor, all the strength I need is within me’ and then I can use this at times when I am feeling anxious or untethered to ground me. Or ‘It’s ok to switch off and have fun’ when I am feeling awkward about doing something frivolous or spending time doing something without purpose.

Guide your habits

Take my word FUN. How can I start to add fun habits into my life? What can I do daily as a habit to add more fun? When I reset habits or plan new ones each month, I can focus on choosing a new habit around fun to experiment with the idea further. This month I have decided to listen to my favourite music on the way back from the school run instead of a podcast.

Goal setting

Make sure that your goals reflect your words. You could choose a range of goals for the year that speak to your word or words, or if like me you have more than one word, you can take them in turn and create goals in rotation for each.

Decisions, decisions…

When face with a choice or a decision to make, reflect of your word or words. Do they help you in choosing which way to go? Which decision feels most aligned with what your goal is?

Review and reset

Sometimes we don’t get the word or words right and by reviewing at the end of each month if our word is helping us, we might decide at some point to retire that word and choose something that feels more fitting. You do not have to stick with a word that you chose in January if a few months down the line you have outgrown it, or something else feels more important to you.

Get creative

You could create a visual representation of your word, write a poem about it, create a set of journaling prompts around it*, make a desktop pattern using it or a phone lock screen. If you REALLY like your word and it’s having impact you could try and find a piece of jewellery using the word, or some other item that might be in daily use like a notebook or a bookmark. By having the word around you, you give yourself the opportunity to think about and notice how to bring the energy of the word to your life, goals and actions.

With love,

Sarah x

*To create journaling prompts quickly, use Chat GPT. I got twenty different prompts just now by asking it to give me prompts based on the word ‘abundance’ and most of them would be useful and feel like a prompt I would want to use. AI is here, might as well use it for good!

PS I have a sale on annual membership at the moment but it ends at 8pm today - find it via the button below.