Choosing a word of the year is something I started doing almost a decade ago. And starting this new year, (and new decade!) will be no different. My 2020 Word of the Year is SLOW.
Why you Need a 2020 Word of the Year
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It is very simple – your 2020 word of the year will be your guide over the next 12 months. When I first started thinking about a word to guide the year, it seemed completely overwhelming. How can one word actually guide your year? However, as I moved through reflecting on the previous year and thinking about goal setting (even before I started using my PowerSheets), I could easily see the main theme as to what I wanted my next year to look like.
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Choosing a word to guide your year does not lock you into a specific set of goals. Instead, it helps you to figure out what goals are most important to you in the next 12 months. Does this mean that you have to keep this word for the entire year? No. It doesn’t. Circumstances change, life happens, and words can change.
However, choosing one word to start your year off right is a great way to set yourself up for success.
How do you choose a Word of the Year
The easiest way to choose your 2020 word of the year is to reflect on the past year and think about what changes you want to make in the new year.
Usually, I have a good understanding of what I want my new year to look like before I spend too much time reflecting on the past year. Why? Because it is an emotional response. I know how I feel at the end of 2019, and I know what I want to change. You know what your pain points are. You know where you ought to make changes.
It’s the moment where you decide that the pain of staying the same is greater than the pain of change.”
Lara Casey, Cultivate What Matters
Take some time to think about your year – 2019. What worked for you? What didn’t work? How about your accomplishments? Where do you know change needs to occur?
Using time to reflect on your previous year will help you process what has happened, and will start to help you figure out where you want to go in the new year.
Grab a free list of questions to help you reflect on the previous year below!
Using your Word of the Year as a Guide
Once you figure out your 2020 Word of the Year, you will start using it as a guide for next year. When I choose a word, it becomes the thread that holds all of my goals together.
For example, my word for the year is SLOW. What does that mean exactly? It means that I want to slow down. I want to focus on the areas that matter most to me and my family. I’m going to be OK with saying No to busy, instead, making my Yeses count. I am going to utilize slow when thinking about faith, family, food, and finances.
I will talk more about our year of slow soon, but for now, let’s focus on getting you in the right frame of mind for a wonderful 2020.
Last year my word was Wellness. This was a great guide because of the 8 dimensions of wellness. I could focus on one area each month or so, and I made a lot of progress. But, it was also a bit exhausting. I knew I needed to slow down, I needed to re-orient my path. Maybe this is you as well?
The Bottom Line
Choosing your 2020 Word of the Year will not be a cure-all for you without the requisite follow through on your goals. But, if you have a word, it will be easier to imagine your goals each day. Where do you want to be at the end of 2020? What is the biggest change that you want to see in your life? In your family’s life?
When you have your word, it will make decision making easier. What does that word mean to you? Why did you choose it? Does this current decision align with your word? Or is it something that is completely outside of the path your word is guiding you on? And if it is outside that path, do you want to make that shift? Or does this put you back into old habits you are trying to change?
Choosing a word or a phrase to help guide you is a simple tool that will allow you to filter your response to outside pressure throughout the year to come.
Have you chosen a word of the year? Please let me know what it is in the comments below!
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