Have you picked a word for your year? I have, and in this post I’ll share some information on why I do this and how I think it can be beneficial to you. Picking a word of the year can bring clarity and focus to who we want to become and what we want to accomplish in life. A word of the year is kind of like a mental mentor for yourself everywhere you go.
Picking a word for me started in 2016. During a very trying time in my life, I had to find a way to quickly shift my focus from a negative mindset to a positive one. This time in my life was a time where you had to brace for whatever the day might bring. I had to find a way to survive the madness that surrounded me no matter how difficult it was. Everyone is different, but I had to have a quick go to for shifting my focus away from the negative, or I would go down a rabbit hole of negativity pretty quickly.
In 2016, my word of the year was “believe”. It was such a meaningful word for me, I had it tattooed on my wrist if that gives you an idea of its importance in my life. The word “believe” helped me through that time because I had to continually believe that God was working in mine and my family’s favor even in complicated circumstances. Now, the word is always on my wrist to remind me to believe things will be better, it helped me believe that me and my family would survive the madness, and to believe that God had a plan for us that was far better than our own.
In 2019 , the word believe took on a whole new meaning for me. It became linked to the Bible verse Mark 5:36, “Do not fear, Just Believe.” Once again, believing in better days helped me and my family survive another turbulent time. For three years I used ` Believe'' as my word. I just could not find a word that served my life any better. In 2021, I changed my word to “abundance.” I picked abundance because I wanted an abundance of health, happiness and opportunity for my family. I kind of used it as a manifesting word and always tried to mention the word abundance in my prayers of thanks and in my quiet time with God. Once again, God showed up and out for me and my family. Many things broke our hearts in the journey, but at the present time we have been gifted an abundance of all those things. God may break you down sometimes, but just believe that He will build you back stronger than ever!
This year in 2022, I pick "trust".
I am trying to make peace with many things that require patience, and it is not my strong suit. I want everything now and sometimes even yesterday, I may be just a tiny bit stubborn (oops!) I have to learn to trust the timing though. I feel like “believe” taught me to trust the outcome but now my problem is timing. I am learning to trust that what is meant to happen but not until it is time for it to happen. I have to focus on trusting the plan and the timing of all things in my life. Here is where it gets funny. Do you know the Webster’s Dictionary meaning of “trust”?
Trust-to rely on the truthfulness or accuracy of : BELIEVE
These two words seem to go hand in hand with one another! In some ways, this could be a reminder for me that my forever word will be “believe.”
I think the choosing of a word of the year helps us to stay focused, and I encourage you to give it a try. I know that without consistent focus, reminders and diligence, I tend to drift onto the path of least resistance and you may do the same. We don’t usually fall into being our best selves without a consistent focus. I also think picking a word of the year gives us a growth mindset for our future.
Have you picked your word? It's not too late, just give it a try it! After all, what do you have to lose? Hopefully it will bring you all the peace and focus it has brought me over the years.
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths."
Proverbs 3:5-6
