Purple square with “WORD OF THE YEAR” written in pale pink

Word of the year, past and present.

One of my favorite things to do this time of year (aside from making lists, of course) is to choose a word of the year to guide me. I just love how it sets the tone in such a beautiful and specific way, without the need to obsess over the minutiae of how to get there or reach very specific (and often unattainable) goals.

It has become an important anchor and a guiding force for how I want to show up in with world.

Over the years, I have done everything from journaling to going down a thesaurus rabbit hole of words to choose a word of the year. My favorite method, however, and the one I have been using for many years now, is the Unravel Your Year workbook from Susannah Conway. She creates a beautiful PDF workbook every year, complete with journaling prompts, tarot spreads, and space for reflection.

Here are some of the words (and phrases) that I’ve chosen in years past:

  1. Sparkle
  2. Magic
  3. Following My Curiosity
  4. Abundance
  5. Miracles
  6. Playfulness
  7. Creativity
  8. Sustainability
  9. Leading With Love
  10. Contentment

This year, I have chosen the word LESS.

LESS

  • spending
  • consumption
  • anger
  • rigidity
  • avoidance
  • negative self-talk
  • forcing
  • chasing
  • yelling
  • judging (myself and others)
  • wasting
  • clutter
  • pressure
  • drama

I want to focus on quality over quantity, get rid of the things that aren’t serving me any longer, and let go of always having to do, know, say, and be everything.

I shouldn’t be surprised that this is the word that came up for me, considering one of the first posts I wrote was what I want to do less of in 2025, but somehow it still managed to surprise me (in the best possible way).

What about you? Do you choose a word or phrase for your year? If so, what did you choose? If not, do you set other sorts of intentions or goals for yourself in the new year?


Like what you’re reading and want to submit your own list? Heck yeah! You can submit one here. Why? Because making lists is fun and sharing is caring.

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