How to discover your word for 2023

When you think of entering into a new year with intention, what comes to mind?

Perhaps, it’s taking some time away from social media, getting cozy with a cup of tea and a notebook, and writing out the goals you have for the upcoming year.

Perhaps, it’s refining your priorities so you can step into 2023 with renewed focus and passion.

Perhaps, it’s dusting off the list of resolutions from 2022 that didn’t come to fruition and making a commitment to self to be disciplined and power through to make them happen this year.

Perhaps, it’s finding a quiet place, closing your eyes, taking a few deep breaths, and tuning in with how you’re really feeling as one year closes and another begins, approaching the season with a commitment to internal attunement instead of outside achievement.

Perhaps, it’s a combination of everything above and more. 

For myself, entering into the new year with intention means taking a time out from the world around me and both reflecting back on the year, and looking ahead to who it is I most want to be in this world. 

Tuning into who I want to be is the difference between forcing and moving with alignment. It’s the difference between rigid goals and attunement to growth and change. It’s the difference between living from outside of myself to discovering more of who I am (and who I believe God created me to be) and co-creating from this space of discovery, curiosity and wonder.

Less force. More exploration.

Less rigidity. More flow.

Less hustle. More wonder.

I have this thing where I often say I don’t really like ‘goals’. The idea of a theme has been much more powerful and encouraging to adopt over the past 8 years. For myself, my goals always ended up shifting and changing as the year progressed; my interests changed, where we lived perhaps changed, new opportunities came, ideas happened, and suddenly, when I’d look back at my resolutions for the year, I’d realize most things never stuck. However, once I started thinking about the person I’d most like to be, and how I’d like to overall live my life with integrity, a theme would naturally appear. Often, this theme would feel like a natural fit. As the year progressed, I could see how the theme was impacting me whether I was intentionally reminding myself of it or not. Even in 2021, the one year since 2014 I didn’t intentionally set a theme, one naturally emerged and I could see how it impacted my life as the days, weeks and months passed.

A theme, word, or intention for the year has the ability to guide you as you navigate the world. It can be your ‘north star’ as you navigate a world that’s constantly telling us we are too much of one thing or not enough of another, that tells us we need to be different in certain areas and amalgamate to fit in in others. It can guide you in becoming who you want to be instead of just the list of things you’d like to do. And, if there is still a list of things you want to do, it can help you align that list with who you are and allow you to live in those areas with integrity. 

How do you discover your word for the year?

There are endless resources out there; from Instagram posts that look like word searches that tell you ‘the first three words you find will define your 2023!’, to quizzes you can take, and even Instagram reels or stories that quickly flash through a number of lovely intentions with the invitation to ‘screenshot’ your word for the year.

If you’d prefer something that’s more reflective, perhaps begin reflecting on 2022– the excitement, the let downs, the lessons, the things that made you feel alive and the things that felt like they were sucking the life out of you. Reflect on the 7 dimensions of wellness and how you’d rate them overall. Reflect on what you’re grateful for throughout the year. 

Then, begin to look forward. Envision the way you’d like to move through the year. What does living aligned to your values and vision for your life look like? What kind of growth would you like to see in this next year? Who would you like to become?

As you reflect, you might notice a theme begin to appear. Often this theme feels like a natural progression from one year to the next, like this theme can move you forward into and through the next year with flow and intention. It might feel exciting and expansive yet inviting and attainable. It feels both comforting and the right amount of challenging. It just fits. 

Once your word or theme is discovered, having it somewhere for you to see and be reminded of is a beautiful practice. From a screensaver on your phone to creating a special piece to wear or hang in your home, it can be the little nudge that keeps you connected to your intention and living your life in alignment.

If you’d like to be guided through the process of both discovering your word for 2023 and creating a piece that keeps your word in view so you can live aligned, you’re invited to ALIGNED + DESIGNED a workshop featuring movement, meditation, reflection and creation. You’ll reflect on the past year, look forward into 2023 and discover the invitation for the year in a word or theme. Then you’ll learn to hand-stamp your word into your very own 14kt gold bracelet or necklace to wear for the year as your intentional adornment. 

Learn more and register by CLICKING HERE.