Word of the Year
January’s blogs have been centered around the idea of goal setting and some various ways to go about it. Setting both large and small goals can often help us to feel motivated and provide us with a sense of direction in work, school, family or our personal lives. Maybe you’ve read through our past blogs and even spent some time brainstorming your goals, yet you are left feeling overwhelmed. You may feel as if your goals are a mere to-do list that will get piled on top of the ongoing list you have remaining from 2020. Maybe you are feeling totally stuck in the goal department. I can guarantee you that you aren’t the only one experiencing a standstill.
I wonder if instead of compiling a collection of goals, it might be helpful for you to think about one word that you would like to be the foundation for your goal setting this year. Having a word to filter your new goals through can almost act like a springboard for getting started. Let’s begin by remembering some of the events that have happened in your life in just this past year. Is there a word that represents an underlying theme throughout these events? Maybe that word is bravery, strength, or perseverance.
Or, you may not even look at this past year; rather, you might instead set your gaze upon a certain period of your life that became a defining point for you. Where do your thoughts go? Are there certain images that pop into your mind, sounds that you hear, or people that you see?
If you are having troubles recalling particularly impactful moments, these questions might help:
- Is there a time that you often reflect on? A milestone in your life?
- Is there a person who has inspired you? What do you admire about them?
- Was there a success or failure that became a turning point? How are you different as a result of it?
- Is there a challenge that you have been internally facing for quite some time?
- Was there a takeaway that you had from listening to a sermon or reading in your quiet time that you find yourself replaying in your mind?
- Did you learn something new about yourself?
Hopefully these questions sparked some memories stored in you or even some characteristics about you that have deepened as a result of experiencing these moments. Now, take a second to either jot them down or relive them in your mind. Is there a word that encompasses the meaning behind those memories that could set the tone for this new year?
Maybe you are still unsure about your word of the year. These questions that are future oriented could be more beneficial for you:
- Where do you see yourself in a year from now?
- In what area do you aspire to grow this year?
- What truth/s do you want to remind yourself of daily in order to conquer each day?
- What do you want to be at the forefront of your decision making this year?
As your wheels are turning, consider looking over this list to see if a particular word jumps out at you:
Thankfulness
Humility
Listen
Give
Pray
Seek
Trust
Faith
Simplify
Calm
Family
Respect
Change
Grace
Belong
Shine
Gentle
Dream
Build
Today
Reflect
Free
Grow
Focus
Slow
Brave
Smile
Finish
Enough
Peace
Persist
Strength
Anything stick out to you? What will your word be?
Charly Fulp
Mental Health Student Intern
