Pick a word for the new year

We’re about a week into the new year — how are those resolutions coming?

Many people enjoy beginning a new year by making resolutions, picking out goals they want to reach, plans they want to stick to every day, and ideals for how to improve themselves and their lives.

Many of those people also get overwhelmed and frustrated with their grand plans, some more quickly than others. Some may give up on their resolutions, and some may have given up on making resolutions altogether.

I do think resolutions can be good if they’re specific and realistic, but I recognize that for a lot of us they can be more stressful than helpful. In that case, let me recommend a more low-maintenance new year’s practice.

Pick a word.

Choose one word to sum up your hopes for the year or a concept you want to focus on. Your word can help you be intentional in your plans, be a source of motivation, or give you insight and a starting point when you reflect on what’s happening or how you want to grow. Picking a word is inherently less stressful than making a resolution because it’s not a strict goal you feel pressured to keep up with or guilty for failing. A word is vague and flexible, but provides a focal point to anchor you. You don’t have to worry about it every day or week or month if you don’t want to, but it’s there for you when you need it.

I’ve been choosing a word for the year for seven years now after I was introduced to the idea by my older sister. She and my mom and I have all chosen words each year, often sharing our words with each other and reflecting together on how they played out in our lives.

My words have been “follow,” “kadima” (which is Hebrew for “forward”), “embrace,” “prioritize,” “rise,” and “clarity.” Some of my mom and sister’s words have included “grow,” “wait,” “trust,” “love,” “focus,” “glimmer,” and “intentional.”

Sometimes we have specific reasons for our words, sometimes they’re based on a hunch. Often we feel like our words choose us more than we choose them. Words for the year also tend to take on a life of their own. Usually I’ll have one concept of what I think the word will mean when I pick it, and by the end of the year I look back and see how it applied in some many ways I never would have dreamed of.

Going into 2022, I almost didn’t want to pick a word for this year. I was honestly a bit annoyed with my word for 2021, which was “clarity.” I picked it when I wanted clarity in some big decisions I needed to make, and wanted more clarity for the world after the upheaval of 2020. I did receive clarity on those big decisions, but in ways that were more difficult than I expected, and I felt like several other personal areas became less clear. I also didn’t feel like the world on the whole got much more clarity, with continued division and unrest. As usual, my word didn’t mean what I’d initially intended it to. However, I can still appreciate it and the ways it did work out for me.

Still, with some lingering frustration over my last word, and superstitiously not wanting to have too many expectations for this year for fear of jinxing it, I thought maybe I would skip picking a word this time.

But then my word chose me anyways. It’s a word I’ve been surrounded by lately and thinking about a lot already. And suddenly I heard it and realized it was the best choice for 2022, because after a personally very hard year in 2021, what I really wanted was encouragement to keep going, and that’s at the heart of what this word is.

My word for 2022 is “fighting.”

I know that sounds weird, so let me explain. Over the past year I’ve been diving into the world of Korean culture, from k-pop to k-dramas, even starting to try to learn the language. As I explored Korean entertainment, it wasn’t long before I started to notice Koreans saying “fighting” regularly.

“Fighting” is an English word Koreans have picked up on and adapted to make their own, giving it a new meaning. When Koreans say “fighting,” it’s an expression of encouragement. It can mean “good luck,” “cheer up,” “you got this,” “keep going.”

As I got into this new year, I want to be reminded to keep going even when it’s hard and to keep hoping for things to get better. “Fighting” will be my reminder.

I encourage everyone to try out picking a word for the year in 2022. It can be whatever you want, and there’s no need to figure it out right away. Give it some thought, prayer, or meditation. Pick something personal that you want to work on or be reminded of.

Once you have your word, make it your own in whatever way fits your style and is most helpful for you. Scrapbook it. Use it as a mantra. Journal about it periodically. 

Throughout the year, use your word to ground yourself and give perspective and encouragement. Watch it take on new meanings you didn’t expect. See where it takes you.