100+ Word of the Year List
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How many of you decided to make a list of New Year’s Resolutions? I quit doing resolutions because I could never keep them throughout the year. Typically I was able to hold on to them until say May or June but after that, they fell to the wayside. So instead I saw something about “word of the Year” and decide to try to implement that. My first year was growth and I wanted to grow spiritually and mentally but another year I had forgiveness and boy was that one a little bit harder. What word would you pick to focus on for a year?
Why does one choose to have a word of the year instead of a Resolutions? I believe it helps me make smarter decisions. Resolutions I give in with, but when I think long and hard about what I want to actually accomplish that year and have a word or a phrase I can set my goals on that and focus all my decisions towards it. This helps me stay focused on what it is I want to achieve.
Previous Word of the Year Words
Forgiveness: That was a brutally tough year, but they say when you are going on the right path the devil is going to throw all he can at you to make you fall. He did too, but I stayed on course and forgave many people that year. I was even able to let go of a hurt that I had held on to for over 25 years. That was a huge relief, honestly, it felt as if a ton of bricks and been moved off my chest when I’d done that.
Growth: When one wants to grow you are going to have to push yourself and learn about who you are.
My Health: This was the year that I would start making sure I had my health taken care of. It was more a year about making sure I took all those blood tests, diabetes, etc. Recently losing my sense of taste and numbness on the right side of my face, I was determined to find out what, if anything was wrong with me. My health now mattered, the following year I started getting all the dental taken care of. I can now smile with all my teeth showing and not be self-conscious about it.
Stepping Out of my Comfort Zone: This is the phrase I would begin with during 2020 but had no clue 2020 was going to close all the doors. I had just begun to step out of my shell. I created a list of things I wanted to try like “throwing axes” or going to a “Mystery Dinner” I had just started having fun with that list when we all shut down. But it showed me that trying new things I could do on my own or with someone, but I would literally have to leave my shell and not everything would turn out bad. I’ll have to get back to that list sometime in the future but many are on a hiatus due to the pandemic.
Take Chances: I’m the type of person that doesn’t stray too far from what I’m familiar with. I don’t like change. I have everything all planned out so taking a chance means letting go of all those plans I have and letting things fall where they will. Maybe that should be a word I focus on in the future. But I’d been growing and learning about who I was. I wanted to take a chance on me. I hired a coach and went into some business ventures and took a chance and learned about who I am and what I can do for myself.
How to Pick your Word of the Year
There are so many ways you can pick your word of the year and no it isn’t too late. I know some that don’t even come up with their word until February.
You can go through a dictionary, close your eyes, and thumb through it until you land on a word. Or think of what you want your end goal for 2022 to be and think of what words align with it.
You may even want to do a word a month until it gets the desired outcome. If you can’t think of anything look through each of these paragraphs and grab a list from one of the selections below that speak out to you or that you feel you need to work on.
Word of the Year List
- Abundance
- Active
- Adventure
- Appreciate
- Available
- Aware
- Balance
- Bold
- Boundaries
- Building
- Breathe
- Calm
- Challenge
- Change
- Communicate
- Compassionate
- Confident
- Creative
- Dream
- Educate
- Embrace
- Explore
- Empowered
- Excited
- Family
- Fit
- Focus
- Friendship
- Fun
- Gratitude
- Growth
- Health
- Hopeful
- Inspire
- Invest
- Imagine
- Imperfect
- Joyful
- Learn
- Light
- Listen
- Loving
- Kindness
- Mindful
- No
- Organize
- Passionate
- Passive
- Pause
- Persistant
- Postive
- Powerful
- Present
- Responsible
- Self
- Self-care
- Security
- Simplify
- Smile
- Sparkle
- Stop
- Study
- Strength
- Sympathy
- Thrifty
- Transformation
- Wealth
- Yes
- You Matter
- Yourself
Word of the Year Generator
I have always loved word generators when I’m thinking of what I want to create, however, I never thought to use that to come up with the word of the year. There are actually several “word of the year” generators for you to pick from I’ll list a few below:
Word of the Year by Jen Fulwiler
DaySpring has a Word of the year quiz you can take and it will shoot out a word of the year. I got EMPOWERED, which I will take as well.
Biblical Word of the Year
Want your word to be more biblically based? That’s a great way to focus on the Lord all year long, one way could be to go and take a word from the Characteristics.
- Acceptance
- Believe
- Bless
- Celebrate
- Charitable
- Courageous
- Encourager
- Faithfulness
- Fearless
- Forgiving
- Friendly
- Gentle
- Giving
- Gracious
- Honest
- Hope
- Insightful
- Intentional
- Joy
- Laugh
- Loving
- Kindness
- Patient
- Peace
- Pray
- Purposeful
- Relax
- Social
- Supportive
- Teach
- Thankful
- Trust
- Worship
I found a list of 60 Character traits in Christ listed with bible verses that I thought you might find helpful. Can you think of a character trait you’d like to focus on for this year?
Displaying Your Word of the Year
Once you have picked your word of the year make sure it will be viewed by you daily. Just like an affirmation you want to see the word or phrase and memorize it and repeat it daily. Write it down on a sticky note and stick it to your bathroom mirror, computer, etc. You can play in Canva and save it as a computer background image or for your phone.
Grab a piece of construction paper and write the word out and trace over it as the kids do for school projects until it stands out in all the colors. If you don’t want to do this on paper that’s okay, grab an old Scrabble game you have laying around that no longer has all the letters. Make your word of the year and display it in a picture frame. Do you have family doing this? Connect them and have your family word of the year in the entryway for everyone to see when they come into your home. Imagine that conversations can start.
If you have a Cricut Machine print the word out and stick it to a coffee mug or a thermos so you see it everywhere you go and you can be reminded of that word. Place the word on a keychain or a bracelet (check out what Lisa of FunHappyHome makes) and proudly display your word of the year.
My Word of the Year: BUILD
I picked BUILD because I want to build in 2022. I want to build a better faith by studying the word more and really digging in. My family will eventually be building itself for the future so I need to build a better foundation and know they are all well protected and ready for whatever life throws there way. Building this family means they will all be venturing out and finding those other partners that will in turn build their families.
150 Word of the Year Lists from Happiness is Homemade. Lisa over at Fun Happy Home has created a list of 231 Words you can choose from. Still need some ideas, Here’s a list of 250 Word of the year ideas from Wild Simple Joy. Inspire Kinney Chaos has 50 Word of the year list for you.
