a yearly rhythm: word of the year.
i showed my second grade class an empty jar and a full jar of marbles. I explained to the students their daily challenge. every time the classroom sounded like peace and looked like love they will receive a marble in the marble jar. then once the marble jar is full the class will celebrate with a pretend adventure (camping, going to the north pole, visit hawaii etc).
the students heard the words peace and love hundreds if not a thousand times (if you’re a teacher or a parent you know how many times we repeat words). they did not sound like peace or look like love at the beginning of the year, but by the end of the school year the students became these words.
while those students were growing, you know who else was growing ….me, i was growing in peace and love.
little did i know, this was my first unexpected experience with a word of the year. now, it’s a rhythm i have every year for myself (i even have my kids pick a woty) because…
words are powerful.
words help us.
words grow us.
words glow in us.
word of the year: a word anchor to help us, guide us and grow us
i met a woman at a local bookshop. she has been doing, “a word of the year” for decades. decades. and let me tell you… it shows! she is anchored in god’s word, full of wisdom, filled with peace and bursting with joy. she explained once her word of the year was surrender, the following year it was surrender again. if i remember correctly her word of the word has been surrender 3 times. and you know what… it shows.
in this blog you will learn all things WORD OF THE YEAR:
when
how
research
surround yourself
taking steps
reflect
suggestions
if you have never chosen a word for the year, perhaps this blog will inspire you to take a step and select a woty today. get your friends, family, spouse, and kids to all pick a woty.
if you already have a woty rhythm perhaps this blog will give you a practical step you can take today and go deeper with it.
Pick a word in december, january, february or today!
if you are reading this blog you can pick a word now! if you are reading this blog in august you can pick a word now!
some people spend january praying and reflecting then pick a word in february.
the goal is to just start!
i usually spend december reflecting on the year, then start looking and listening for a good word based on my areas of weakness.
sometimes you pray for a word. sometimes you just hear a good word. sometimes you read a word and it immediately connects with you. other times someone tells you your word. you may just find a certain word popping up everywhere like in your books or in songs.
good words can come from anywhere!
a little list my woty (word of the year) words and where they came from.
peace + love- while studying the fruits of the holy spirit
anchored- a church service
bold- a podcast, a church service, and a book
planting-the bible, a podcast, a book and a visualization
strength- a sweatshirt
faith-a book, a church service and the bible
tip: you can pick more than one word! for me personally my word is strength yet my word for work is faith.
the next step you can take with your woty is… research it!
this year after researching i defined faith as, “ to be fully confident (in god’s power and plan) and to fully surrender (my plans, my fears, etc.) so that i can walk a little more relaxed through this journey.”
I also utilized the youversion bible app to find key verses with the word faith and strength. I wrote them down in my journal and i am trying to memorize them. tip: when we read bible verses we can add kinesthetic movements to increase our ability to memorize the verses (teacher hack).
if you are a reader, pick up a book or listen to a podcast that aligns with the woty. it doesn’t have to be the exact word, i suggest finding synonyms.
lastly, share your woty with others…. you never know who may give you good insight or reveal their personal stories of living that word out.
this is the fun part. find ways to surround yourself with the word. you will appreciate having a visual reminder of the word to help you stay focused and motivated to actually grow into the word.
here are some things i created as visual reminders and you can try too.
1. a homemade bracelet- my daughter and i made woty bracelets for ourselves and family members
2. print the word on a sweatshirt or shirt- i have a sweatshirt with the word strength on the arm sleeve in small print
3. a homemade wood sign with the word- sitting on my desk next to my computer screen is the word faith painted on a mini wood sign
4. a screen saver with the word and a definition- see pic below of my iphone home screen
5. create a journal with your word
this word was chosen for a reason so whenever possible and fitting align your thoughts, words, and actions with it! this is the hard part!!!
example: at 5am morning, I ask god to give me his strength to get my body out of bed in order to do my 60 minute workout.
example: throughout the day at work I pray for god to help me replace my worries with faith.
reflection…. now that’s a powerful word.
you want to continually ask and pray to make sure your woty is god’s woty for you. most of the time it will be, but maybe it’s not.
here’s a little story. Last year my word of the year was bold. I defined it as the ability to take risks, be confident and courageous. well the word was great for my personal life as i learned to pray boldly. i can only recall once where i needed to say something bold. i took this word to work with me. I began the year with courage and risks but quickly learned boldness is a great word but not the word i needed at this particular time. instead it was clear my work word of the year was planting.
therefore, I learned it is okay to change the woty.
i also learned you don’t graduate from a word. you are never done becoming faith, strength, peace, love etc. these words build on each other. it’s addition not subtraction.
we are never done with “strength” or “being anchored” or “being bold”. life continually will gives us opportunities to continue practicing these words.
perhaps when we’re 68
and we’ve spent decades doing woty
we will be a little more mature
and
still growing
and
still practicing the rhythm of
a word of the year.
