My 2024 Word of the Year

5 January 2024

I find it really valuable to come up with a guiding word every new year. This year’s word is ACTIVE. I want to focus this year on taking the more active option in any given situation. I’m looking to feel more nimble, less stiff, and all around more vital. There’s something about being in your 60s that makes you really think about how you want to age.

I initially thought my word was going to be STRONG. But after doing the exercises in Lavendaire’s Artist of Life Workbook, I changed it to ACTIVE, which felt like a better fit.

I’ve been choosing a word of the year for more than a decade and some words were more spot-on than others. It’s interesting to me to look back on prior words of the year because they’re little snapshots of my life that year.

I keep a list of them in Evernote. In case you’re interested, here’s the list:

2013: growth
2014: innovation
2015: recognition
2016: balance
2017: fearless
2018: connection
2019: expertise, processes, health
2020: intention
2021: ease
2022: generosity
2023: space
2024: active

If you’re interested in hearing more about selecting a Word of the Year, check out Episode 186 of the Getting to Good Enough podcast, in which Shannon and I spent 15 minutes talking about it. (We’ve stopped recording the podcast, but the archives are still there for your enjoyment!)

Tagged with: goals, planning, resolutions