How to Redefine and Discover Your Word for 2022.
Have you ever picked a "Word of the Year" or "Phrase of the Year?"
Photo by Hallie Jean Co. Photography
Finding a word of the year is significantly different than setting New Years Resolutions. And it's not a one-size-fits-all either.
It's about finding a word that connects all of your goals and intentions. It's about reflecting on the areas of your life that could use some refinement. It's about finding meaning amongst the chaos.
With each new year, there's a promise of new possibilities. A chance to welcome in fresh starts. An inner drive to push out of your comfort zone and begin a fearless pursuit into your goals.
Several years ago, I began ditching the New Years resolutions that were leaving me defeated by January 31st and in favor selected a Word of the Year. Don't get me wrong, New Years Resolutions great. But if you aren't fully committing to all of them, it can become overwhelming. Creating structure and revising your routine takes time. And it certainly doesn't happen over night.
But with a word of the year, it feels more whole. It's more likely the habits I create become a part of my lifestyle. The word can help revolutionize my entire thought process. It helps me embody how I want to go about my next year, whether it be through business, relationships or anything in life.
If you're completely new to finding your word of the year, sometimes it helps to start with a couple phrases. Maybe a quote that seems to resonate with you and keep your mind ticking. If there's one that pops in your mind, than grab a notebook and write it out before you read the rest of the blog. And prepare to visualize your intentions for 2022.
A few years ago, I selected the word "Build." Although I didn't know it at first, build would soon lead to the complete structure and development of a new business. Simply put, I manifested the word into the universe and it brought it's own reward.
Last year, I selected the word "Purpose." Interesting enough, I did discover more inner workings into my purpose, but it wasn't quite as I thought. Purpose lead me on a path to four on self healing and cleansing. I began a process of elimination and discovery for happiness and inner solitude within. I found comfort in the content. And it helped me through business as well. With business, the word helped be become more mindful of my time, while identifying the parts of my business structure that aligned with my goals. Plus, it helped ignited my passions.
As I head into 2022, I've began the process of how I can restructure my business as well intertwining those habits into my personal life. And with this process, it means asking the tough questions. What's working? What isn't? How can I be more mindful of my time? How can I be more present? How can I be more efficient? What can I eliminate? What parts of my business are thriving the best? Where are my strengths? Where are my weakness? What's inspiring me?
In photography, I want to magnify my strengths. I anticipate focusing more of my work on weddings, travel and elopement. As they are what drive my fire. With opening my studio, I've found myself growing in areas such as boudoir and newborn photography. And it's been a fulfilling fit.
So how can you discover your word of the year?
Reflect. Ask the questions that fall beneath your surface layer. What could you really use more of in life? What makes you feel happiest? Lightest? What could you use less of? How you want to feel?
Visualize. What would a perfect day look like? Does it include a morning routine? Is there a way you'd feel throughout the day and as you head to sleep? A great way to answer this question, is through taking moments to meditate first.
What areas of your life could use some refinement? Where do you want to improve? What do you want to become better at? Are you seeking freedom in some spaces more than others? Is there a fear you are holding on to and want to get rid of?
Review some words and pick five that stand out to you. Below I've included a list for you!
So here' s list of words I've put together, A-Z. Which one aligns best with you?
Abundance
Accept
Action
Add
Advance
Adventure
Align
Allow
Ambition
Anchor
Appreciate
Authentic
Awake
Balance
Be
Become
Begin
Believe
Best
Bloom
Bold
Boundaries
Breathe
Build
Calm
Celebrate
Centered
Challenge
Change
Clear
Comfort
Commit
Communicate
Compassionate
Compose
Connect
Conscious
Considerate
Courage
Create
Cultivate
Daring
Declutter
Decrease
Deliberate
Depth
Devote
Diligence
Direction
Discipline
Ease
Elevate
Embody
Embrace
Emerge
Empower
Energize
Escalate
Excellence
Expand
Explore
Express
Faith
Fast
Fearless
Finish
Flourish
Fly
Focus
Forgive
Forward
Foster
Foundation
Free
Fulfilling
Generous
Gentle
Glow
Giving
Go
Grace
Grounded
Grow
Harmony
Heal
Health
Higher
Honest
Hope
Humble
Humility
Hustle
Identify
Ignite
Immerse
Improve
Increase
Indulge
Integrity
Intentional
Intimate
Intuitive
Journey
Joy
Kind
Kindred
Laugh
Lead
Learn
Less
Light
Listen
Light
Love
Magnify
Manifest
Meditate
Mend
Mindful
Motion
Motivate
Move
No
Nourish
Nurture
Opportunity
Organize
Passion
Patient
Pause
Peace
Permission
Persist
Perspective
Playful
Plentiful
Polish
Positive
Power
Purpose
Practice
Pray
Present
Progress
Prosper
Quiet
Radiant
Recovery
Relate
Relationships
Relax
Release
Refine
Represent
Reset
Resolute
Resolve
Respect
Rest
Revive
Rise
Risk
Sacred
Satisfy
Scale
Seek
Self-care
Serenity
Serve
Simplicity
Shift
Slow
Soulful
Space
Sparkle
Spirit
Strength
Strong
Structure
Support
Survive
Teach
Thoughtful
Thrive
Today
Transform
Tranquil
Travel
Treasure
Try
Unique
Unstoppable
Value
Vibrant
Vitality
Vulnerable
Whole
Wonder
Worthy
Wild
Worth
Yes
Zen
Zest
6. Narrow down your list of 5 to 1.
Before you select the final word that will set your intentions into the year of 2022, I ask you first....
Are you only interested or are you committed?
If the word only brings interest or is feels like it's just a word of trend, it's likely you'll find excuses. But if you are committed to the word, you'll let it expand and implement into your life.
This word should bring you fulfillment through multiple faucets of life. Instead of evoking fear, this word should bring you confidence. And mostly importantly, it should help you navigate with comfort and expansion, through the terrains ahead.
x
Alyssa Herold
Owner of Hallie Jean Co. Photography
Cedar and Sage Studio
Nebraska, US