Do You Need A Word Of The Year?

In many ways, I feel like this is the wrong conversation to have right now. I just want to quietly tiptoe into 2021 and continue to unpack the emotions brought to the surface in 2020.

Last year I started off with a word of the year, I honestly think it was “thrive” or something like that. By March, that word had turned into “survive” and I had lost whatever momentum, excitement or vision previously assigned to the word. 

People often prospectively choose a word of the year to inspire them and keep them focused on their long-term goals. Early in 2020, Oprah stated that her word of the year to be “purposeful” while Melinda Gates has previously used words such as “spacious”, “grace” and “shine”. 

Others use a word of the year differently. This past November, Collins Dictionary declared “lockdown” as their word of the year while Merriam Webster claimed “pandemic”. Now their motives behind the word are separate from someone who starts at the beginning ready to plan. Rather, they use the word to categorize or sum up the events we’ve experienced together the last 12 months. 

Looking back, my word for 2020 would be something like resilience or personal growth. Resilience is not just about getting through challenges, but rather bouncing back.Learning to accept the uncontrollable, accepting imperfections, and learning how to be more present in my work and family are some incredible truths that I will continue to apply throughout my life. 

By taking the time to unpack and understand the lessons learned in 2020, and celebrate the progress you’ve made, you make room to move forward. Let’s let kindness and love prevail and support each other wherever we can. Happy New Year!