2022’s word of the year is…drumroll please….COURAGE!

You may have heard of the idea of choosing a word of the year instead of or in addition to a New Year’s resolution.

Each year, my friends and I select a word for the New Year. We share them with each other and then check in throughout the year to see how much progress we’ve made with it!

This year, I’m going with courage.

I have so much that I want to accomplish in 2022, and I can’t do it without f

I remember being a preschool teacher and being SO anxious to talk to this, ahem, intense parent about their child’s behavior.

Right before I had to meet with them, I was discussing my fears with my boss, terrified.

“Don’t be scared,” she told me, before doubling back.

“Or be scared, and do it anyway”.

Courage isn’t the absence of fear. It’s being scared and doing it anyway.

That’s the kind of energy that I want to bring into 2022.

Why choose a word?

Choosing a word of the year can be a less stressful alternative to a New Year’s resolution. Resolutions are easily broken or difficult to maintain for a full year.

Picking a word that you’d like to bring into the New Year offers infinite opportunities for practice and growth with that principle.

How do I pick a word?

There are plenty of lists out there online. Taking a few moments to meditate on what you are leaving behind in 2021 and what you want to cultivate in 2022 can be helpful. 

I noticed that in 2021 I was holding myself back in a lot of areas of my life because the logistics of getting what I wanted seemed too complicated or scary. Part of why I chose my word was because I felt myself turning away from opportunities because I wasn’t willing to practice courage.

I wanted to leave all the self-doubt and fear in 2021.

Ironically, the word courage scares me. That’s how I know it’s something I need.

How do I use my word of the year?

You practice it!

My word last year was discipline. I practiced discipline in my day to day life by exercising, writing consistently, and working hard to keep my house clean. 

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It’s cool to sit back at the end of the year and see how that principle has altered your life.

There have been a few years where I can’t even remember what mine was by the time the next ball drops, and that’s okay.

I think the important thing about New Year’s resolutions and choosing words is really about acknowledging that we still have room to grow and we are capable of change.

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Do you choose a word for the New Year?

If so, what’s your word?

What do you want to bring into 2022?

Let me know below!

O.

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