Why a Word of the Year Is Better Than a New Year’s Resolution

Written By Jody Seeley

For many years now, I have practiced choosing a Word of the Year with my family, with my teams at Key Instincts and BCO, and with several of my clients. New Year’s resolutions never resonated with me. I found them fleeting, well-intended, often rigid, and disconnected from the deeper rhythm of real life. They tend to demand change without creating relationship.

A word, however, is different.
A word is something you can embrace, return to, and sink into. It evolves with you. It meets you where you are on any given day and still holds its meaning. It becomes a lens, a compass, and sometimes even a mirror.

Words carry power. They shape perception. They influence choice. And what better way to fire up a year , while leaving room for creativity, curiosity, and a little magic: than to live inside a single, intentional word?

So my word for 2026 is JOY.

I did not choose JOY lightly.

  • JOY is often mistaken for brightness or ease. But the joy I am stepping into in 2026 feels like a remembering rather than a pursuit. It is not loud. It is luminous.

  • JOY, at its core, is a spiritual orientation, a return to aliveness. It is the soil where magic, mysticism, wonder, curiosity, and whimsy quietly come back online.

  • When joy is present, life begins to feel enchanted again. Not in a fantasy sense, but in the way meaning starts to shimmer in ordinary moments, a conversation feels timely, a symbol appears at just the right moment, the world speaks in subtle invitations rather than demands.

  • JOY sharpens perception, it makes us attentive to the unseen threads weaving through our days. Those serendipities that offer a quiet wink or a gentle nudge…

  • Mystically, joy is remembrance. It reconnects us to the part of ourselves that knows we are in relationship with something greater, whether we call that Spirit, God, source, life, or mystery itself. Joy doesn’t explain the unknown; it welcomes it. It allows awe to exist without needing certainty.

  • Wonder is joy’s natural language. When joy is embodied, curiosity replaces control. Questions become doorways rather than threats. We soften into the not-knowing, and in that openness, new possibilities emerge. Joy gives permission to explore without needing to master.

  • And then there is whimsy, the often-forgotten sacred art of lightness. Whimsy is joy’s playfulness, its refusal to take the self too seriously. It reminds us that reverence and delight are not opposites, that laughter can be holy, and that imagination is not childish, but essential.

  • In 2026, JOY is not about escaping reality. It is about engaging it more fully; with openness, trust, and a willingness to be surprised.

  • This joy does not bypass lessons or complexity. It coexists with them. It says: even here, something meaningful is unfolding. Even here, life is still in conversation with us.

I am not chasing joy this year.
I am embodying it.

That means:

✨ Making space for magic.
✨ Listening for mystery.
✨ Choosing wonder over certainty.
✨ Letting curiosity lead where fear once guarded.
✨ Allowing whimsy to soften the edges of responsibility.

JOY is my compass for 2026.
Not because the path will be simple,
but because it will be alive.

And to live awake, to meet life with reverence and delight that is the deepest form of joy. ✨

I would love to hear what word you chose… or what word chose you this year 💛

What Is a Word of the Year — and Why Choose One?

Instead of setting a list of resolutions that can feel overwhelming or disconnected from your deeper rhythms, a Word of the Year gives you one guiding intention. It helps shape how you see challenges, opportunities, and even your relationships with yourself and others. Elizabeth Rider - Modern Healthy Living

Here’s why this practice resonates so deeply:

This is why a word — more than a resolution — becomes a lived experience.

How to Choose Your Word of the Year

If you’re ready to find your word, here are some tips to make the process intentional and meaningful:

1. Look for the Word That Keeps Coming Back

Notice which words keep showing up in your thoughts, conversations, or journal. Often you don’t choose the word — it chooses you. Reach Wellth

2. Choose a Word That Feels Both True and Stretching

The right word should feel aligned but slightly uncomfortable, a little bit of expansion rather than perfection. Reach Wellth

3. Journal With It

Write down potential words and reflect on how they feel in daily context. Which one evokes energy? Which one loosens tension around “shoulds”? Elizabeth Rider - Modern Healthy Living

4. Place Your Word Where You Can See It Daily

Turn it into a visual cue — phone wallpaper, mirror note, planner header, art piece — so it becomes part of your daily awareness. Reach Wellth

5. Let It Evolve

Your word is a compass, not a contract. In moments of challenge or change, let it be a soft guide rather than a strict rule. Elizabeth Rider - Modern Healthy Living

Inspiration and Word Lists to Get You Started

If you’re stuck for ideas, here are some helpful resources to spark your intuition:

✨ Word of the Year Inspiration & Generator
➡️ Try a word generator to help unlock possibilities — even themes you hadn’t considered. Online Text Tool

🌐 Word of the Year Website
➡️ For prompts, visual inspiration, art, and ideas you can use in your spaces, check out: wordoftheyear.com — a site dedicated to exploring annual intention words and helping you keep them top of mind. wordoftheyear.com

📜 Word Lists for 2026
➡️ If you want curated lists by theme (like joy, peace, growth, connection), check out comprehensive lists with 100+ ideas to spark your heart’s direction. Life Note

Whether your word resonates as joy, presence, courage, surrender, aliveness, or something completely unique — I hope you’ll lean into it with curiosity, softness, and reverence. Your word isn’t a destination — it’s a companion.

Here’s to a year shaped by intention, imagination, and meaning. ✨

What’s your Word of the Year? Email it hello@babyitscoldoutsidecharity.com or post on our socials! I can’t wait to hear it. 💛

Jody Seeley
Next

A Year of Neighbours Helping Neighbours