What’s Your WOTY?

If you’ve been with me for a while, then you’ll know that every year I choose a word - one that’ll help me stay focused on whatever my bigger picture is. Previous words have included grow, light, peace, kindness.

I find it to be a really powerful tool to shape the way that I live. I put my word as my screensaver and lockscreen on all my devices so that I see it often.

Sometimes my word of the year (WOTY) is obvious, other times it takes a little longer to settle on the one. You need to allow time and relax into it.

Questions can be helpful in getting your creatives juices going. Ask yourself:

What do I want more of this year? What do I want less of? What am I tired of tolerating? Which quality would dramatically improve my life? How do I want this year to feel?

Jot down every word that comes to mind. There might be some duplicates or similarities so hone down what you really mean. Notice which words excite you or scare you. Make a shortlist and sit with it for a while. And when you’re ready, choose your word.

I then use the app Word Swag to create an image of my WOTY and use it as my screensaver and lockscreen image across all my devices - phone, laptop and desktop.

Know that you will create more of whatever you focus on, so choose a word that reflects who you want to be this year.

My word for 2022 is ALIGN. I want to continue to narrow the gap between my values and my actions.

What’s your WOTY? I’d love to know.