Discover a gentler approach to choosing One Word for the year—or the season you’re in. Learn how to listen, choose intentionally, and let your word evolve as life changes.

One Word (For the Year or the Season You’re In)

Every January, we’re invited to reinvent ourselves.

New goals. New plans. New versions of who we think we should be.

For years, the practice of choosing One Word for the Year has offered an alternative—something simpler, quieter, and more integrated than a long list of resolutions. And for good reason. One word can act like a compass, helping us return to what matters when life gets noisy.

But there’s a problem no one talks about.

What happens when the word you chose in January no longer fits by June?

One Word Is Not a Rule — It’s a Listening Practice

The idea behind One Word was never meant to be rigid. It wasn’t designed to box us in or ask us to power through a word that no longer reflects our reality.

One Word is not a productivity tool.
It’s a listening practice.

And listening requires flexibility.

We grow in seasons. We change as we learn. Sometimes the word that carried us into the year isn’t the word that can carry us forward—and that doesn’t mean we failed. It means we’re paying attention.

A New Permission: One Word for the Year or the Season

Here’s the permission many of us need:

You’re allowed to choose one word for the year—
and you’re also allowed to choose one word for the season you’re in.

Some seasons ask us to build. Others ask us to rest. Some require strength; others require softness. Expecting one word to cover an entire year assumes life moves in straight lines. It doesn’t.

Changing your word isn’t quitting.
It’s responding.

The Practice: How to Choose Your One Word

This is not about picking the most impressive word or the one that sounds the most aspirational. It’s about choosing a word that meets you where you are and gently guides you forward.

Step 1: Name the Season You’re In

Before choosing a word, pause and reflect.

Ask yourself:

• What feels heavy right now?
• What feels tender?
• What feels ready to grow?
• Am I in a season of rebuilding, resting, learning, or releasing?

Be honest. The right word will emerge from truth, not pressure.

Step 2: Listen for Patterns (Not Preferences)

Often, the right word is already circling your life.

Notice:

• Words that keep showing up in your journaling, prayers, or conversations
• Themes you’re returning to again and again
• What you need, not what sounds admirable

The right word is often quieter than the one you think you’re supposed to choose.

Step 3: Test the Word Gently

Try living with your word for a day or two.

• Say it out loud.
• Write it at the top of a page.
• Ask yourself: Does this feel like an invitation—or a demand?

If the word feels heavy, forced, or performative, it may not be the right fit—for now.

Step 4: Define the Word for Your Life

Your word doesn’t come with a universal definition.

Take a moment to write:

• What this word means to you
• What it is not
• How you’ll recognize when you’re living in alignment with it

This step transforms the word from an idea into a practice.

Step 5: Live With It Lightly

Your word is meant to support you, not supervise you.

You might:

• Place it somewhere visible
• Revisit it weekly or monthly
• Let it gently inform decisions rather than dictate them

If, over time, it no longer fits—listen.

A Personal Note on Letting the Word Lead

Last year, my word was Season.

Midway through the year, I felt strongly drawn to another word. I hesitated—not because the new word felt wrong, but because I thought changing it meant I wasn’t doing the practice “correctly.”

In hindsight, that tension revealed something important.

The very word Season was teaching me what I needed to learn: that growth unfolds in phases, and honoring the season you’re in matters more than following imagined rules.

That experience is why I now believe this practice works best when it’s spacious, not strict.

Words to Reflect On

If you’re still listening, here are a few words I had on my list you might sit with and see what stirs:

• Stewardship
• Sustainability
• Soft
• Sanctuary
• Strength
• Stability (or Steady)
• Seed
• Structure (or Systems)

You don’t need to choose quickly. Let the word choose you.

A Closing Invitation

Sometimes a word stays with us for a year.
Sometimes it carries us through a single season.
And sometimes it returns again and again, slowly shaping who we’re becoming.

You’re allowed to begin where you are.

What one word feels like home for this season?

-laura