All this talk of Word of the Year, Goals, Intentions…

So what is an intention anyway?

If you look up the definition…  It will say something to the effect of a commitment to a course of action or an aim.  

I like to twist the word intention a bit.  For myself, an intention becomes a state of being I wish to inhabit (abundance) or a way I want to interface with the world (such as wonder).

You could summarize this more easily by calling it a way I want to feel… in my spirit, in my body, in my heart. 

Picking a word for the year is essentially an alternative to a traditional new year’s resolution.
You know the drill: the New Year’s Resolution where you promise yourself you’ll lose weight, quit drinking, or give up sugar this year…
New Year’s resolutions have become stigmatized because, fortunately, we’ve learned that beating ourselves up at the beginning of the year doesn’t create the sustainable shifts we set out to achieve.

There’s something undeniably appealing about the start of a fresh new year—it naturally inspires self-reflection and a desire to hit the reset button.

That’s where choosing a Word for the Year comes in—it’s a way to approach the year ahead with intentionality and clarity, setting the tone for how you want to navigate what’s in front of you. Whether we realize it or not, we all have the innate ability to create and recreate ourselves and our experiences.

Reflecting on the reality you want to create and the person you want to become is a powerful first step, but feeling into that reality—truly embodying the energy of who you want to be—is even more transformative.

I like to ritualize this process so I can return to it throughout the year, especially to reconnect with the feeling I want to anchor. For me, it’s not just about thinking of how I want to feel, but fully immersing myself in that feeling. Once I’ve done this, I create a tangible reminder of my intention. Over the years, I’ve built up a bit of a random rock collection, which has become the perfect way to make this process meaningful and lasting.

I love nothing more than sifting through stones along a riverbed and pocketing one or two odd ones that have a hole all the way through, an interesting fossil, or a streak of unique color.  Off and on, I have felt compelled to write on a few of them–some idea that I really wanted to anchor in.  In my early days of finding my Truth, I wrote the word courage on one side of a smooth river stone and resilience on the other.  Sometimes I would hold it in my hand when I was really struggling.  The word Confidence scrolls across and long, flat stone from 2023 and my most recent mantra: Know, Align, Allow decorates 3 very unique stones that I had held onto for years.

I’ve begun this ritual (that I love to share in community) of writing a word (or 3) on a stone of remembrance. One participant has shared that they keep their stone in their pocket with them throughout the day.  I’ve been known to keep little reminder stones near my dashboard in my car.  One of the lovely things about doing this ritual year after year is that you can look back on it and see your growth, see where you are circling back, see how you’ve shifted over time.  A way of gathering stones of experience. 

So how do you want to feel this year?  What word resonates with you?

Here’s a list of words prompts if you are feeling stuck:

Self-Love
Abundance
Authenticity
Wonder
Adventure
Gratitude
Peace
Simplicity
Presence
Hope
Freedom

You can change your word(s) at any time they no longer resonate, and there truly are no rules.  Writing your Word of the Year on a stone can be a meaningful ritual to anchor your intention and come back to it as a reminder again and again.