You know sometimes you see something, and you go, “huh?!” And the next thing you know you’re seeing that thing all over the place.

That’s been happening to me with something called the One Word for the Year Exercise.

It’s like the universe is trying to make sure I pay attention to this.

So, let’s do it.

What is it?

Basically, you’re meant to distill your major goal or focus for the year into one single word.

What’s the purpose?

Your one word then serves as both motivation and reminder throughout the year of what your top priority or key focus is.

How do you figure out your word?

There are probably a ton of ways to go about it. For me, the first time someone actually posed the question, the word came to mind, and it just felt right, like exactly what I need my year to be about.

But, if that’s not your experience, here’s are a couple of suggestions that may help you find your own word:

• Focus on the single biggest change you want to make this year.
  What word connects most to that change? For example, if you’re feeling stressed and anxious and you really want that to change, then your word might be 'peace,' or 'joy,' or 'balance.'
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• Visualize where you want to be at the end of this year.
  Write a headline about yourself, your business, your life that encapsulates accomplishing that vision. For example, if your vision is that you’ll be recognized as a leader in your industry, then your word might be 'trendsetter,' or 'recognition,' or 'excellence.'

My word for this year is Grace (hence the subject line of this email).

Grace for myself and grace for others is my goal.

People often confuse grace with forgiveness, but while they're related, they're not the same.

Grace is understanding that we are all fallible humans and allowing others' their faults and failures without ascribing negative emotions to the impact those behaviors have on us, like resentment or insult.

Over the past few weeks, whenever I feel frustrated, overwhelmed, annoyed, or even kind of down, I focus on the word and something pretty remarkable happens, I feel less stressed, irritated or deflated.

Instead of a being stuck in that negative state, my brain flips into a different gear and I’m lighter and more at peace.

I'm not gonna lie, it's pretty cool and really helpful, especially as I'm doing double duty as a caregiver.

Want to try it, but need some inspiration?

Here's a list of words to get the juices flowing:

So what's your word for 2023? I'd love to know!
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Until next week, remember living is an action verb, you're doing it all the time so why not do it the way you really want to?
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PS - If you missed it, last week, I shared some Family Business about supporting user adoption and adherence.

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