Do you have a word of the year?
I never really did the “word of the year” thing until the last few years.
I do like the idea of calling in a certain word of theme for the year, so I’ve been thinking about my word for 2025.
Last year, my word was “possibility”.
I thought the word had just struck me like lightning, but later I shared my word with a friend who told me that was her word, so turns out I stole hers. Oops. She told me she was okay with sharing. (Phew!)
I feel I embraced all the 'possibilities' last year.
For the most part, when I think about the word, I think about my work and the transition I’ve been making from my full time career, to my chief of staff/consulting services, to fully stepping into the possibilities of being a full-time coach and leading my own community. I dove into communities and memberships to help me see what was possible.
What I’ve learned about these things is they can take time, and we have to be patient. But I’d say the patience paid off in 2024, because I’m so ready for what 2025 has in store!
I had a sense of what my word was for this year, but I was having a hard time putting it into one word … So, naturally, I asked my friend ChatGPT to help me.
Here’s what I wrote:
“I’m thinking about my word of the year for 2025. Can you help me? Last year, it was "possibility". The word of the year is a good north star for what you hope to invite this year. What is a word of the year that invites in "abundance" and "flow"? I want this year to bring to life all of the foundation and hard work I've laid out over the last four years. I want this year to be the fruits of my labor. With work, with family, and with life.”
Here’s what Chat wrote back:
“For 2025, a word that captures "abundance," "flow," and the fruition of your hard work could be "Harvest." It symbolizes reaping the rewards of your efforts and the natural abundance that follows dedication and care. Other options include:
Flourish: Emphasizing growth, thriving, and success across all areas of life.
Bounty: Reflecting abundance and gratitude for the overflowing rewards.
Emerge: Signifying the unveiling of everything you've been building and nurturing.
Radiance: Representing the glow of fulfillment and flourishing in every aspect of life.”
I didn’t love these, so I asked for more options …
Abundance: Directly inviting the wealth of opportunities, joy, and success.
Fulfillment: Representing the completion of hard work and the joy it brings.
Bliss: Emphasizing peace, happiness, and flow in all areas.
Ease: Focusing on living and thriving without unnecessary resistance.
Grace: Highlighting the beauty of flow and abundance with gratitude.
Manifest: Representing the tangible results of your vision and effort.
Prosperity: Celebrating growth, wealth (in all forms), and success.
Flow: Capturing the essence of effortless progress and alignment.
Bloom: Acknowledging growth, flourishing, and the full realization of your work.
Thriving: Exceeding expectations and flourishing in all you do.”
After all of these options, I realized the word that says it best is one of the words I started with: FLOW.
I know it can be a trendy—and probably overused—word that seems more aspirational than grounded in reality.
But to me, flow is possible. It’s what you get when you understand your needs and wants and you edit your life to allow you to prioritize those things. While this can take work, the end result is flow and ease towards your goals.
I’ve put YEARS of work into understanding what I want and need, and how I want to spend my time and energy. And this year, I’m opening the floodgates on fully stepping into what I’m most passionate about.
Here’s to “flow” and whatever theme you are manifesting this year!
(P.S. If you’d like to borrow my word, I’m here for it! Or feel free to use any of the words my friend Chat helped me with!)
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About the author: Kelly (Underell) Stevens is an alignment coach and speaker dedicated to helping women leaders and entrepreneurs grow their impact and live life on their own terms by giving them the tools to choose less and show up for themselves. Learn more at www.kellystevens.co.