My One Word

As we get closer to the end of the year, I could suggest you start thinking about your resolutions—but let’s be honest. How many of us have made a million resolutions over the years, only to quit them before day three?  So, let me offer you a different approach for 2026.  What if you lived the entire year through the lens of just one word?  It’s a concept I’ve been practicing for years, based on the book My One Word by Mike Ashcroft and Rachel Olsen. The process is simple, but the impact is powerful:  Find one word. Then watch it transform your year.

Each November or December, I start writing down words that come to mind. I think, reflect, and pray until one of those words stands out. When you know, you know.  From there, I find ways to keep that word in front of me throughout the year.

Sometimes it’s a piece of jewelry.

Sometimes a quote on my phone screen.

Sometimes it’s a word I tape to my desk—or even build into my password (because let’s be honest, we type those a hundred times a day).

Over the years, I’ve watched these words manifest in powerful, sometimes unexpected ways.  One year, my word was BRAVE. I had no idea how much I’d cling to that word when my son told me he was joining the Army. It became my prayer.  Another year, my word was NO, and I gave myself permission to set boundaries and let go of things that no longer served me.  A few years ago, the word was MOVE—and I resisted it. I didn’t want to move. But then came a moment that changed everything. I was in a job that was slowly stealing my soul. I worked at all hours: answering calls at my son’s college football games, in the middle of shopping trips with my daughter, even while recovering from surgery.  One day, after a 30-minute conversation, it was clear: it was time to move.  That moment uprooted my life, but it also gave me back my peace. I began rebuilding, rediscovering what truly mattered. That one word—MOVE—helped me find my way back to myself.

Some years, your word will challenge you more than you’d like.  The year my word was CHANGE, I was over it by November. I had experienced so much of it, I was ready to say: “I’m done!” But that word pushed me to let go of rigidity and grow in ways I didn’t expect.  I’m so thankful for the successes, the stories, and the growth that choosing one word has brought into my life. Year after year, this simple practice shapes me.

So as we approach the close of this year, I invite you:  Begin the journey of finding your one word.  Don’t rush it. Let it come to you.  And once it does—wear it, pray it, live it.  Let’s make 2026 a year of intention, one word at a time.