What's Your Word of the Year?

“Words are, in my not-so-humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of magic.?Capable of both inflicting injury, and remedying it.”

– Albus Dumbledore

I love words. Perhaps this doesn't come as a big surprise considering I've written two books in the same number of years (and am already gearing up for number 3), but it's about more than volume. Words have power. The right word can change your life -- and the wrong one can too.

But what is a word really?

A jumble of letters or sounds that would be meaningless if we didn't process them in our minds. And how does our mind make meaning of things like words or phrases? This is the whole focus of cognitive semiotics (a new field I'm totally obsessed with right now). [NOTE: I have an episode of The Brainy Business podcast featuring Sarah Thompson coming out in a couple weeks you are going to love! Be sure to subscribe so you don't miss it.]

One of the most fascinating things cognitive semiotics has taught us is that we don't just use metaphor to express ourselves in flowery ways...but we actually think in metaphor.

We Think In Metaphor

Let that sink in (metaphor) for a minute. Your brain is influenced by metaphors and that is how it processes (metaphor) information. It is how you think. This is why imagery surrounding you (priming) can impact your behavior. It may color (metaphor) your thoughts and actions.

Metaphors are everywhere, and you can use that to your advantage. That's why I recommend choosing a Word of the Year. I love this practice and have done it for about five years. Taking the time to be thoughtful about what you want to focus on for the year -- and then intentionally surround yourself with it -- is a great way to increase your chances of successfully living that word.

My 2022 word was CONTENT.

Check out this edition of Brainy Bites to learn more about why. Essentially, it was in both senses of the word and a focus on creating content that made me (and others) content.

I think I succeeded in doing this over the past year. I created a lot of content and I feel happy about what I've put out there. I think others did too (downloads of the podcast were up 50% in 2022, we started doing two episodes a week, and I launched a new book).

I've been thinking about it a lot in the lead up to this post...and I have decided that, at least for now, I'm not done with this word yet. I'm going to revisit it in March, but for now, I'm keeping CONTENT as my 2023 Word of the Year, because I have more I want to do with it.

Step 1: Choose Your Word

Alright, the first step is to choose your word. I know this sounds simple, but be sure to take some time to exist with the options. Think about what the word could mean to you. Does it have multiple meanings? Do you like them all? What images come to mind? How does it make you feel when you think of the word?

The thesaurus is your friend as you consider and choose your word. When you like a word, look it up to see related words. Do any of those sit with you better?

Imagine it is this time next year. If you are celebrating a year of awesome success...what does that look and feel like? What word will best help you to get there?

I encourage you to take a few days to ruminate and choose your top word. Here are some words readers of this newsletter chose and shared with me last year to get your mind moving:

• Flow
• Awakening
• Curiosity
• Blossoming
• Open
• Gift
• Clarity
• Fearless
• Growth

Whatever your word, know that it doesn't need to make sense or "work" for anyone else. This is YOUR word. Choose whatever resonates with you and embrace it. You can share it with others (that's Step 3!) but be careful to only share it with people who will support you and not try to influence or change your word once you've gotten excited about, and settled on, it.

Step 2: Surround Yourself With Your Word

Having a visual representation of the word is important to constantly remind yourself (priming) that it is central to your life. In the past, I've written my word of the year on a rock that I keep on my desk. I know people who have made beautiful paintings of their word.

The goal is to make your word part of your daily life. You want to see and experience it constantly. Some other ideas to make this happen:

• Change your phone background
• Make art for the wall
• Post it notes
• Computer background
• A daily alarm/alert on your phone
• An image that reminds you of the word
• Incorporating it into your passwords

Whatever works for you, will make it work. And, the more the merrier! You want to surround yourself with it, which means you really can't overdo it. Whatever your word or theme, you want it to be something that lights you up and motivates you when you hear, see or experience it.

Step 3: Share It

As you saw in Step 1, sharing this word with the RIGHT people (who will support you) is a great step in helping to make it real (and realized).

Who is a guaranteed supporter of your word? Me! :) So, take a minute now and share your word of the year in the comments. ???? ?? (If you do, I might just check in with you at some point in 2023 to see how it is going!)

Thanks for a content-filled 2022, and I wish you the happiest 2023 possible. ??

?? [Tune in to The Brainy Business The Brainy Business tomorrow with Ayelet Fishbach and Cassie Holmes for more tips on how to do that!]