The One Word New Year’s Resolution

The One Word New Year’s Resolution

As the New Year approaches, we’re flooded with talk of resolutions. It’s a time for grand plans, ambitious goals, and long lists of things we hope to change. But if you’ve ever watched your January resolutions fade by February (I know I have), you get how overwhelming and unsustainable these can be.

What if this year, you tried something different?

Instead of a list of resolutions, choose just one word.

One word to guide you, inspire you, and shape your year. It’s not a list of things to do. It’s a mindset, a compass for your decisions, and an anchor to come back to when life gets chaotic.

Why one word?

The beauty of a one-word resolution lies in its simplicity. A single word is easy to remember and versatile enough to apply to different areas of your life. It allows room for flexibility and growth while still providing direction.

As a narrative therapist I believe the flexibility in this approach can be really powerful. In narrative therapy, even a single word can hold immense power (paralysing or energising). It can reflect the kind of person you want to be most often, the values you want to embody, or the story you want to re-author.

Meaning-making is incredibly important in the work I do as an online coach and counsellor, with individuals and couples. Have you been giving a lot of meaning to things that aren’t actually important to you?

Do you find yourself getting caught up in comparisons? Trapped in the ideals of the rat-race? Not making enough time for yourself? Ignoring your most nourishing relationships in favour of helping others, or trying to impress someone who will never be able to give you what you need? Are you forgoing time in nature or doing a favourite hobby because you’re ‘too busy’?

Life gets tangled fast. Slow it down and keep it simple this coming new year. Give yourself a loud, proud, clear reminder of what REALLY matters to you that is easy to revisit when you lose your way.

Your one word becomes the lens through which you view your year. It’s not about perfection or ticking off boxes—it’s about keeping your focus on what truly matters to you.

Choosing your one word New Year’s resolution

Choosing your one word New Year’s resolution can feel daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. Take a moment to reflect on the past year. What worked? What didn’t? What’s missing? What do you need more of in your life? Had you hoped to let go of something that you found yourself clinging to? What new stories are emerging?

Think about what you want to feel, achieve, or become. Or how do you want to ‘be’ in any given moment?

Do you want more peace in your life? More connection? More courage? The word you choose should resonate with you on a deep level.

Here are some examples to spark inspiration:

• Grow: A commitment to personal development, learning, and stretching beyond your comfort zone
• Open Sesame: A reminder to say ‘yes’. Not in a people-pleasing way, but in an adventure-seeking and taking-opportunities way
• Play: A prompt to skip home from work. Make a sandcastle. Laugh until your sides split. It’s been a rough few years, maybe it’s time to have some fun
• Ooo-la-la: A sensual prompt, to improve your relationship with your sexuality
• Frugal Hedonist: Need/want to cut back? This is a promise to find the most fun ways NOT to spend money (this book ‘The Art of Frugal Hedonism’ might help*)
• Focus: A nudge to prioritise what truly matters and let go of distractions
• Bum: A vow to be lazy. Are your kids doing umpteen-million activities? Is your life regimented beyond all reason? Be a bum, quit stuff, make time for hanging around watching the bees
• Bookworm: It’s ok to go specific if you want to do one thing a lot more. Do you want to read more books? Then read goddammit (without genre judgement)
• Hullaballoo: A commitment to raising your voice, expressing your opinions and not being small
• Joy: A vow to seek out and savour moments of happiness, big and small
• Balance: A guide to creating harmony in your work, relationships, and self-care. That being said, balance can be a myth so be careful if you’re chasing something that is unfair on yourself
• Festoon: A prompt to make your spaces more ‘you’. If you’ve been looking around drab surroundings and saying ‘sometime…’ maybe 2025 is the year you bring a little energy to all your rooms
• Brave: A nudge to take risks and face challenges with courage
• Lovebubble: A reminder to put your most important relationship/s first
• Stand-Up: A promise to do that activist work that really matters to you. No point in doomscrolling if it paralyses you. Find motivation and fight
• Rest: A vow to prioritise deep, restorative downtime on the regular
• Bloom: You are a spectacular flower unfolding, reaching for the sun, bursting with colour and scent. This word will make sure you don’t forget that.

There’s no right or wrong choice. Your word is yours alone, so trust your intuition. And if you need a hand, I’m here to help.

Living Your Word

Once you’ve chosen your one word New Year’s resolution, the next step is to weave it into your daily life. Here’s how you can keep your one-word resolution alive throughout the year:

1. Keep It Visible: Write your word on a sticky note, create a piece of art with it, or set it as your phone background. Create a vision board and see it come to life. Seeing it daily will remind you of your intention
2. Reflect Regularly: Take time each week or month to check in with your word. How has it influenced your decisions? How has it shown up in your life?
3. Let It Evolve: Your word doesn’t have to stay static. As the year unfolds, your understanding of it may deepen or shift. Journal about it and let it take you where it needs to take you
4. Use It as a Filter: When faced with a choice, ask yourself, “Does this align with my word?” Let it guide your actions and priorities
5. Celebrate Progress: Each time you live out your word, no matter how small, acknowledge it. These moments add up to meaningful change. You may have a friend you can commit to doing the one-word new years resolution with who can celebrate with you.

A Year Shaped by Intention

The beauty of a one word resolution is its ability to shape your narrative without the pressure of rigid goals. It’s not about being perfect or accomplishing everything on a list. It’s about living with intention and giving yourself grace.

As you step into the New Year, remember: it’s not about doing more. It’s about doing what matters. It’s about being how you most want to be, even if that’s a couch potato sometimes. And by couch potato I don’t mean mindlessly scrolling (or even worse: doom-scrolling). I mean resting. Resting and then doing with intention.

Whatever it is you struggle to get enough of in your life, maybe that’s a guide for choosing your word. Or maybe it’s something you’ve been slowly building on over the last few years and want to keep the momentum.

So, what’s your one word New Year’s resolution?

Whatever you choose, let it be a gentle reminder of who you are, what is meaningful to you, and who you’re becoming. Let it lead you to a year of purpose, growth, rest, love, kindness, passion and joy.

If you’re ready to love yourself just a little bit more, gaining confidence step-by-step in 10 weeks, then you might like to buy my very affordable ebook ‘Bolder’ (affordability does not mean compromising on unique, rich, helpful content). Available on kindle here and all other retailers here.

Looking for someone to (gently) kick your butt into action? I’ve been running ‘Unveiled Stories‘ since 2015 and live in South East Asia with my partner. As well as online relationship coaching and online counselling, I offer personal coaching and also business coaching to folks in need of making their own big life changes. Don’t hesitate to get in touch if you’re curious or just dive in and book an appointment directly.

If you’re not ready for that, jump onto my list! You’ll be first to receive the latest blog updates as well as my monthly newsletter, which is chockfull of exclusive content. You will also get my FREE workbook ‘Re-authoring a Problem Story: Free Yourself in 7 steps’.

Main image by Polina Tankilevitch on Pexels

* I may get a small commission from Bookshop.org, an online retailer
that supports independent bookstores, if you purchase The Art of Frugal Hedonism 
via the link