Every January there’s this unspoken expectation that by the 1st you should be sorted. Plans made. Goals set. Energy high. New year, new you - go go go!
And if you don’t hit the ground running? It can feel like you’ve already failed.
Well boo to that!
I’ve only just chosen my word of the year, a week into January. And for a moment, I caught myself wondering whether that meant I’d wasted a week. Whether I was already behind and I had to catch up.
But here’s the truth: reflection is not wasted time. Rest is not a mistake. And starting slowly doesn’t mean starting wrong.
The pressure to go HAM
There’s so much pressure at the start of the year to go all-in immediately. I felt it too — that LET’S DO THIS energy.
But after a proper break, the momentum of that energy didn’t last long. And instead of beating myself up, I realised what had actually happened: I hadn’t set realistic expectations. I overloaded my plate for my “first week back” and tried to force productivity.
Since when has forcing it ever worked?
If you’re already feeling behind, flat, or a bit disconnected from your motivation, please know this: it’s not even halfway through January. You’re allowed to ease into a year.
Why I choose a word of the year
This is why I don’t set outlandish, strict and rigid New Year goals.
You know the ones:
🚲 “I’ll exercise for 30 minutes every day.”
🥑 “No snacking or junk food - cooking from scratch only”
📝 “I’ll journal twice a day without fail for AT LEAST 15 minutes”
📚 "My reading goal is 150 books"
📬 "I will organise my entire inbox with folders for EVERYTHING"
All it takes is a few things outside your control and the momentum breaks. The targets don't get hit. The guilt creeps in. You've failed.
A word of the year doesn’t work like that.
A word gives you grace. It flexes with real life. It meets you where you are instead of demanding you be somewhere else.
My word for this year: EXHALE
This year, my word is EXHALE.
I want to learn to let things go more, to relax and accept things beyond my control, but that kind of statement to just let it go feels way too intimidating and something that, honestly would be impossible right now.
So enter Exhale.
A small but doable reminder...
- When my to-do list starts shouting at me - exhale.
- When I’m about to say yes out of habit rather than honesty - exhale.
- When I’m rushing through a moment that deserves to be savoured - exhale.
- When comparison creeps in - exhale.
- When I feel overwhelmed and don’t yet know why - exhale.
I’m not chasing instant calm. I’m practising tiny resets.
My hope is that by the end of the year, that softness - that letting go - will feel more natural than it does right now.
What last year taught me about this
Last year, my word was BRAVE.
At the start of the year, I wouldn’t have believed you if you told me I’d:
🔮 bring long-awaited business ideas to life
🚂 travel solo to celebrate with friend I'd never met in real life
🕊️ navigate a great loss and ask for help when I struggled
🎬 show up consistently on social media as myself
But bravery didn’t arrive all at once.
It showed up in small moments. Quiet choices. Slight discomforts.
And slowly, I began to feel brave and the bigger things followed.
That’s the power of a word - it doesn’t demand change overnight. It lets change accumulate.
A word won’t change your life overnight (and that’s okay)
I’ll be honest: slipping on a ring or putting on a necklace won’t magically give you a new life or completely change your mindset. Sorry
But over time it can be a nudge.
A reminder.
Something you return to again and again, every single day.
I wear my word on my dominant hand. I see it constantly. I play with it when I’m nervous. People ask about it, and in answering I reaffirm what it means to me.
It becomes part of the story I’m telling myself, slowly rewiring my brain without overwhelming my system.
Choosing your own word
If you’re drawn to the idea of a word guiding you gently this year, you don’t need to rush it! Try some on. Sit with them. Notice which ones soften you, steady you, or spark something quiet inside.
I’ve put together some of my fav words that are great for a Word of the Year, you can explore in your own time, they're just starting points to get you thinking of a word that might resonate with you
Download my suggestions as a PDF here
Carrying your word with you
However you choose to hold your word - written down, saved on your phone, or carried with you - let it support you, not pressure you 💖
But for me, turning my word into jewellery makes it part of my everyday life.
If that idea resonates, the Mantra Collection is designed for exactly that purpose: meaningful words, pressed into metal, to carry with you through the year.
Explore the Mantra Collection here
There is plenty of year left.
You’re not behind 💖
