Choosing Your 2025 Word of the Year: A Guide for Business Owners
As we approach 2025, it's time to think beyond traditional New Year's resolutions. Enter the concept of choosing a Word of the Year - a powerful tool for business owners looking to foster growth, change, and personal development. Let's explore how to select a word that will guide you through the upcoming year and beyond.
— In This Article —
What is a Word of the Year?
Your Word of the Year is not a resolution, a specific goal, or a to-do list. Instead, it's a guiding principle, that helps you navigate your personal and professional life. It's an overarching concept that encapsulates where you want to go and who you want to become.
This word (or short phrase) should be:
- Abstract and flexible
- Focused on a bigger concept or achievement
- Applicable for at least a year
- A reflection of both your business dreams and personal growth
Why Choose a Word of the Year?
As a business owner, you're constantly juggling multiple responsibilities and goals. If you are curious about how choosing a Word of the Year has helped me as a coach and eCommerce entrepreneur you can read more about my Word of the Year journey here.
A Word of the Year helps you:
1. Stay focused on your long-term vision
2. Make decisions aligned with your overall direction
3. Recalibrate when you feel off track
4. Inspire change in both your business and personal life
The Power of Community: Choosing Your WOTY in a Group Setting
While selecting your Word of the Year can be a deeply personal process, there's immense value in choosing your WOTY as part of a group or within a guided workshop. This collaborative approach offers several unique benefits:
1. Focused Time: A structured workshop environment provides dedicated time and space for this important reflection and decision-making process. It ensures you give your WOTY selection the attention it deserves, away from daily distractions.
2. Inspiration from Others: Hearing others' stories, challenges, and aspirations can spark new ideas and perspectives you might not have considered on your own. It broadens your horizons and deepens your understanding of what's possible.
3. Safe and Supportive Environment: A curated group of like-minded individuals creates a safe space where you can openly share your thoughts and receive constructive input. This supportive community can provide valuable insights and gentle challenges to help you refine your choice.
4. Diverse Perspectives: Group members can offer fresh viewpoints on your ideas, helping you see potential words from different angles. This diversity of thought can lead to more robust and meaningful selections.
5. Accountability: Sharing your word with a group creates a sense of commitment. Many workshops offer follow-up sessions or accountability partnerships, increasing the likelihood that you'll stay true to your word throughout the year.
6. Deeper Understanding: Guided exercises and facilitated discussions can help you delve deeper into the meaning and implications of your chosen word, ensuring it truly resonates with your goals and values.
7. Network Building: Participating in a WOTY workshop can connect you with a community of like-minded individuals, potentially leading to valuable relationships and collaborations in the future.
Whether you choose to join a formal workshop or create an informal group with fellow entrepreneurs, the collective energy and shared commitment can significantly enhance your Word of the Year experience. It transforms a solitary reflection into a powerful, community-supported journey of growth and intention.
If this of interest, add your name to be notified when my 2025 WOTY Guided Workshop dates are open for registration.
How to Choose Your Word
Selecting your Word of the Year is a personal process, but here are some steps to guide you:
1. Reflect: Look back at 2024. What worked? What didn't? What do you want to change or improve?
2. Envision Your Future: Where do you see yourself and your business at the end of 2025? What qualities or mindsets do you need to cultivate to get there?
3. Identify Themes: Look for recurring themes in your reflections and visions. These could be areas of growth, challenges, or aspirations.
4. Brainstorm Words: Based on these themes, list potential words or short phrases that resonate with you.
5. Narrow It Down: Choose 3-5 words that feel most powerful and relevant.
6. Sit With Your Choices: Over a few days, reflect on each word. Which one feels right? Which one excites or challenges you?
7. Make Your Selection: Trust your intuition and choose the word that feels most aligned with your vision for 2025.
## Examples of Powerful Words
To spark your inspiration, here are some examples of Words of the Year that business owners might choose:
- Innovate
- Balance
- Courage
- Simplify
- Growth
- Authenticity
- Resilience
- Mindful Expansion
- Joyful Productivity
- Purposeful Action
Remember, your word should resonate with you personally. It's not about choosing the "right" word, but the right word for you at this point in time.
Choosing a Word of the Year is a powerful exercise for business owners looking to drive meaningful change and growth. It's not about setting rigid goals, but about cultivating a mindset and approach that will guide you through the year ahead.
As you step into 2025, let your chosen word be your compass, guiding you towards the business owner you aspire to be. Remember, the goal isn't perfection, but progress and intention. Your Word of the Year is your ally in this journey of continuous growth and transformation.
What will your word be for 2025? The choice is yours, and the possibilities are endless.
Ready to work on finding your Word of the Year now?
My WOTY guided workbook for store owners is available for purchase as a digital download so you can get started immediately!
Word of the Year Thoughts from Real Women
As I’ve discussed the Word of the Year with more women, I’ve found hearing how they describe their WOTY and what it has meant to them or what it has made possible for them to be helpful and enlightening.
As you read these descriptions you will see that the surface word is actually very different in your ‘logical mind’ or a true dictionary-type definition. Instead, these are words that actually describe a feeling you want to feel or a mental block you want to overcome.
Here are some real WOTY comments and thoughts to inspire your Word of the Year.
ACTION
“Action. I make plans, do research, and end up procrastinating or doing nothing.”
“Action. It's simple, but it means a lot to me, as I have many "plates" I am balancing as a mom with 3 kiddos and a business. So I want to stay focused and make sure I'm taking intentional action daily.”
“ACTION. I’ve spent 4 years learning so much but I realised I haven’t been taking the necessary action so that changes right now! “
AUTHENTICITY
“Authenticity and it's the word I am anchoring to as I peel back the layers and find my soul's expression.”
BALANCE
“Balance. Balancing time spent with my family and business.”
BLOOM
“Bloom. I’m ready to own my expertise and talk about what I offer.”
BOLD
“Bold. - and it worked, I was bold enough to launch.”
BRAVE
“Brave. I can be quite anxious about putting myself forward and often don’t feel confident doing things that others seem to breeze through. This year I’m going to push myself out of my comfort zone, I have dreams I want to achieve.”
“BRAVING - more trust in myself and God and braving true connections with people.”
CREATIVE
“Creative. I want to remember to approach work and life with creativity not just results.”
CONQUER
“Conquer - time to rise up and conquer these irrational fears of certain things and thoughts.”
COURAGE
“Courage. I need to push past my fear of some things in order to keep growing.”
“ Courage - to step out of my comfort zone and take a leap of faith, trusting that everything always works out. And often better than I imagined.”
DEEPEN
“Deepen. Reminds me of the need for seasons of renewing the soil and seasons of harvesting what grows from the health of what is cultivated in our lives and dreams.”
DELIBERATE
“Deliberate is my word for the year. If we can be deliberate and intentional with our time, take the time to slow down and plan for higher efficiency and productivity (ultimately speed up) then it won't be hustle, it'll just be ticking things off our "things to make happen" lists.”
DEVOTED
"Devoted. I am devoted to MY DREAMS.”
EASY
“Easy. As in “let it be easy” (to have fun, to make money, to launch something new, to take care of myself, to be present… etc).”
EXPAND
“Expand my heart, my life & my customers and their lives.”
FEARLESS
“Fearless. I need to just stop caring and go for things.”
FOCUS
”FOCUS. All the distractions and shiny things are so enticing... but I need to put on some blinders.”
FREEDOM
“Mine is freedom as well. Freedom financially, but also freedom from fear, perfectionism, and the nasty stories I tell myself. Freedom to expand more fully into who I am.”
GROWTH
“Growth. I need to grow my audience and my business. On personal life I need growth for my spirituality and my way of thinking.”
IMPLEMENT
“Implement. I spend so much time consuming information so this year I want to focus on implementing it all.”
JOY
“JOY. Last year was 100% commitment to my business, and while it was absolutely worth it, it left no time for things that actually light me up (besides my biz!). This year is about taking the time to do the things that make me glow.”
“Do more of what makes you happy. Make sure you go to bed each day knowing you spread some joy to others or did something that made you happy.”
HAPPINESS
“Happiness because from there all else just flows.”
HEALING
”Healing - myself, and others (via my business).”
LIMITLESS
“Limitless”. I started the year with a totally clean slate and the ability to do or be anything.”
MANIFEST
”Manifest. I am aiming for feelings of accomplishment and security though unconventional means.”
MOVEMENT
“Movement. Addresses the need to move my body and move in my business!”
PLAYFUL
“Playful - I’ve gotten too focused on growth I forget to play and laugh.”
PLAYING BIG
“Playing Big is my reminder to trust myself and break through fears. I can have fun and be successful at the same time.”
REACH
“Reach. I often feel stuck because I don't reach outside of my comfort zone and do the things I really want to/should do. Working on overcoming those fears this year.”
RELENTLESS
“My word is RELENTLESS, which means continuing in a determined way without any interruption.”
REMOVE
“Remove. I have no idea the whats or why, but this word came to me and the word is always right!”
SELF-LOVE
“Self-love is my theme word because I need to know my worth in order to succeed at anything.”
SELF-COMPASSION
“Sel- compassion. I let it choose me.”
SIMPLIFY
“Simplify- I want to start focusing on just a few things... and making those few things AMAZING (really enjoying the present moment and doing the things I love).”
STAY
“Stay present whatever may come this year. Keep trying, don’t run away — Stay.”
TRUST
”Mine is Trust: trusting myself and trusting the Universe.”
“TRUST mainly in myself but those in my team and family too.”
“Trust. Trust in myself. Trust in my decisions. Trust in my intuition. Trust in others. Trust in the process. Trust in ....................... whatever else comes up during the year.”
“Trust- stop doubting myself and trust the universe is forever working in my favor.”
100 Inspirational Words for Solopreneurs and HSP Business Owners
To help you in your selection process, here's a list of 100 words that could serve as powerful guiding principles for solopreneurs and HSP business owners. Remember, the best word is one that resonates with you personally and aligns with your vision for 2025.
1. Align
2. Amplify
3. Authenticity
4. Balance
5. Bloom
6. Boundaries
7. Brave
8. Breathe
9. Brilliance
10. Calm
11. Clarity
12. Collaborate
13. Compassion
14. Connect
15. Consistency
16. Courage
17. Creative
18. Curiosity
19. Dedication
20. Delight
21. Discernment
22. Ease
23. Elevate
24. Embrace
25. Empower
26. Energize
27. Evolve
28. Excellence
29. Execute
30. Expand
31. Flow
32. Focus
33. Freedom
34. Fulfillment
35. Generosity
36. Grace
37. Gratitude
38. Grow
39. Harmony
40. Heal
41. Honesty
42. Hope
43. Impact
44. Innovate
45. Inspire
46. Integrity
47. Intention
48. Joy
49. Kindness
50. Lead
51. Learn
52. Listen
53. Mindfulness
54. Nourish
55. Nurture
56. Optimize
57. Overcome
58. Patience
59. Peace
60. Persevere
61. Perspective
62. Poise
63. Potential
64. Presence
65. Progress
66. Purpose
67. Quality
68. Radiate
69. Recharge
70. Reflect
71. Reinvent
72. Release
73. Resilience
74. Rest
75. Rise
76. Savor
77. Steady
78. Serve
79. Simplify
80. Soar
81. Stillness
82. Strength
83. Strive
84. Success
85. Sustain
86. Synergy
87. Thrive
88. Transform
89. Trust
90. Unfolding
91. Value
92. Vision
93. Vulnerability
94. Wellness
95. Wholeness
96. Wisdom
97. Wonder
98. Worth
99. Yield
100. Zen
Remember, your Word of the Year can be one of these words, a combination of two words, or even a word that's not on this list but speaks to you personally. The key is to choose a word that inspires you, challenges you, and aligns with your vision for your business and personal growth in 2025.
Take your time with this process. Reflect on these words, see which ones resonate with you, and consider how they might guide your actions and decisions in the coming year. Your chosen word should feel both exciting and a little challenging – it's about growth, after all!
