Hey {{first_name}},
It's the first full week of January, and if you're anything like me, you've probably seen at least a dozen posts about vision boards, goal-setting workshops, and detailed New Year's resolutions.
Don't get me wrong—I love a good goal. I've set plenty of them over the years, and they've helped me grow in so many ways. But here's what I've also learned: sometimes goals feel like too much. Sometimes you're already carrying so much that adding another checklist just makes you want to crawl back under the covers.
If that's where you are right now, I want to offer you something simpler: what if you started your year with just one word?
🌻 5 Reasons to Start Your Year with One Word (With or Without Goals)
Let me be clear—I'm not saying ditch your goals if they're working for you. Goals and intentions can absolutely coexist, and honestly, I use both depending on what I need. But here's what I've discovered over four years of choosing a word: when life feels overwhelming or uncertain, a single guiding intention can be exactly the anchor you need.
1. It meets you where you are
Goals often require you to be in a certain place—mentally, physically, financially—to even start. But a word? A word works whether you're crushing it or barely surviving. It adapts to your capacity instead of demanding you stretch beyond it right now.
→ Try this: Think about your current reality. What word would honor where you are right now while also pointing toward where you want to grow? That's your starting place.
2. It simplifies decision-making without adding tasks
Goals add items to your to-do list. A guiding word gives you a lens for decisions without requiring you to do more. When you're choosing how to spend your time, energy, or resources, you can simply ask: "Does this align with my word?"
→ Try this: Next time you're facing a decision (big or small), pause and ask how each option connects to your word. Notice how it clarifies things instead of complicating them.
3. It can be the "why" behind your goals
Here's the beautiful thing: if you do have goals this year, your word can become the deeper purpose connecting them all. Maybe your goals are "run a 5K" and "take a solo trip"—your word might be "courage" or "freedom." The word reminds you why these specific goals matter.
→ Try this: If you already have goals for the year, list them out and ask: "What word connects all of these?" That word might reveal what you're really seeking beneath the specific achievements.
4. It travels with you through life's plot twists
Life rarely goes according to plan (I could write a whole book about this). A word is broad enough to stay relevant even when your circumstances completely shift. It moves with you through job changes, health challenges, relationship shifts, and all the curveballs you never saw coming.
→ Try this: Choose a word that could apply to multiple areas of your life—work, relationships, health, personal growth. The more versatile, the more it can guide you as life evolves.
5. It's something you can actually remember and use daily
Be honest: how many times have you set January goals only to forget what they were by March? A single word lives in your mind more easily. You can check in with it daily without needing a planner, app, or complicated system.
→ Try this: Once you choose your word, put it somewhere you'll see it regularly—phone wallpaper, bathroom mirror, morning journal. Let it become a quiet companion throughout your days.
Here's what I want you to know: there's no right way to approach a new year. Some years you might have the energy for detailed goals and ambitious plans—amazing! Other years you might just need one gentle word to guide you through the uncertainty. And some years? You might use both, letting your word be the heart behind your goals. All of these approaches are valid. You get to choose what serves you best right now.
Whether you're setting goals or not this year, try this: take 10 minutes to reflect on one word or short phrase that could guide you through 2025.
What energy do you want to cultivate? What quality do you want to practice? What would help you navigate whatever this year brings?
Reply and tell me: have you chosen a word for this year? Or if you're using both goals and a word, how do they work together for you?
¿Qué dijo? / What did she say?
siempre- always