150 'Word of the Year' Ideas to Create Your Yearly Theme for 2024
Nov 10, 2023Do you have a yearly theme for 2024?
If not, then you need one! Creating a theme for the new year is a great way to start your year of with intention and set yourself up for success.
I always struggled to keep my new year resolutions, however when I took the pressure off myself and switched things up to setting intentions for my life and living an intentional lifestyle, I took my life back and was actually able to achieve my goals and become the person I always envisioned myself to be.
Is Creating a Theme for the New Year Right for you?
Setting a theme for the new year is great for you if you:
- Need some clarity and direction for the year ahead
- Are new to goal setting / maybe even hate goal setting
- Feel like you don’t have time for goal setting
- Don’t know where to start on goal setting
- Are ready to start taking control of your life
Once I started focusing on creating a theme for the new year versus focusing on making resolutions my life began to change.
I found myself having more focus during the year. I found it easier to make difficult decisions and to set better boundaries as the year progressed.
My theme of the year was like a guiding star that grounded me and kept me intentional throughout the year.
If you are here reading this, then perhaps it is the perfect time to shift your mindset around setting goals for your life. And one the the very first steps to living a more intentional life is simply choosing a word or phrase to get aligned with your dream life!
Why you need a Word of the Year or a Yearly Theme
Choosing a word of the year or a yearly theme, allows you to have an overarching umbrella for the year ahead.
It is a single word or phrase that captures what you want to focus on, what you may need more of or what you want to improve on over the coming months.
A word of the year or theme guides you as you make decisions day to day, helps to ground you in your core values and helps build habits aligned with where you want your year to take you. Keeping you aligned with the bigger picture without getting focused on the minute details and self-sabotaging self-talk that is often connected with SMART goals and New Year Resolutions.
How do you pick a theme for the year?
STEP 1: Reflect on What Season of Life are you in
We are all in different 'seasons' of our lives. Just as Mother nature cycles through summer, spring, fall and winter... so does our lives. Taking into consideration what phase of life you are in is a fundamental step to picking a yearly theme that you actually want to keep!
Examples:
↠ Are you looking at buying a house? Getting married/finding love? having a baby? Getting a Pet? Moving? Changing careers? Going back to School?
Consider a theme around "New Beginnings", “Preparing for the next Chapter”, "Embracing Change".
↠ Perhaps you are working on your relationships, establishing your career, starting a business, learning about mindset or wanting to be more enlightened.
Consider a theme around "Setting Foundations", "managing mindset", or "grounding".
↠ Is it time to focus on YOU and how you can show up to be the best version of yourself? To start loving yourself? Investing in yourself? Getting honest with changes you need to make?
Consider a theme around "Self Evolution", "The Year of Me" or "Healing".
↠ Are you ready to take life to the next level?
Consider a theme around ”elevation”, “Growth”, “Momentum”, or "Raising my Vibration’.
Step 2: Decide what you want to focus on
Are you desiring more self-discovery? adventure? love? Simplicity? Financial Freedom? What do you want next in your life (in-conjunction with the life stage you are at above?)
10 examples to consider:
1. **Self-Discovery:**
*Theme:* Explore and understand oneself better.
*Perfect if you are: wanting to prioritize self-reflection, personal growth, and gaining a deeper understanding of their values and aspirations.
2. **Adventure and Exploration:**
*Theme:* Embrace new experiences and challenges.
*Perfect if you are: Seeking excitement and personal development through trying new things, taking risks, and expanding horizons.
3. **Mindfulness and Balance:**
*Theme:* Cultivate a sense of calm and balance in daily life.
*Perfect if you are: Focusing on practices like mindfulness, meditation, and creating a work-life balance to reduce stress and enhance overall well-being.
4. **Health and Wellness:**
*Theme:* Prioritize physical and mental health.
*Perfect if you are: Seeking to focus on your physical and mental health This theme might involve setting specific health goals, adopting a healthier lifestyle, and making choices that contribute to overall well-being.
5. **Creativity and Innovation:**
*Theme:* Foster creativity in all aspects of life.
*Perfect if you are: wanting to incorporate creativity and joy back into your life. Focusing on a mindset that values and nurtures creativity, whether in work, hobbies, or personal projects.
6. **Community Engagement:**
*Theme:* Give back and be involved in the community.
*Perfect if you are: Wanting to focus on connection, on contributing to their community, volunteering, and building cultivating more love, relationships and purpose into your life.
7. **Learning and Growth:**
*Theme:* Constantly seek new knowledge and skills.
*Perfect if you are: ready to take a deep dive into a topic that lights you up! This may include setting a goal to learn something new each month, enroll in courses, or actively pursue professional and personal development.
8. **Gratitude and Positivity:**
*Theme:* Cultivate a positive mindset and gratitude.
*Perfect if you are: Focusing on finding the positive in every situation, expressing gratitude daily, and fostering a more optimistic outlook on life.
9. **Simplicity and Minimalism:**
*Theme:* Simplify life and reduce clutter.
*Perfect if you are: Ready to declutter physically and mentally, focusing on what truly matters and eliminating unnecessary distractions.
10. **Financial Freedom:**
*Theme:* Work towards financial goals and stability.
*Perfect if you are: ready to focus on your Wealth. This may include starting a business or focusing on budgeting, saving, and making decisions that contribute to long-term financial well-being.
Step 3: Pick a Word or Phrase for your Yearly Theme
Now that you have clarified
1. What season of life you are in; and,
2. What you are wanting to focus on...
Next look through the extensive list below and find a word or phrase that really embodies what you discovered.
This may take some time. Look through the list... write down your top choices on your phone notes or in a journal.
Remember, choosing a theme for the year is a personal decision and can be based on one's core values, priorities, and aspirations. It serves as a guiding principle for decision-making and actions throughout the year. It also helps you craft a powerful Life Vision for your life ahead.
Want my 5 Step Guide to Set Intentions for 2024 in less than 30 minutes? Click HERE!
150 'Word of the Year' Ideas to get Aligned
Abundance
Acceptance
Adventure
Alignment
Amaze
Appreciate
Awaken
Badass
Balance
Be
Beauty
Believe
Bloom
Brave
Breathe
Calm
Centered
Clarity
Committed
Compassion
Complete
Connection
Confidence
Conquer
Conscious
Consistency
Courage
Creativity
Cultivate
Curiosity
Dazzle
Discover
Dream
Elevate
Embody
Embrace
Energy
Enlighten
Ferociousness
Fierce
Flourish
Flow
Focus
Frequency
Give
Glorious
Glow
Grace
Gracious
Gratitude
Grounded
Grow
Harmony
Healing
Health
Honor
Hope
Hydrate
Illuminate
Imagination
Imagine
Improve
Inclusion
Inspire
Intentional
Intimacy
Intuitive
Invest
Joy
Kindness
Laugh
Lead
Light
Love
Manifest
Master
Mindful
Mindset
Minimalism
Natural
New
No
Nurture
Observe
Organize
Passion
Patience
Pause
Persevere
Positivity
Possible
Present
Re-align
Reconnect
Reflect
Represent
Reset
Resilience
Respect
Rise
Self-love
Self-care
Serenity
Shine
Simplify
Slow
Smile
Soulful
Spirituality
Stillness
Surrender
Thrive
Tranquil
Transform
Truth
Unapologetic
Unstoppable
Vibrant
Vibrations
Vivacious
Vulnerability
Whole
Whole
Wholehearted
Wild
Wisdom
Wise
Wonder
Worthy
Yes
Zealous
Zen
Prefer a Phrase?
100 Phrase of the Year Ideas
- Preparing For The Next Chapter
- New Beginnings
- Setting Foundations
- Choosing Health
- Investing in Me
- Year Of Follow Through
- Setting Boundaries
- Gaining Stability
- Reigniting Passion
- Saying Yes
- Saying No
- Being Mindful
- Gaining Momentum
- Money Management
- Making Shit Happen
- Building Dreams
- Managing Mindset
- Taking Accountability
- Leveling Up
- Building Confidence
- Raising Consciousness
- Raising My Vibration
- Cultivating Happiness
- Intentional Alignment
- Fearless Intimacy
- Bright And Bold
- Being Vulnerable
- Embracing Abundance
- Choosing my Thoughts
- Taking Responsibility
- Owning my Power
- Wander and Wonder
- Staying Curious
- Choosing Love
- Being Unapologetically Me
- Finding Balance
- Being Present
- Living Wholeheartedly
- Slowing Down
- Practicing Patience
- Awakening my Spirit
- Consciously Creative
- Trusting my Intuition
- Hydrating my Soul
- Soulful Purpose
- Simplify and Minimize
- Decluttering My Mind, Body and Spirit
- Embodying my Truth
- Embracing Change
- Striving and Thriving
- Intentional Choices
- Letting Go
- Leading with Love
- Choosing Courage
- Reconnect and Re-align
- Bold Beginnings
- Mindful Mastery
- Adventure Awaits
- Balance and Bliss
- Grow Through Grace
- Embrace Change
- Radiant Resilience
- Courageous Creativity
- Simplify Life
- Fearless Forward
- Harmony in Hustle
- Gratitude Journey
- Thrive in Twenty
- Serene Success
- Discover Joy
- Purposeful Pursuits
- Cherish Connections
- Inspire Every Day
- Elevate Every Moment
- Sparkle Within
- Renewal Rhythms
- Boldly Bloom
- Cultivate Joy
- Radiate Resilience
- Harbor Happiness
- Pioneer Progress
- Elevate Essence
- Dare to Dream
- Forge Fulfillment
- Vivid Ventures
- Navigate Now
- Glowing Growth
- Illuminate Intent
- Thrive Together
- Nourish Nobility
- Champion Change
- Embrace Essence
- Unearth Utopia
- Foster Freedom
- Liberate Life
- Celebrate Serenity
- Craft Clarity
- Radiant Reflections
- Seek Serendipity
- Ignite Inspiration
Now that you have your word of the year what is next?
Pick your top 4-5 choices.
Sit with them for a few days and pick the one that resonates the greatest.
Write it down on a piece of paper that you will see daily.
Now that you have your Theme for your Year you want to take the next step and set powerful intentions for your year ahead based on this theme. Not sure how? don't worry I have you covered. Click below to grab my FREE intention setting workbook.
FREE 5 Step Guide to Set Intentions for 2024 in less than 30 minutes (Click HERE)
In addition to setting intentions, I always recommend incorporating mental rehearsal/visualization into your yearly vision by using tool like writing a life vision and creating a visioning board.
If you are new to vision boarding and want to learn more I suggest checking out my vision boarding 101 guide here!
Regardless of what you do from here, in order to actually see the results and shifts you want in 2024, then you have to drill your theme of the year into your subconscious mind so you begin to fully embrace and embody it as you make decisions moment to moment.
Want to go deeper? Amplify Your Life with the following tools:
FREE INTENTION SETTING WORKBOOK
VISION BOARDING 101 – YOUR TOTAL GUIDE TO VISION BOARDING
INTENTIONAL LIVING 101- YOUR STEP by STEP GUIDE TO LIVING MORE INTENTIONALLY
Want to set intentions that you will actually keep?
Check out my goal setting freebie that builds upon your theme and teach you how to create identity based goals with intentional actions for your ideal life.
Like what you see? Share on Pinterest Below!
Discover how to set intentions that actually work. Grab my FREE identity-based goal setting framework below.