Flowing Into Your New Year with Gumption and Purpose
- 13 minutes ago
- 3 min read
By Paula C Lamb
As a new year begins, we are naturally invited into reflection. In a world that feels increasingly fast and uncertain, success is no longer defined solely by goals achieved or boxes ticked. Instead, it is shaped by intention, alignment, and our ability to remain grounded as life shifts around us.
The question has changed. It is no longer simply What do I want to achieve? but How do I want to live? The older I get, the more this question becomes the lens through which I make decisions. I find myself pausing more often to ask: Will this bring me joy? Does it feel peaceful? Does it align with who I am becoming?
If this resonates, you’re not alone. Many people are stepping away from rigid New Year’s resolutions and choosing something simpler and more sustainable: a Word of the Year. While the idea itself isn’t new, it was recently reawakened for me during a conversation at a church event. I was speaking with my pastor about intentional living, this very article, and my desire to approach the year ahead with clarity rather than pressure. She reminded me that a Word of the Year can act as an internal compass — steady, flexible, and deeply personal.
She encouraged me to pray on it, to listen rather than strive. That shift mattered. When a word is chosen through reflection, prayer, or quiet discernment, it moves from self-direction to deeper alignment. The word begins to reflect not just who we want to be, but who we are being invited to become.
For me, that word arrived quietly during one of my morning walks. In a moment of stillness, it surfaced with surprising clarity: wealth. Not wealth in the conventional sense, but wealth in health, in meaningful relationships, in spiritual grounding, and in mental and physical wellbeing. It felt less like a goal to pursue and more like an invitation to live richly — in ways that truly matter.
As time moves on, it becomes increasingly clear that intentional living is essential, not just for success, but for joy. Choosing a Word of the Year, approached with mindfulness or spiritual reflection, can be a powerful way to do this.
First, it shifts us from striving to discernment.
Rather than asking what we want from the year, we begin to ask what we are being called to cultivate within ourselves. Through prayer, journaling, or quiet listening, areas of growth, healing, or courage gently rise to the surface.
Second, it becomes an internal compass for daily alignment.
A thoughtfully chosen word helps guide decisions large and small. It draws us back to our values, reminding us that a life lived with intention feels fuller, steadier, and more grounded.
Finally, it invites transformation rather than self-improvement.
This is not about rules or measurement, but relationship. A word we live with, not perform for, deepens over time, shaping how we care for ourselves, our bodies, our relationships, and our spiritual lives.
For me, that word is WEALTH, a reminder that a rich life is not defined by accumulation, but by alignment. As you look toward the year ahead, I invite you to consider a word that feels grounding, expansive, and true to you. In a constantly shifting world, choosing to live richly, by your own definition, may be the most meaningful resolution of all.
Be sure to look for my next article in the March issue of Vitality Digest, my new publishing home for 2026, where we’ll explore how our chosen words begin to take shape in the everyday moments of life.
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