Finding Focus: How Choosing Your Word of the Year Brings Clarity and Purpose

Feeling a bit lost or stuck, especially if you’re a woman over 40?

Imagine setting sail on a journey where a single word acts as your anchor, guiding you through the year. In this episode of the Lemon Balm Coaching Podcast, I, Melissa, your friendly coach and cheerleader, invite you to explore the transformative power of choosing a guiding word. With relatable anecdotes such as road trips with my kids, I demonstrate how having a clear direction can bring purpose and joy to your life's journey, all while keeping your options open to explore new paths.

Join me as we reflect on the importance of setting intentions and how a thoughtfully chosen word can manifest your deepest desires. It's more than just picking a word—it's about choosing one that resonates and motivates, serving as your personal compass throughout the year. Grab your favorite warm beverage, get comfy, and let's embark on crafting the most beautiful chapter of your life together. Whether you're a seasoned pro at this practice or new to the idea, this episode is your perfect companion on the path to rediscovering joy and purpose.

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Transcript

Melissa: 0:06

Do you choose a word that guides you through your year? Choosing a word for the year is kind of like an anchor to help you stay focused no matter what comes. Welcome to the Lemon Balm Coaching Podcast, your cozy corner of the world where we'll sip on life's lessons and squeeze the most out of every moment. I'm Melissa, your coach, cheerleader and maybe even a little bit like that mom who always has a warm hug and the best advice waiting for you. If you're a woman over 40, feeling like life's left you a little lost, aimless or downright stuck, you're in the right place. This is where your joy, your freedom and your purpose come back into focus. Together, we'll laugh, learn and rediscover what makes you come alive. Because it's not too late. This is your time, so grab a cup of something warm, settle in and let's start creating the next most beautiful chapter of your life together. Do you choose a word that guides you through your year? Choosing a word for the year is kind of like an anchor to help you stay focused no matter what comes, and every year I sit down and spend some time thinking about what it is that I want my coming year to look like. Do you do that? I set aside about 15 to 30 minutes and I just think, and I allow myself to dream a little bit. Everything starts with your thoughts, your intentions, and it grows from there. Just think about it. Your thoughts are not just fleeting ideas. They are powerful forces that can shape your reality. They can create, they can destroy, they can build up, they can tear down, they can make your life incredible or miserable. And this power is actually in your hands. It's all up here in your brain. Taking a few minutes to think about the direction you want to go is not just a good practice. It's actually a critical step towards living your life with intention. Look at it this way when was the last time you went on a road trip I love road trips or when was the last time you went somewhere by plane? Or when was the last time you even took your dog for a walk? Did you have a plan? Did you have a destination? Did you know which direction you would go, what plane or road to take If you did, or did you just hop in the car and drive the car and drive? Did you go to the airport and walk up to a gate and just get on a plane without knowing where the plane was headed? Did you put any thought into where you would take your dog? I'd be willing to bet that you made a plan, even if it was just like the skeleton of a plan.

Melissa: 2:57

There was one year that I was on my way back to Texas from Oregon and I had my daughter and I had two of my sons with me. Now they all knew how to read a road map. Yes, we are all that old, and whoever was in the passenger seat got to choose the road that we would take. But there was still a plan, even though the details were open to negotiation. The plan was that we could take any road on the map, as long as it was heading towards Texas. So there was a destination, there was a plan, but there was freedom in choosing how to execute the plan, and I've got to tell you that was actually one of the most fun trips, because we went places and saw things that we would have missed had we not had the freedom to choose the roads.

Melissa: 3:46

All that to say, there was a goal, there was a destination, and life can be approached with a similar method. You can have an overall goal but then leave the day-to-day open to interpretation right, you can have a word that guides your year and helps to inform your decisions, while still allowing yourself the freedom to see how that goal will materialize. So, do you choose a word that guides your year? And if you do, I'm so proud of you. But if not, why not start this year off choosing a word that will guide you?

Melissa: 4:24

Now, I understand that it can be challenging to choose just one word, but remember, it's not about finding the perfect word. It's about finding a word that inspires and motivates you. So why is this important? Why is it important to choose a word for the year? If you do not know what it is that you want, there's absolutely no way you can get it. The universe just doesn't work that way. There has to be an idea of something before it can happen. Someone, somewhere, must think of a goal, an outcome, a desire before it can come into being. That's how the universe works. Somebody has to think of it. The universe was designed that way.

Melissa: 5:17

Energy cannot be created or destroyed. It can only be transferred. That's the law of conservation of energy, also known as the first law of thermodynamics. Energy can only be transformed from one form to another, but it can never be created or destroyed. All of the energy that will ever exist is in existence already and it can only be transferred. Your thoughts are energy. It's a simple statement, but this one thing is so powerful because your thoughts are potential energy.

Melissa: 5:59

I'm Gen X. I think back to a time before computers, a time before cell phones. Someone had the thought of creating a computer, someone had the thought of creating a cell phone. That thought is potential energy. The things you think can become reality. Quantum physics tells us that your thoughts influence the quantum field and impact your reality. Your brain fires, it generates electrical signals. The things you think matter. You can influence your world for good or evil, based on the thoughts you think. Every thought you think has its own unique energetic vibration, and choosing to focus on positivity in your life will influence the world around you without ever saying a word. Saying a word, think of your mind like a constantly broadcasting radio station. So we tend to think that our thoughts are contained within our brain, that our skull stops our thoughts from getting out. They're contained, but your thoughts are energy that sends ripples out into the world. It is a constantly broadcasting radio station.

Melissa: 7:18

Philippians 4.8 even tells us about the importance of our thoughts. The message version reads like this Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious. The best, not the worst. The beautiful, not the ugly. Things to praise, not things to curse. Your thoughts matter greatly to your little corner of the world and, honestly, to the whole world through the quantum field. So let's talk about your word for your year.

Melissa: 7:59

Start by clearing out space and time to think. Block out some time in your planner or in your online calendar 15 to 30 minutes where you can be alone with your thoughts. Allow yourself to dream for a few minutes. Think about what you want this coming year. Think about what it will look like. What's it going to feel like? What's it going to sound like? What will you be experiencing when your year goes according to plan?

Melissa: 8:27

If you don't have a plan, what's that saying? A failure to plan is a plan to fail. If you do not make a plan, you are going to fail. It's as simple as that. You cannot get where you want to be if you don't make a plan to get there. So what do you want your bank account to look like? What do you want your relationships to look like. Get really clear on what it is that you want this year to bring. Maybe you want this year to be the year you finally let go of the stuff in your life cleaning out, decluttering. Maybe this is the year you rebuild a broken relationship. Maybe this is the year you pay off a credit card, whatever it is.

Melissa: 9:08

Spend some time and get really clear on what you want. After you've spent some time dreaming, write it all down. You can use a journal page or open a document on your computer whatever works best for you, but writing it down is important for a couple of reasons. Writing physically writing not necessarily typing it out, but writing on a journal page or a post-it note, whatever it is writing activates a different part of the brain from your dreaming center and it'll give you something tangible to look at as the year progresses. To keep you focused as you look over what you've written down, look for common themes or common words that keep appearing. Don't overthink it.

Melissa: 9:50

Know what you want and choose a word that supports that desire. And this might be something that just comes to mind as you're reading over things. It might not be something you see written down, but a feeling or an expression that comes to mind. Know what you want and choose a word that supports that. It could be something like abundance or space, audacity or joy, becoming or courage, resolve or clarity or a host of other words. Whatever your word is, let it be your guide. So why is choosing a word a great place to start the year?

Melissa: 10:27

I've never really liked resolutions. I feel like a resolution is a prescription for failure. Most resolutions are already falling apart by well. Now, here we are in the middle of January and most resolutions are already on the way out the door. It's really great to want things to be different and say this year is going to be the year, but just wanting it won't make it happen. There has to be a shift in your mind to start the process, and the shift comes from choosing the direction you want to go. A word of the year is one of the tools that can help start that shift.

Melissa: 11:05

My word for the year 2025 is clarity. I'm seeking clarity in all areas of my life. I want my life to be in alignment with how I was designed by my creator. I want to be in alignment with my creator. I want to choose clarity as my word to keep me focused on achieving those goals and others that I haven't even mentioned. Clarity is so important to me that it's one of the pillars of my coaching method. I help my clients discover what it is that they really want, which is clarity. If you don't know what you want, there is no way you can get it and, in fact, without clarity, you're going to remain where you are, you're going to be stuck. You're going to be spinning in circles. You're going to be stuck. You're going to be spinning in circles. You're going to be running on the treadmill, going nowhere.

Melissa: 12:00

Clarity is the very first thing that is required when choosing a word for the year. Clarity is critical for moving forward. Clarity is not found through intellect, but it's experienced through action, and you'll hear me say that over and over again. Action comes before clarity. We have to do something to really get a clear picture of what it is that we want. So get to work.

Melissa: 12:26

Set aside your 15 to 30 minutes and choose your word of the year. Aside your 15 to 30 minutes and choose your word of the year. Allow it to be an anchor for you as you face the day-to-day. Ask yourself how can I approach this through the lens of my word. How can I approach this through the lens of clarity? Let it inform your thoughts, let it lead your actions, let it help you experience every moment of the year. Now I would love to know what you have chosen for your word of the year, and you can send me a text message right from your phone. Just click the link in the show notes and open your text messages to tell me what your word of the year is.

Melissa: 13:14

Now, if you're having a hard time finding 15 minutes of peace in your day and that feels impossible, you're not alone. Life pulls you in a million directions, but you deserve a moment to breathe. So I have a free gift for you 10 ways to create peace in 30 days or less, and I'll put the link to that in the show notes. Discover simple, practical strategies that fit into your busy life and help you reclaim your calm, one step at a time. Grab it now and take the first step towards the peace you deserve. So my word of the year is clarity. What's your word? I would love to know. Set aside those 15 to 30 minutes, get it out on paper, write it down, allow your intuition to bring forward that word of the year that can help you, guide you and keep you focused as you move forward.

Melissa: 14:03

Thanks so much for spending a little time with me today on the Lemon Balm Coaching Podcast. I hope you're walking away with something that sparks joy, hope or a fresh perspective for your journey. If you loved today's episode, let's keep the conversation going. You can find more inspiration, coaching tips and resources over at my website, lemonbalmcoachingcom. Don't forget to follow me on social media for encouragement and updates, and you'll find me on Instagram and Facebook at Lemon Balm Coaching. And hey, if you're looking for a supportive, uplifting community of amazing women just like you, come join us in the Reignite your Flame Facebook group. It's a safe, welcoming space where we share, grow and cheer each other on, and you can find the link on my website or just search for Reignite your Flame on Facebook. Remember, honey, just be yourself. The world needs what only you have to offer. Take care and I'll see you in the next episode.