By Jax Stys, certified life coach · Last updated: October 25, 2026
Quick answer: How do you choose a word of the year? Reflect on what matters most to you right now, think about what you want to feel or create in the coming year, notice the themes that keep showing up in your life, and pick the one word that gives you a little spark of excitement (or nerves). Then keep it everywhere you’ll see it, use it to guide your choices each month, and celebrate the small ways you live it.
As a new year gets close, many of us reflect on the last twelve months and imagine what’s ahead. For midlife women in a season of awakening and reinvention, that ritual means even more. A word of the year is a single word that acts as your North Star for your intentions, decisions, and energy.
I’m Jax, a certified life coach for women over 40. Here’s why a word of the year works so well in midlife, and how to choose yours for 2027.
Why Choose a Word of the Year Instead of Resolutions?
Midlife is full: growing kids or an empty nest, career pivots, changing bodies, aging parents, and shifting friendships. A long list of resolutions gets lost in all that. One word cuts through the noise.
- It simplifies your goals. Your word becomes the lens for every decision.
- It keeps you grounded. Life isn’t about doing it all. It’s about matching your actions to your values.
- It fuels your reinvention. Whether you’re changing careers, focusing on your health, or building new relationships, your word keeps you moving.
- It helps you be present. Your word can be a gentle reminder to slow down and savor the moment.
What Was My Word of the Year?
My word for 2025 was intentional. I wanted every choice, action, and relationship to reflect what truly mattered to me. For me, that meant:
- Soaking up love and memories: Sunday dinners, coffee dates, and being fully present with the people I love.
- Prioritizing my health: nourishing food, joyful movement, and listening to what my body needs.
- Financial wellness: investing in experiences, growth, and security, with gratitude for what I already have.
- Happiness in the little things: sunrises, laughing with friends, and curling up with a good book.
- Saying yes and no with purpose: yes to what lights me up, no to what drains me.
How Do I Choose My Word of the Year?
- Reflect on your values. What matters most to you right now? Family, health, career, adventure, peace?
- Think about the year ahead. Do you want to grow, heal, explore, or simplify?
- Look for themes. What have you been craving lately? Connection, balance, courage?
- Feel it out. The right word gives you a spark of excitement, clarity, or even a little fear, because growth often lives just outside your comfort zone.
What Are Some Good Words of the Year?
- Intentional: for living on purpose instead of autopilot
- Connection: for strengthening relationships and building community
- Growth: for new challenges and opportunities
- Balance: for finding harmony in a busy life
- Courage: for stepping outside your comfort zone
- Gratitude: for noticing the beauty in what you already have
- Joy: for making happiness and fun a priority
- Peace: for protecting your calm
- Bloom: for a season of becoming
- Freedom: for your money, time, or choices
How Do I Live My Word All Year?
- Keep it visible. Sticky notes around your home, your phone lock screen, or the front of your journal.
- Check in monthly. At the start of each month, ask how your word can guide your goals.
- Celebrate small wins. Notice the little ways you live your word every day.
- Share it. Tell a friend or your online community. It makes it real.
Ready to plan the rest of your year? Use my New Year Prep and Reset List and my 5-year life plan steps.
Word of the Year FAQ
What is a word of the year?
It’s one word you choose to guide your intentions, decisions, and energy for the whole year. It’s a simpler, more flexible alternative to a list of resolutions.
How do I pick a word of the year?
Reflect on your values, think about what you want to feel or create next year, look for themes in your life, and choose the word that sparks excitement.
What if my word stops fitting halfway through the year?
That’s okay. Life changes. You can keep your word and let its meaning grow, or choose a new word for the rest of the year.
What are good words of the year for women over 40?
Popular choices include intentional, peace, courage, joy, growth, balance, connection, bloom, and freedom. The best word is the one that feels true to you.
Let Your Word Lead
One word won’t change your life by itself. But one word you live every day can.
Want help turning your word into a plan? Take the free Glow Assessment, or join me in the 6-Week Strategy Session.
With love and confidence,
Jax
