Word for the Year

I remember listening to a podcast, about 5 years ago, called That Sounds Fun by Annie F. Downs where she was talking about the idea of giving her year a word with intentionality and awareness. And she didn’t do it for anyone else, but for herself.

Having been a huge fan of her work and her writing, I decided I’d grab ahold of that idea and do the same for myself and my family.

2018 was the first year that Indya and I chose to do so and we came up with the word, “ADVENTURE.” And as it turned out, 2018 was quite an adventure. Every year since then, we’ve had a word that we’ve used to filter our experiences and memories through.

At the end of 2018, I had the opportunity to meet Annie and I was able to tell her about the impact that she had made on my family’s life through something as simple as sharing her story and experience in a podcast and through some of her books. And having been in careers where the goal is to impact people, I know first hand that you never hear about the impact you’re making/have made nearly as much as you’d like to. It also turns out that we have quite a few friends and acquaintances in common, which is pretty cool.

In 2021 we chose the word RELIVE… but it wasn’t because we wanted to “relive” certain moments, but because I wanted to “relearn to live” and embrace moments and experiences in a new, better, more positive and exciting way. We wrote out the word with an emphasis on the “RE” portion. I had seen so many people get discouraged and frustrated and mentally defeated through their time at home during 2020. They dealt with natural shifts and changes and lost opportunities. However, I felt that it was incredibly sad and unfortunate because they chose to feel this way instead of shifting the way they were viewing this new rhythm that their lives took on. As it was, I found it as a year of experiencing things I may not have been moving slow enough to notice before and I found my family bonding over moments that may not have been appreciated before.

Through the Marketing Breakthrough podcast, Indya and I released an episode (EP. 23) talking about WORD FOR THE YEAR. We spent time speaking to our journey and how it’s been beneficial to us and our business as well as addressing the way it may pertain to your business or organization and marketing team.

As we go into 2022, we have chosen a new word and are looking forward to seeing how decisions, opportunities and ideas are filtered through that lens as well as watching the way it helps to frame memories for the future! A brand newer with brand new opportunities, both personally and professionally, makes for a very exciting future!