A Printable & Guide for Choosing a Word for 2024
By: Ashley Davis
Choosing a word for the year can be a very handy way to set an intention and theme for your year, and today, we’ve got a guide to help you do just that.
How do I even choose a word for the year?
I’ve chosen a word of the year for the last few years. It likely goes without saying, but this is something you should pray about. You’ve gotta make sure God’s in it when you choose your word! For example, if you choose the word “hustle” for the year, when God is really calling you to a season of rest… you’ve got a big problem on your hands. Examples abound, but that one is sufficient. So #1, pray.
Next, I like to make things practical when choosing my word. I get out a favorite notebook and start listing all my roles and major responsibilities: wife/marriage, motherhood/children, homeschooling, ministry roles, etc. This helps get a bird’s eye view of what my life may look like in the coming year.
Next, I just start jotting down words that “speak to me.” You know what I mean, words that just click with the season of life I’m in and that make sense with the bird’s eye view of my life. After jotting down some words, I continue to pray about them for the coming days. When I think I’ve settled on a word, I take a few minutes to look at what scripture says about the word and its synonyms – if necessary. You may come up with a word and already be quite familiar with what the Bible says about it.
Okay, you’ve got your word, what’s next?? Jot the word down in the circular bubble all the way to the left of the printable PDF if you’re using our guide!
Statement Starter
For this section of the guide, let’s pretend you’ve chosen the word “peace.” For the statement starters, you choose an area of your life where you intend to cultivate peace. The text written in the statement starter bubble could be something like,
- I make peace in my family by…
- I make peace in my home by…
- I make peace in my mind by…
This section answers the “Where?” question.
Practical Steps
Next, you choose the “How?” part of the statement you started in the last bubble by picking up right where you left off. Let’s stick with our same example.
- … prioritizing family time over work.
- … prioritizing housework over time wasters.
- … prioritizing rest every day.
Action Items
Now that you’ve got your completed statements, you can jump into the practical action items to help make these statements true. This is where the more goal setting side of things comes into play. Going with our same example, let’s come up with some ways to accomplish these statements we’ve just developed.
- Choose a weekly sabbath. Plan one special family outing each month. No screens at dinner time. Stop working at 5 pm.
- Find a workable cleaning routine or system. Commit to focusing on my new routine for one hour daily, Monday through Friday.
- Stick to my devotion routine. Get a new hobby. Read at least 15 minutes a day. Eat meals at the table. Make space for quiet each day.
Things to Consider
Just because you make something an action item doesn’t mean it automatically is a goal you must accomplish. Maybe you should make a long list of possible action items and choose the 1-5 that make the most sense for your life. We can’t do everything all at once. We set ourselves up for failure when we try to change too many things at one time. If this process seems overwhelming, maybe try just coming up with one statement starter, practical step, and action item each quarter of the year. For you overachievers, avoid the temptation to print 2-3 copies of this PDF and develop 9-12 statements for your coming year! You may find that completing this guide and putting it somewhere you’ll see often would be helpful for navigating 2024!
Whatever methods you choose for setting yourself up for a successful year, I hope you will go about it intentionally and full of grace for yourself. Progress>perfection is the way to go with goal setting. One small step at a time through this year could change everything for you! Most of all, I hope you will begin or continue a consistent time of prayer, devotion, and Bible study this year. That one change will have the greatest impact!
