Word of the Year 2025

If you have been here for a while, you will know that I like to choose a word that will be a guiding force for the year. Some years, it has been a powerful way to help me move forward; some years, I have barely even thought about the word. Last year, the word ‘brave’ was such an important word for me. I have it visible in my office and at those times when I felt my most unsure, insecure, scared or lost, I would whisper that word to myself. This quiet comfort helped me through.

Now it is a new year, I am choosing my new word. My initial thoughts went back to CONNECTION which I had in 2023. One of my loose resolutions for 2025 is to see more of friends and family (particularly my brother who lives in Brighton). However, I am also working on my new venture (more on this later!) so I feel that something linked to that would also be fitting.

However, words like SUCCESS (or anything to do with money) make me squeamish; I worry I am going to jinx things. As part of the business course I am taking, I took part in a visioning workshop last night where we were invited to reflect on what we learned in 2024. We had to think about our wins for 2024 and the most important lesson from the year. I struggled with this task. I struggled to see anything that could be considered a ‘win’ and it really showed me that I have a very narrow view of what success is – when it comes to my own successes anyway. I also find it MUCH easier to list my failures, insufficiencies and weaknesses. All the things I DIDN’T manage to do and all the ways I DIDN’T do a good job (at home, at work, in life generally).

Success seems like a destination. A finishing point. This is why I think I find it hard to think of achieving success. It is why I have to constantly remind myself that ‘progress not perfection’ is the general goal. This led to me thinking about the word PROGRESS as being a contender for my WOTY for 2025. The problem is that this word is not a pretty word. It is a functional word which is tied up in the field of productivity. But I like the idea of forward motion being a theme for the year. I like the thought that when I feel stuck, it is just about take the next step, doing the next right thing (thanks to Emily P. Freeman and Anna from Frozen 2). This has brought me to me word: ONWARD. It is a jollying cry of a Girl Guide leader during a hike. It is the gentle prod of a friend. It is the encouragement of your family when you aren’t sure what to do next. Onward.

And for those who are really geeky about words like me and wonder if it ought to be ‘onwards’ in the UK, ‘onward’ is an adjective (‘onward travel’) whereas ‘onwards’ in an adverb (‘I am moving onwards’). In American English, ‘onward’ is usually used for both. I am choosing to use the adjectival form as I think the word is neater like this.

Previous years:

2014 – positive
2015 – protect
2016 – nurture
2017 – balance
2018 – find
2019 – worth
2020 – bold
2021 – hope
2022 – I didn’t choose a word
2023 – connection
2024 – brave