Before you pressure yourself about 2025… 🎧
Happy New Year, beloved!!
Have you ever wondered if there’s a right way to choose your Word of the Year? 🙋
- Like… is it supposed to arrive with a wave of emotion and certainty?
- Is it the word everyone keeps saying to you?
- Is it the thing you keep seeing in random places until you finally pay attention?
If you’ve ever overthought this (hi, same 🙋♀️), I just want to say this out loud:
There is no “one right way” to choose your word.
🎧 I recorded a voice-memo–style podcast episode about this idea on on your Tribe Beloved Love Notes podcast feed. You can listen right here. You’re welcome to listen while you walk, wash the never-ending pile of dishes, or curl up with something warm for this descriptive – not prescriptive listen.
A Word of the Year, the way I see it, isn’t a rigid resolution or a performance goal.
It’s more like a values anchor — a gentle touchstone that helps guide:
- who you’re becoming
- what does and doesn’t get your attention
- the posture you want to carry into your days
And it absolutely does not have to be a 12-month contract. 😮💨
Your word can be for a season, a stretch of months, a particular life moment (new baby, new job, new move) — whatever makes sense for your very real, very human life.
God made you human on purpose. 😉
Over the years I’ve had words like:
- Intentional & Peace – which led to weekly planning, marriage retreats, and more breathing room in our family
- Dwell in Grace – which reshaped how I related to myself, my loved ones, and my clients
- Choose Courage – during a year full of changes and scary-but-good steps
- Joy & Play – to nudge my very future-focused brain back into the present moment
- Impact & Delight – to ask, “What actually matters… and can it be more joyful?”
None of those years were perfect.
But each word offered a kind of anchor to return to:
“Who do I want to become – to grow into – this year?”
If you’re starting to think about your own word for the coming year, here are a few questions you might sit with:
- ❓What themes or ideas keep bubbling up lately?
- ❓Who is the woman I want to become over the next few months?
- ❓What value or posture would support me in this season?
And if a word makes you feel like you’re already behind or “not enough”… it’s probably not your word.
It shouldn’t make you feel like crap!
If you’re wanting some help figuring out what might bring out the best in you…
Join the waitlist for the God-Given Gifts Chat Circle.
You’ll get thoughtful prompts, reflection time, and space to connect with other women who are also learning to notice and nurture their God-given gifts.
Think of it like a mini retreat you get to do in your real life:
No Zoom, no … and no pants required if you don’t want to wear them. (Though if you’re somewhere chilly, warm bottoms are highly encouraged for your well-being) 😉
Join the God-Given Gifts Chat Circle Waitlist
I’d love to hear what word you’re playing with this year — or if you’re skipping it altogether.
So excited to see what the year holds for you, Reader!
Cortney Loui
Christian life coach + speaker
Helping Christian women uncover their God-given gifts and wiring—so they can stop second-guessing and start living with joyful confidence.
🗓️ Book Your God-Given Gifts Chat
I’m Cortney, a recovering over-achiever and God’s beloved who loves helping fellow Christian women like you embrace your God-given gifts so you have the confidence to live authentically.
I’m also a full-time mama to two sweet little boys, wife to my best friend, motivational speaker, and part-time Christian life coach. Chai lattes, strong coffee, podcasts, yoga, dance, and fairy tales nourish my soul and add sweetness to life.
Discovering the joy of embracing my God-given gifts and who He created me to be was a game-changer—a journey that brought freedom, unexpected delights, and relief from guilt. Finally, I felt free to be myself and ditch the pressure of being someone I wasn’t.
Incorporating those gifts into my day—from weekly planning to deciding on commitments, nurturing my marriage, and parenting—transformed everything. Now, I can’t imagine life without the perspective of fully embracing who God created me to be. I was missing so much without it!
