A Gentle Guide to Inspire Your Year Ahead: A Nudge Word

As 2024 comes to close, I find myself entering into a state of soft reflection. I’ve never been one to end the year strong. Instead, I prefer to lean into the slower paced days that fill the void between Christmas and New Year’s day and remember the past twelve months, the blessings and the struggles, and take note of how I’ve grown and where I need to continue to grow. I approach this inner exercise with self-compassion, something I’ve needed to cultivate over the years. I tend to be my worst critic. Slowly, I begin to notice patterns and that’s when a word steps in — a nudge word.

Making new year’s resolutions has been around for a long time. According to The History of New Year’s Resolutions, humans have been making “new year” resolutions for around 4,000 years. While these resolutions were initially targeted towards gods and deities, over time they’ve lost their religious fervors and been replaced with enthusiasm for personal development. North Americans, in particular, love their new year’s resolutions despite the fact that the average resolution lasts just 3.74 months. Perhaps this dismal success rate is how the “one word” or “nudge word” resolution started.

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Photographs in the article taken by 1954 Muse.

Picking a Nudge Word

A nudge word is a single word that sets an intention or inspiration for the year. It’s a gentle push or a guide towards the version of yourself you want to be in coming months. To pick a one word resolution, or a nudge word, here’s what’s most often recommended.

1. Reflect on your life this last year.

Take some time to sit and reflect on your life over the past twelve months:

• Who or what brought joy in your life?
• Who or what made you feel most alive?
• What were some challenges you faced?
• What are the things that you wish you could change about yourself or your situation?
• Which relationships helped you thrive? Which did not?
• What habits or patterns helped you live well? Which did not?
• What unexpected lessons did you learn?

2. Imagine the person you want to become.

Ignore what others have said about you in the past, or what you’ve said to yourself in the past. You have the capacity to stretch, grow and change.

• Who do you want to become?
• How do you want to change?
• What are the traits, values and behaviours that this new version of yourself has?
• What limiting beliefs do you need to release?
• What does your ideal day, week or month look like?

3. Select One Word.

After reflecting on the past and envisioning the person you want to become in the future, pick one word, a nudge word, that will be your guide and inspiration to becoming that version of yourself. Sometimes a nudge word will come easy, the word is clear. Other time you will need to sit with your reflections until a word emerges.

Take it slow. You don’t have to have a nudge workd by midnight on January 1st, and you can even change your nudge word if it doesn’t feel right the first time around. If you’re struggling with finding a word, it can help to talk to a trsuted person about word suggestions. Another great option is to read through list of words or use a random word-of-the-year generator: Word of the Year.

4. Take Ownership of Your One Word.

Once you’ve chose your nudge word, the next step is to truly own it, to let it guide and motivate you each and every day. I find it helful to intergrate my nudge word into my physical environment.

Display your nudge word

• Frame it: Print or write your word and display it in a place you will see every day (bathroom, kitchen or entryway)
• Screen saver/phone background: Make your word visible on your phone lock screen/background or desktop wallpaper.
• Sticky notes: Place a few small reminders of your word on the bathroom mirror, refridgerator, desk etc.

Learn about your nudge word

• Books & Media: Read or listen to books, podcasts, or online articles that align with your word.

Share your nudge word with others

• Conversations: Let friends, family, or coworkers know about your word. Their support (or curiosity) can help keep you accountable.
• Social Media: Post about your word and why you chose it. You might inspire someone else to do the same.

Infuse your nudge word into daily routines

• Morning Check-In: Reflect on your word briefly at the start of each day. How can you live it out in the hours ahead?
• Evening Review: Before going to bed, think about  how your day aligned—or didn’t—with your nudge word. No judgment, just observation and a chance to refocus for tomorrow.

Below I’ve shared a short list of books that can help with discovering or putting your nudge word into practice. This list is by no mean exhasutive. If I’ve missed one of your favorite self-improvement books, let me know in comment section below. 

My Nudge Word for 2025 is…

Since 2010, I have chosen one word to guide me through the coming year. Words like connection (2020), focus (2018) and cherish (2010) have helped me become the person I want to be. I broke my twelve year nudge word streak in 2023 with the early arrival of my fifth baby in December, but jumped back in the following year with the word dare (2024).

For 2025, I wanted a nudge word that would hold me accountable to caring for my physical, mental and spiritual health, areas in my life that started getting ignored or put aside by the end of 2024. To help me ensure that I can be the best-version-of-myself, I’ve realized (yet again) the importance of caring for myself so that I can help and care for those around me. With this in mind, my nudge word for 2025 is flourish!

The Merriam-Webster dictionary has the lovelist definition of flourish — “ to grow luxuriantly.” This is the type of growth I’m aiming for in 2025 — lush and profuse in growth! 

Will you choose a word to nudge you in 2025? I would love to hear what word you’ve chosen.