The Therapeutic Power of Choosing an Aspirational Word of the Year
My friends and I have a tradition. Every year on New Year’s Day (or NYE, depending on our schedules), we meet to go for a crisp walk (it’s never not been cold since we started this), and discuss our “Word of the Year.” It’s a tradition I love, and I look forward to evaluating my progress with last year’s word and discussing my new one. I also give myself a letter grade to indicate how successful I was in adhering to my word for the past year (FYI, for my word last year – “Consistency” – I gave myself a B+).
In January, it’s typical for us to feel the familiar pressure to reinvent ourselves. Resolutions loom large, expectations multiply, and the quiet hope for change can quickly turn into self-loathing by early February when life gets in the way. Instead, I highly recommend a gentler alternative that has gained traction: choosing a Word of the Year.
When that word is aspirational—not a description of who you already are, but a compass pointing toward who you want to become—it can offer (un)surprising therapeutic benefits.
What Is an Aspirational Word?
An aspirational word is a single word that reflects a quality, value, or way of being you want to move toward. Examples include grounded, brave, spacious, steady, trust, or ease. Unlike goals (“lose 10 pounds” or “get a promotion”), aspirational words focus on our internal experience, not external outcomes. Some words I’ve used in the past are “Growth,” “Intentionality” (a word my husband repeatedly reminded me is indeed not a word), and “Consistency.” My word this year is “Refine” – essentially trying to keep doing what I’m doing but a little smarter.
You don’t have to embody the word perfectly. In fact, it often resonates because you don’t.
Why One Word Can Be So Powerful
From a therapeutic perspective, aspirational words work because they align with several evidence-informed principles of emotional well-being, by offering you:
1. Moving From Judgment to Direction
Traditional resolutions tend to be binary: success or failure. An aspirational word, by contrast, offers direction without demanding perfection. You can always ask, “What would it look like to move one step closer to this word today?” There’s no failing—only recalibrating.
This shift reduces shame and supports self-compassion, a core component of mental health. A word like “Grace” for example, can be applied to both yourself and others, thereby helping you to both judge yourself and others less.
2. A Regulating Anchor
In moments of stress or emotional overload, your word can act as a grounding anchor. Instead of spiraling through dozens of decisions or worries, you return to one stabilizing question:
“What choice supports my word right now?”
This kind of cognitive simplicity is deeply regulating for the nervous system.
3. Values-Based Living
Therapy often focuses on helping people live in alignment with their values, even when circumstances are difficult. An aspirational word functions like a distilled value—portable, memorable, and emotionally resonant.
You may not be able to control outcomes, but you can practice patience, honesty, or courage in small, meaningful ways. My word “Refine” shows me that while I may not always be right, as long as I’m learning from the experience, I’m living my word.
4. Growth Without Pressure
Aspirational words acknowledge growth as a process, not a performance. You don’t wake up on January 1st “being” your word. You practice it. You forget it. You return to it.
That rhythm—intention, misstep, return—is inherently therapeutic. And, for me, it has created a tradition that includes reviewing and unpacking with my friends to start the new year.
How to Work With Your Word All Year Long
To get the most therapeutic benefit, treat your word as a relationship, not a slogan:
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- Check in regularly: Journal or reflect on how your word is showing up—or where it feels hard. One of my friends does a “mid-year review” (he’s from the corporate world, which helps) in June, checking in to see how he is moving towards his word.
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- Use it in decision-making: Let it guide boundaries, commitments, and self-talk. My choice of “Refine” again allows me to realign what I might have called a failure.
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- Let it evolve: Your understanding of the word may deepen or shift over time. Typically, my word does not, but we want to be open to it evolving if need be.
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- Release perfection: You don’t need to “live up” to your word. You’re allowed to lean into it imperfectly. In my case, a C-minus is still great at the end of the year, because it says to me I tried, and I can still find room for growth.
In a culture obsessed with fixing ourselves, choosing an aspirational word can be a subtle act of healing: a way of saying, “I am allowed to grow without being harsh with myself.”
And sometimes, that’s exactly what we need.
About Nadine Evans
Nadine is the practice owner of Impart Therapy, a virtual-based clinic that offers therapy and counselling support for individuals, couples and groups, with focused support for PMDD, ADHD, anxiety, depression, and grief. She is a Registered Psychotherapist and author of the book, Mastering the Monthly Madness.