2025 - Word of the Year

and other intentiony things...

We treat New Year’s Resolutions as if we invented them, but people have been resolving to be better since at least the second millennium BC. Back then, though, the new year was celebrated at the start of the farming season in March - closer to the Spring Equinox. As part of the spring festival, the Babylonians made resolutions that were more like deals with the gods in return for a favourable growing year.

It seems, however, that the most common goal of the ancient Babylonians was not to shed 20 kgs or give up smoking/alcohol - it was …. wait for it … to return borrowed farm equipment and repay debts.

Rather than rash declarations at the stroke of midnight (I’m usually in bed on NYE by 10), most years, I choose a word of the year.

Last year’s word was Build, and through it, I laid the foundations for much of what I intend to do this year. I began exercising more, eating better and drinking less. I set up my brand strategy and after struggling for many months with structures, settled into a routine of sorts late last year.

That’s why for this year’s Festival of Self-improvement, I’m again choosing a word of the year and with it comes a set of to-do lists.

My word of the year will be … (drum roll) …

ACCOMPLISH

Yep, it’s boring. But so were the other contenders - CONSISTENCY and COMMITMENT. And I’m alright about it being boring. This is, however, probably the last you’ll hear about it until the wrap-up at the end of the year. I won’t be blogging about it in my monthly wrap-ups; I will be ticking off the checklists behind it.

The checklists are boring too - about as dull as task lists on any project plan are. But this year, I need them to happen. This year, I need to accomplish things, I need to tick them off. This writing gig is my career; it’s my business, and it’s about time I treated it as such. It’s also about time it began making a profit.

This is printed and stuck on the wardrobe door. Behind this, though is an array of planners designed to help me keep on top of what I need to keep on top of. As I’ve done for the last four years, I’m going with the Mi-Goals Diary/Planner, backed up by their daily and weekly desk pads and the yearly wall calendar.

This year, I have, however made some resolutions too - and they’re below.

Tell me - do you go with a word of the year? If so, what?