Mis amigas, hello and bienvenido!! Today is a 2-fer on the blog. My Winter 2025 Bucket List and Goals post went live a little earlier today. You can find it here if it slipped by you. And this afternoon I am sharing my Word of the Year 2025. I am joining my friend Denyse who writes on Substack at Denyse Whelan Writes Here and some of my other favorite bloggers, Sue and Deb, for their big WOTY reveal. Thank you for finding time in your day to spend a moment with me. Looking at the graphic above do you have any guesses about my WOTY 2025?
Here are my WOTYs for years past. Didn’t realize until this evening that I had chosen light and then lighten. Still seeking the light!!
- believe -2020
- light – 2021
- flow – 2022
- consistent – 2023
- lighten – 2024
Finding My Word of the Year
The first year I selected a WOTY was in 2020. What a globally crazy year that was, right? As I was trying to figure out my word early in January before everything went SOUTH (Covid), I kept seeing the word believe everywhere. The year before had been very difficult. PC’s mom had been a terrible car accident in which 2 people died. And my mother had been suicidal, then very sick with pneumonia and blood clots in her legs. I selected the word believe because I was believing that 2020 was going to be much improved over its predecessor. HAHAHA!! Silly me. Little did I know!!
This year I sought out my word rather than waiting for it to find me. Put on my librarian cap and started researching ways to determine your word of the year.
I took this quiz for determining your WOTY on Dayspring.com and came up with delight.
Next…
Clarity. Your word of the year is Clarity. 2025 is your year to gain crystal-clear insight into what truly matters most. With renewed focus and a strong sense of purpose, you’ll distance yourself from distractions and embrace the path that aligns with your deepest values and goals. This is the year you step boldly into your vision for the future and make confident decisions that will help propel you toward the life you’ve always envisioned.
And then…
Blessed. Despite all the challenging moments, you feel like a whole. Blessed suits your life because you’re seeking peace of mind. And you are already satisfied with what the universe has gifted you. The dictionary meaning of the term is divinely or supremely favored; fortunate—and that actually summarizes your emotions about life. 2022 and the upcoming years are going to be full of blessings and divine gifts, and you’ll experience inner growth as you’ve never had before.
But that word didn’t feel right either even though it is spot on. Seems to me like the best choices for words of the year are verbs, action words. I kept looking.
Close but no cigar…
Next up, the Find Your Word of the Year quiz on ProProfs.com and probably my favorite choice yet with the word resilience. I do consider myself resilient or in possession of resilience.
Your choices indicate that resilience is your word for the upcoming year. This powerful word signifies your ability to bounce back from adversity and face challenges head-on. Life may throw curveballs your way, but with resilience, you’ll be able to navigate through them and emerge stronger. The upcoming year will be a testament to your strength and determination. You’ll find that obstacles are merely stepping stones on your path to success.
There are days when I wish I hadn’t had to be so resilient. There are days when it would have been easier by far to just throw in the towel, climb back under the covers, hide under the bed.
Continued research…
Continued research led me to this word search on Facebook, no less. Surely Facebook, the authority on so much of LIFE, could help me determine the perfect word of the year. The directions read, ‘The first 3 words you see are the vibe you’re bringing into 2025.” I wasn’t looking for a vibe exactly but felt hopeful that maybe one of my vibe words could also work for a WOTY.
The 3 words I saw first were positive, intuitive, playful. I asked PC to do it and his 3 words were calm, optimist, playfulness. DING! DING! DING!! Could we have a winner??
Well, yes and no. I really liked playful and PC’s playfulness. I almost pulled the trigger on one of those. Sadly, I have lost a lot of the playfulness that used to be a big part of my personality. LIFE will do that to you. There is this little shuffle (as in dance) that I used to do a lot and PC always laughed when I did. Haven’t done that much at all in several years. Used to be much goofier than I am now. And I miss that side of myself. But being more playful doesn’t encompass all that I hope for in 2025.
Back to the Drawing Board?
Not quite back to the drawing board. Felt like I was zeroing in on the right word just had to figure out what it was. So, I took off my librarian cap and put on my thinking cap. I wanted to encourage playfulness in my life but other things as well. Then it hit me…the last third of 2024 was hard on me…you can see it on my face and in how much grayer my hair is now. What I want to do in 2025 is nurture…nurture myself, my relationships, my interests, my return to better health. And I want to nurture my playful side.
Quickly looked up synonyms for nurture to be sure that was the word I was thinking of. Here’s what I found:
synonyms for nourish/nurture
- cherish
- cultivate
- sustain
- tend
- attend
- comfort
- encourage
- foster
- furnish
- maintain
- nurse
- promote
- provide
- supply
- support
I love so many of those words. This year I want to cherish and support and comfort my loved ones. I want to (re)cultivate a spirit of playfulness. Nurse myself back to health. Promote my interest in various hobbies and allow myself time to enjoy them. Yup, nurture felt just right. My 2025 Word of the Year is nurture.
Found this little worksheet online and filled it in yesterday, sealing the deal.
Like I did last year and in 2023, I will probably give updates on ways I have nurtured whatever, whomever in my Sentence a Day posts at the beginning of each month. So, please come back the first of February (and before!!), to read about ways I have implemented this word.
Your Turn
Have you selected a word of the year? Recently read a blog where the blogger had created more of a motto or vision for the year. I like that idea, too. We are doing that with our writing group on Tuesday night. Creating a vision for our writing for the year. Maybe I will share more about that in a coming post.
So grateful to you guys for nurturing me with your friendship, kind comments, support. Thank you for being a part of my 2025!!
Hugs and kisses,
Leslie, well, I’ve picked a WOTY, but going to go do some of the quizzes you found and shared to see what else might pop up! Nurture is a lovely word. And I can see you nurturing delight, nurturing a sense of playfulness, nurturing yourself back to health… and of course, always nurturing your family!
Oh, Pat, thank you. I appreciate the word you chose…PATIENCE and contemplated picking it myself but let’s face it, I am NEVER going to be patient. Would be an effort in futulity!!
Sounds like a good word! For yourself or the people around you? I guess both right! Wishing you a fabulous and nurturing 2025!
Hey, sweet friend. I am going to try to spread the nurturing all around. Thank you so much.
Nurture is a good one.
I am going with FUN, it will challenge me as I am quite a serious person.
FUN is fabulous!! I am pretty serious these days, too. And miss the playful side of my personality. Need to add some fun to my nurturing. Good luck with your word.
Nurture is a good one. I think we all need to nurture others, but also ourself. Take care my friend.
This is a lovely, gentle WOTY, Leslie. Nurture to me is like a warm blanket, it is cozy and makes me feel joy, calm and peace. It actually sits well with my WOTY ‘Bloom’. Nurturing ourselves helps us to Bloom. I love your thought process and that you took time to research. For me, my WOTY came to me late last year and stayed. Would love you to add your link to our WOTY link up which is open until Wednesday evening (probably your Wednesday morning) this week. xx
Thank you for the invitation to link up with you kids. I think I did. I hope I did. Your comment had gone to spam…no idea why, and I just found it tonight. Nurture and bloom do go hand-in-hand!!
NURTURE!
Great word! I’m going to research my word…I love the process as much as the final product. Love you! Happy new year my friend.
And don’t forget:
Shuffle as often as you can.💋
LOL, girl I am shuffling. All over El Paso. Been subbing and I feel like a grandma for sure shuffling after the second graders at Zach White!! Ha!!
Research your word and then share!! I am anxious to see what you come up with. Start your blog and link up your first post sharing your WOTY.
Love you, sweet girl. Here’s to a gentle, kinder 2025.
I loved your story of the journey you took on the way to finding the right word. Nurture is a great one!
Thank you. I need to be more funloving and carefree, too. So hope to nurture others and myself by being loving and playful!!
I blinked twice when I saw your first WOTY option “Delight” because that’s what I chose for this year – and I thought I was being quite original….I didn’t know there were WOTY quizzes and calculators! Blessed and Clarity have also come onto my radar over the last couple of years (I have a tattoo of Blessed) – but I think your choice of Nurture is just lovely – very warm and embracing and comforting – but also outward focused too. I’m ‘delighted’ with your choice 🙂
LOL!! I see what you did there…delighted with my choice. You made me chuckle. Delight is a delightful choice. Hahahaha!! It just didn’t fit what I was hoping to do this year. Hoping that I will be able to delight in the way nurturing myself and others makes me feel. Wishing you a healthy, happy 2025!! XO
I think nurture is the perfect word for you, Leslie. You nurture everyone…putting them before you. I don’t think you’ll have any problems living up to that.
I had a WOTY last year, but I have no clue what it was. I’m just not good with those kinds of things. I am determined to do well with our bucket list challenge, though!
https://marshainthemiddle.com/
Thank you so much!! You are the sweetest. I want to continue to nurture the fam and friends and pets. But I need to give myself some grace sometimes, too. You’ve got this bucket list business, my friend. We are going to support each over through in 2025.
A wonderful WOTY! I love the way you researched and really thought it through. I’ve had to do that a couple of times over the years, but usually I am gravitating towards an idea and just need to figure out the word that best encapsulates it. Now I’m curious to see what the quizzes say – after I’ve already chosen a WOTY (which is Practice) for 2025. Praying that you are able to nurture yourself and your loved ones in a very special way during the year ahead.
Hi Leslie, I love the way you approached this and your end results. Each word was perfect but I thin k nurture is what you seem to be needing so it will work well for you. You always make me smile with your words and this post was no exception, I’m sure we would get on well if we met in person. I really like the work sheet idea too. Once a teacher….
Thanks for joining us for the linkup, it’s always fun seeing what words otehrs have chosen and then reading about the why.
Take care xx
I’m focusing on the word “release” as in “let it go.” We’ll see…
Good choice of word. I don’t set goals or make resolutions or pick a word. But seeing others words does provide inspiration.
I love your word. I chose a word this year, but haven’t done so in a number of years. I like the added focus I feel in having a word. This year I chose anchored, and wrote about it in Monday’s blog post. Happy new year!
Hi, Leslie – Nurture is such a beautiful choice, encompassing self-care, relationships, and growth in so many meaningful ways. I love how you’ve shared your process—it’s a reminder to all of us to be intentional about how we approach the year ahead. Wishing you a 2025 filled with moments where you truly cherish, cultivate, and nourish every aspect of your life. Looking forward to seeing how nurture shapes your year! 🌟
Thank you so much. I am feeling hopeful about 2025 and find that many folks I know are feeling the same way.
Thanks so much for stopping by and thanks for letting me know that you did by leaving such a sweet comment…It was a horrible year for me last year but I do have HOPE ( my WOTY) that 2025 will be a better year for everyone….I just linked up my Goals Post to the Quarterly Goals link party…It is #16…Thanks so much for all the Inspiration for this New Year…
Hugs,
Deb
Debbie-Dabble Blog
Great choice. Well, lots of good choices. I had no idea there were so many helps for trying to determine your word. You were determined to find just the right one. What I “know” of you through blog reading – I think you are very nurturing. I think this year will find you doing what you do best. Although embracing your playful side some more will be fun as well!! Here’s to a beautiful year ahead!! I look forward to blog visiting often – and to hearing how your word plays out for you throughout the year!
Thank you for visiting. Blog reading and writing is so time consuming. I promise myself I will do it every day – the reading part, anyway – and LIFE makes me break that promise! Just not enough hours in the day, days in the week, etc. Thank you for saying I am a nurturing person. I hope I am but there is plenty of room for improvement. And I need to be gentler on PC and myself sometimes!! XO