50 Word of the Year Ideas (with Creative Annotations)
In 2021, I made a list of 100 ideas for a "word of the year" and shared it again in 2022. This year, in 2023, I decided to create an extended version. Instead of 100 words, I chose 50 words and added what I like to call “creative annotations,” alongside the words themselves. My hope is that these words can offer ideas for finding language to describe the journey ahead.
If you’re having a hard time picking a word, here’s my suggestion:
Pick a few words and “annotations” and write them down in your journal.
Let them seep into the paper and sit on the page for a few hours, or maybe even a few days.
Come back to it later and notice —which one stands out to you the most? Even if you don’t “love” it, which one did you read and feel yourself wanting to expand upon it, ask questions about it, or write your own version? I say, that’s the one you want to pick! Why? Because picking a word of the year doesn’t have to be this all encompassing, static thing. Instead, it can viewed as a space to ask questions and explore, as if the word itself were a room or park––you will learn more about the space and figure out how you want to connect with it as you go.
It is common to hear humans talking about needing to create space to breathe…I think it matters to create space for words to breathe, too!
So here’s to finding language for the days ahead, one word at a time.
Sincerely,
-Morgan Harper Nichols
Aliveness
Growth will often feel slow in the present moment (if it feels like growth at all...), but the fact that you have been breathing in this space is a sign of aliveness (even if it's small).
Assemblage
Be patient with yourself as you assemble the parts of a new dream. It takes time to bring the parts together to create something beautiful.
Attention
Let this be a space where you pay attention to the little things that sing to you: "After everything you have been through, it is not too late for you to breathe deep with courage and create something new."
Authenticity
May there be room for you to be present to life in a way that allows you to breathe more freely...beyond the confines of who you thought you had to be.
Awareness
Here's to paying attention in the moments where things begin to feel different, in a good way. Here's to allowing yourself to not only observe but also act upon the ways you have changed.
Becoming
Slowly but surely, may you begin to feel more free to engage in the process of learning how to come into the sunlight and just be... coming into your own natural rhythms of growth, one day at a time.
Breakthroughs
May this be a time in your life where you experience growth not just by growing upward but by outgrowing the constraints you thought would keep you stuck forever. There is still room for you to break through and begin again—to branch out into new directions, regardless of the constraints you thought would hold you back.
Capacity
There are times in life when we have the time, energy, and capacity to sit down and figure it all out.
And there are other times when the best thing to do is to put it on the shelf and figure it all out later.
Wherever you find yourself in this space, allow yourself to be there fully. And as energy levels change and seasons change, you are allowed to ebb and flow. Honor your capacity.
Connection
Even when meaningful connections are made in ways you cannot always see or predict, and in the timing you didn't expect, one day you will look back and see that all along, a story was unfolding. There was no way of knowing exactly how it would all work together in real-time, but as you moved from one breath to the next, those moments were not in vain... and through it all, you learned to be grounded right here in the present, even while waiting for love and meaningful experiences to bloom in new ways.
Continue
Perhaps, in this season of your life, you're getting to know yourself beneath the layers, and it matters more than you know. And this is lifelong work. Carry on today, knowing that even by sowing the smallest seeds of gratitude, curiosity, and awareness, you are growing in ways that will continue to bloom with time.
Courage
Continue to remind yourself that "courage" comes in many shapes. Sometimes, courage is as light and gentle as a soft wind, reminding you that you are still alive as you feel the air on your skin. There is room for you to move ever so slowly forward toward the mountains you are moving toward in a mindful way, no matter the shape your courage takes.
Creativity
Allow yourself to explore creativity without the pressure of needing to always be "good" at it.
Keep jotting down notes in your journal without pressuring yourself to make them all make sense.
Trust: a story is unfolding even as you wait for the right words or mode of expression to emerge.
Cultivation
When you're asking yourself, "When will these flowers actually bloom?" may you also know that even though waiting is a part of the natural cycle, there will be other parts of the cycle, too. Continue preparing this garden for growth. Keep noticing how the sun and rain still sing, "There is more ahead of you."
Dedication
It is possible to give all you can while still knowing that good things take time. Your worth is not determined by achievements. And knowing this doesn't take away from aspiring for something more. Instead, a measured pace creates a rhythm for a sense of purpose that is long-lasting.
Development
Even though you don't always know what the future holds, you are still free to pay attention to the small ways you feel yourself changing. Notice where there might be room for healing and growth... Allow yourself to engage in the process of learning as you go.
Discovery
Yes, there are winding paths, and yet, there is also space to trust in the possibility of something better. Through the twists and turns, may the path continue to unfold. May you discover new ways forward.
Emergence
It is not too late to weave together something new. It is not too late for new patterns to emerge. The tapestry of life has many varied threads, and unexpected beauty and new stories are still possible here. It may take longer than anticipated to see how it all connects, but perhaps for all the loose ends and frayed edges, there is still room for mending, reimagining, creating.
Endeavor
You are free to challenge yourself while also being gentle with yourself.
Keep making space for opportunities to try new things without feeling pressured to do them perfectly.
May determined efforts be in harmony with kindness and grace.
Enrichment
May presence enrich connection. May you encounter more love, more joy, and more peace, right here, where you are.
Expansion
Here's to realizing it is time to go beyond what you've always known...and you are free to imagine a new way forward now.
Flourishing
For all that you are leaving behind, may there be room for you to thrive and grow in beautiful new ways, too.
Gentleness
For whatever feelings are rising up, be gentle with yourself. Feeling what you need to feel is a process, and so is finding the language to express those feelings. Even when you can't make sense of all that is changing, you are free to inhale, exhale, and make space for what you're feeling.
Here's to taking the pressure off yourself wherever you can to find the "right words" in this new space. Here's to creating room to simply be, however you can.
Harmonizing
Remember: there is room for both your efforts and your rest, and you don't have to choose only one or the other. As seasons change, the way things come together may change, and that's okay. There is still room to create new music, anyway.
Journeying
Like a road through the mountains, you are free to explore the concept of growth as a journey. Even when the road you're on is winding itself through the steepest mountains, you are free to take your time in discovering new ways to reach new heights and explore new landscapes. Even when there is slower movement, it is still movement that matters. "Journeying" is a verb.
Kaleidoscopic
The object chamber is the part of a kaleidoscope that holds the objects used to create the beautiful patterns and designs. Every time you turn the chamber, a new combination is created. The kaleidoscope image has infinite possibilities, but not without what's happening in the object chamber. Think of the days ahead like little containers that hold within them possibilities... and as you shift and turn through many things, notice how, in the sunlight, beautiful patterns emerge. May a kaleidoscopic perspective help you find beauty in the change.
Learning
May you engage in the continual process of exploring what a new space can teach you.
Maturity
You don't have to have everything figured out to recognize that when it comes to all of the uncertainty you have already encountered, you have been growing in wisdom along the way, and you will continue to do so. Through all that you have traveled through, again and again, you come back wiser.
Nurturing
May there be room for you to take the time to do things that heal your heart and help you grow, because in the same way you would nurture a plant that was worthy of care, it also matters to be gentle with yourself while you wait for something new to bloom.
Onward
A new beginning won't always feel like a giant leap that happened overnight. There are times when moving onward looks like entering a new space where everything is practically a blank page, but then there are other times when we carry pieces of the past with us. May you never forget the good things worth carrying with you, and may your gratitude for them only grow over time. You are free to pace yourself here into this new beginning, continuing in a forward direction.
Openheartedness
Carry on with courage.
Carry on with an open heart.
For you have not met everyone you were meant to meet, including a future version of yourself, who has learned how to practice having an open heart to new connections that will take shape in due time.
Potential
May this be the season you make decisions based on the fact that you know what you are worth. May this be the season you lean into your strengths without downplaying them. May you continue to rise up with courage, right here where you are.
Possibility
Here's to recognizing that when the chapter closes before you expected it to, that doesn't mean the future will never be beautiful for you. With each new day, a new page awaits. As long as you are living, there is still time for new pages in this story to be written.
Preparation
You don't have to rush into figuring out how all of the pieces fit together before you can come alive right here. You are allowed to spend some time laying the groundwork for all that is to come.
Process
Not everyone has to understand how things are being woven together in your life right now before you see the process as something beautiful and worth tending to with care, right here where you are.
Release
Sometimes letting go and welcoming change might look like saying "goodbye" to the way things used to be. And in that space, you are free to cling to any little thing that sings, "...but perhaps, even here, you are only just beginning."
Readiness
As you learn to fly,
may you also learn to rest...
for both will prepare you
for the journey ahead.
Reflection
It takes courage to slow down and assess what things might be draining you of energy and resources. What needs to change? What adjustments need to be made so that you can have more space to rest, to breathe, and to discover or rediscover what brings you alive?
May your reflection on these things awaken a renewed sense of focus.
Renewal
May you find rest in knowing that even though you have known endings, it wasn't the end of your value, and this is true whether others see it or not. There is still time for starting over. There is still space for new beginnings.
Resolve
May beautiful things fall into place in a thousand little ways you didn't expect.
Resonance
May this year bring clarity.
May dreams inspire breakthroughs.
May rest renew strength.
May presence enrich connection.
May stories invite depth.
May peace inhabit the in-betweens.
May mornings transform shadows.
May sunsets echo resolve.
Rhythm
You are already a little further than you were a year ago. The progress you are making can be found in the rhythms you've been creating... and it matters more than you know.
Rooted
Like a flower, you are learning to be rooted in the soil while simultaneously stretching upward toward the sky, unfolding in your bloom.
Space
Seek clarity where you need to seek clarity. Let go where you need to let go. You're realizing you need more space to breathe, more room to think, and you are free to create room to nurture these things. Let the cultivation of this space be a part of the way you approach new beginnings.
Steadiness
Sustain forward movement by pacing yourself. For "pacing yourself" isn't only about taking breaks or moving slowly; instead, it is an opportunity to find the rhythms that work for you in different phases and seasons of life.
Telescopic
In the same way that locating a specific star in the night sky requires patience and careful adjustment of the telescope, searching for qualities such as courage, hope, and healing often takes time, too. But you are free to take a telescopic approach, returning to the "lens" over and over, by coming alive right where you are, holding on to any little thing that reminds you: there is more to you.
Timelessness
When you find yourself thinking about how much time has passed, or you're worried about how much time is left, may there also be room to explore new ways of being present that cause you to worry less about time altogether. Amidst all that is time-bound and time-constrained, may there be room to unwind and flourish, too.
Transformation
May you continue to recognize: You have grown so much, and because of this, starting over will be different this time.
Wholeness
You are allowed to look back with compassion and look forward with hope, embracing the wholeness of the story, no matter what remains unknown. You are still breathing...there is still more road to go.
Wildflower
Even if you can't remember all the details of your life from these past few years, you have been growing and changing through it all. And as each new day comes, there will be room for you to continue to bloom, even if you don't notice it right away. Embrace your wildflower-like growth—quiet, yet vibrantly springing up, even in unexpected places.
Worthiness
May this be a space where you create room for kind words and small things that remind you: you matter. You are worthy of the same kind words and consideration that you extend to others. You are worthy of the same love you give.
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Well I hope that one of these connected with you in some way! And as always, feel free to view what I have written as prompts further deeper reflection, if you’d like.
Thanks for being here,
Here’s to a new year,
Morgan Harper Nichols
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