New Year Word or New Year Theme? Which will get you what you want most?

Do you have your New Year Word or New Year Theme yet?

While you don’t have to wait for the New Year to create a word of the year (or theme of the year), it’s a natural time to do so. At the start of a New Year, we tend to look to the future for what we want to create in the coming year but you can actually do this any time. Why wait to create the life you want?

The question at hand is which is the best tool to utilize? A word of the year? Or a theme of the year? The fact is, they can really be the same thing. A theme could be as little as one word after all. And there’s far more to consider.

New Year Word – Word of the Year

The idea of a word of the year is to give yourself focus. To bring your attention to an area of life you’d like to amplify. To shore up something you feel is missing or lacking. In this way, a word of the year can end up being a lot like a New Year Resolution. 

If you’re not careful with your selection, it could create the opposite of what you are after. No matter what you call it, anything that seeks to fill a perceived absence in your life can inadvertently create more lack and dissatisfaction. It can highlight how much we aren’t experiencing what we desire. 

For example, if you want to manifest love through a relationship and choose Romance as your word of the year, you could likely end up feeling disappointed and let down more than not on the way to your desire of a relationship. The bigger problem here is that’s not an energetic state likely to attract a relationship, now is it?

A new year word selected in the hopes of manifesting love could actually lead you down a slippery slope where you see romance everywhere but at the same time it only reminds you of the absence of it in your life. Ultimately reaffirming your lack of romance. Bad news all around.

Here’s another example for you. What if Trust is your word of the year? If you selected trust because you were betrayed you can probably see the trouble that could follow. Choosing a New Year word (or a New Year theme for that matter) based on a reaction rather than an aspiration is never the way to go.

When we select from a reactionary space, we aren’t’ necessarily headed for something we truly desire. Not to say that you don’t want trust but in this case it’s more something we are protecting ourselves from – betrayal. Furthermore, what it can bring up is more levels and forms of betrayal.

New Year Theme – Theme of the Year

With a theme of the year it can be much the same. But let’s explore it from a slightly different angle. Let’s say your new year theme is home organization. Again, we want to explore our motivations to be sure we are coming from a place of expansion rather than contraction.

If you’re selecting home organization as your new year theme, is it because you are ashamed everytime you open your garage door and your neighbors see inside? Shame equals contraction. 

Or perhaps it’s because every time your mother-in-law shows up she makes rude remarks about the state of your mudroom? Let her try dealing with a bunch of kids plus boots and gloves and snow hats for each of them. (Doesn’t it seem like they multiply whenever you turn the lights off?!?) 

In this example the motivation would appear to be based on external expectations. “My mother-in-law (or whoever) thinks I’m a bad mother because Johnny keeps losing his gloves in this mess.” 

Now, no one is saying an organized home isn’t a good thing. What you really want to ask yourself when selecting a word of the year or theme of the year is “what is the experience I want to have of myself in my life?” 

Yes, you might find that you like the idea of what it would feel like to have an organized home. But what specifically is that feeling you are after? Perhaps it’s peace because you can easily find what you are looking for during your morning routine to get out the door. So, that’s what you focus on! Peace. Rather than the organization you think will bring you peace.

Craft an Intention Instead

As you can see it can be hard to say whether a word of the year or theme of the year is more effective. It all depends on the energy and motivation behind it. What does work is setting an intention instead.

So, what makes an intention different? Like we already discussed it starts with the feeling you want to have of yourself. Being sure you are moving toward aspiration rather than away from pain. Making certain that you can feel the pull of inspiration and alignment.

Let’s go back to our example of how to manifest a relationship with someone. Rather than chasing a person or the institution, imagine what it is you will experience in that relationship. Create a sentence that expresses the feeling you will enjoy inside the relationship.

Take your time and read these examples slowly. Feeling into each one before moving on to the next: 

• I am surrounded by love
• I am nurtured
• I am nourished by my commitment 
• My family is strong
• I am cherished
• I am guided to love
• Love is my home
• I am purposefully connected
• I am available to love
• My union is celebrated

What do you feel when you read each of these examples? What resonance do you sense? What images were conjured in your mind’s eye? What did you feel in your body? All of these elements will support bringing you into alignment with that which you desire.

When we consider how to manifest love the more we experience the love in advance of its arrival the sooner it can arrive. This is true for anything you to manifest. And this is the manifestation power behind an intention.

A true intention will move you closer to your vision for your life in the coming year (and beyond) far more effectively because you don’t have to wait to get to experience what you desire in your life. It will be here today. 

Since 2011, courageous men and women around the world have chosen Divine Navigation and committed to the extraordinary and transformative experience of Aligning with their Soul-through their Divine Coordinates. We invite you to also explore the journey of living your Divine Purpose.