This is my 6th year picking a word for my year. It’s always a tough decision to nail down my word, but this year was particularly hard because I had a hard time really pinpointing what I wanted to work on in 2020. I felt a little all over the place trying to decide so it took me longer than normal to settle on my word. 

But now I’ve picked and it’s feeling like the perfect fit for 2020! So today I’m sharing my new word for the year as well as some tips for picking your own word for this year. 

Here are my past words: 

• 2012: Intentional
• 2016: Joy
• 2017: Create
• 2018: Refresh
• 2019: Faithfulness

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What has gone into choosing this word: 

On the podcast, I share the general flow of our life since 2012 and how you can see that overarching picture of our family through each word of the year. 

But looking ahead to 2020, we are facing what is likely going to be a very big transition year for us. Baby #6 is due in April and we are Lord Willing, going to be selling our house and starting to travel around the country. But at the same time, my own personal energy and capacity has been rising and I feel ready to jump back into more consistent routines and habits. 

So 2020 for us is going to be a big mix of buckling down and cultivating better habits as a family AND living in a constant state of change throughout the year. ? Bring it on! 

So when choosing my word for 2020, I faced a difficult challenge of blending this idea of stricter discipline while also going through the flow of newborn, selling our house, and lots of change…all while maintaining those BIG important priorities as #1 priorities (God, Jason, and the kids)! 

So while thinking about and praying about my word, I started a list of things that felt important to focus on. This list included: unity, community, relationships, grace, connectedness, harmony, vision, perception, connectivity, adventure, compassion, connection, consistency, and intuition. 

This then led me to a word that I’ve almost used a few times in the past….

Cultivate. 

My word for 2020 is cultivate and it’s fitting so perfectly with my goals and desires for 2020 (even those that seem to be at odds with one another like slowing down to have a baby and enjoy the newborn time…while at the same time selling our house and traveling)! 

So as I head into 2020 and start to form my goals and habits for the new year (look for the next episode for a discussion on those), I’ve broken my word into 3 main categories: 

Cultivating Relationships

I want to do a better job this year of investing in those close to me. Jason and I really pulled back this year to be able to focus on our family and it’s been great! We feel like we’ve really been able to double down on those big important priorities and look inward to our family. 

That’s what we’ve needed in 2019! And now I need to do a bit more outward focus for this next year. I want to do a better job of following up with friends and family. Asking them how I can pray for them (and actually doing it) and adding a few select things back into our schedule (without overwhelming ourselves)! 

Cultivating friendships is another big one for me this year! 

Cultivating Better Habits

As 2019 as drawn to a close, our life has been busy and full (with so many good things) this fall. SO many of our normally good habits and routines have gone out the window. 

So as usual, I’m desperately craving some better routines as we head into 2020 and beyond. So one of my big focuses will be building in better habits and routines so that come baby time, I hopefully have things working more consistently (things like meal planning and batch cooking, my time with the Lord, work time, and homeschool)!! 

I’ll go in-depth into how I’m breaking these down in my next episode on 2020 goals. 

Cultivating Faith 

This is the big mega important one! When life gets busy, it often feels like the FIRST things to go out the window are Spiritual Disciplines and spending time with the Lord both individually and as a family. 

So in cultivating relationships (such as making a better effort at praying for friends and family) and cultivating better habits, this is a BIG and practical one on the list. 

I have three main areas I want to cultivate more faith: in my own personal relationship with the Lord, as it affects my family and teaching our kids about the Lord, and cultivating my own faith as it outpours here into our ministry. 

Resources for picking your own word: 

Are you read to pick your own word for 2020? I know it can be hard to know where to begin when picking your own. So here are some resources and help on choosing your own! 

• How to pick your word for the year (scroll down about half way)
• How to Make the Most of your Word of the Year
• Planning for a Year of Success

How to pick a word for the year

1) Stop, slow down, and think 

Picking a word for your year doesn’t need to be overly complicated or hard. Chances are, you won’t have a terribly hard time coming up with word options. You will probably have a hard time narrowing it down. So spend a few minutes dreaming about what you want for this year:

What do you wish you had more of (or less of) this year?

What word or idea do you want to dominate your life this year? 

What do you want 2020 to be characterized by?

Is there something you want to work on? Like finding more joy in your home.

When you stop, think for just a second. What one WORD comes to mind?

2) Look up the definitions

If you are struggling to narrow it down. Then hop on google and look up the definitions, this might help clarify things. This can sometimes either solidify it for you that THIS is the word, or it can help confirm that it’s not entirely right.  

I don’t think it needs to be complicated to pick your word. Chances are, your gut is already telling you what you need for this year. What do you dream for 2020? Some ideas might include: 

• Joy
• Create
• Grace
• Rest
• Discipline
• Grateful
• Thankfulness
• Connected
• Intentional

There are so many great ones out there to choose from! I would LOVE to know what word you picked for this year. Leave a comment here or hop on over to Instagram and share your word there! 

Links & Resources: 

• Sponsor: Paint Your Life – Get 30% off your painting by texting HF to the number 64-000
• Sponsor: Get 50% off your first box of vitamins with coupon code Home50 at TakeCareOf.com