If you spend any time on social media, then perhaps you’ve seen this before. As the New Year approaches, you’ll find people from all walks of life embracing a single word designed to define the coming year.

While no one seems to know where the idea came from, everyone seems to agree a single word creates a theme, something to hang onto throughout the coming year. In a sense, this is what you’re going to build your year on.

Put like that, it makes sense to hunt down a word strong enough to hold up your dreams and aspirations. Let’s look at a few more reasons why choosing a word can help you make this your best year yet.

There’s Elegance to the Idea

With all the craze to simplify and live in a minimalistic way, taking on a single word to define your year holds a certain appeal. Instead of slogging through a pile of resolutions or To-Do lists, you’re instead sticking to the idea of a handful of syllables. Beautiful, right?

It Provides Focus

This word is the center point to all you do. When confronted by new challenges or ideas, you can hold them up against this word and know instantly whether this is a good fit or not. Are you keeping to your own ideals?

It Defines Your Intentions

Your word holds an inherent goal. What is your direction? Your word should give you this heading and then serve to keep you on course in the direction you wish to go.

With so many benefits, a word makes quite a lot of sense. The question now becomes how to find your word:

1. Think about the coming year. What kind of person do you hope to be at the end of it? Is there a word to define this person?

2. Do you have a goal you’d like to accomplish? What word will hold you to your goal and act as a beacon to guide you there?

3. Are you shifting away from old behaviors that might not have served you well in the past? What word describes this shift?

4. Who are the people you look up to? Is there a word to describe them?

Once you have your word, try it on for size. There is no rule saying you can’t change it to something else if this word doesn’t work. Does this word suit you? Is it something you can live with?

When you’re content with your word, remember to enjoy it. Your word should be a positive part of your life. Embrace it! After all, it’s now part of who you are.