One Word. Endless Possibility.
A single word can guide your choices and shape your year.
Featured Article
The Power of One Word
I shared this simple One Word practice in a recent Greet La Grange magazine article. You can read the full piece by clicking the image.
Each January, I choose one word to help me grow with clarity and purpose. Past words like Patience, Bold, and Playful shaped my life in ways resolutions never could. Your word can do the same. Below, I share why One Word works and how you can discover the word meant for you.
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Why One Word?
One Word is not about setting goals. It is about setting direction.
Your word becomes a compass, a simple anchor that keeps you aligned when life grows noisy.
Each year, this single word focuses your attention where it matters most.
It helps you live on purpose, not by accident.
Simple. Powerful. Growth.
Simple
It is just one word. No long list of resolutions to track or forget.
Powerful
It sticks. You start noticing it everywhere: at work, at home, even while playing.
Your habits shift because your attention shifts.
Growth
Your word shapes who you become. As Deepak Chopra says, “Attention energizes and intention transforms.”
Whatever you focus on grows.
I have shared this practice with clients, colleagues, friends, and family.
I feel honored to share this practice with you.
It continues to change how I live, lead, and grow.
My Word for 2025: Explore
In past years, my words included Patience, Bold, Playful, Intimacy, and Acceptance.
Each arrived at a moment when I needed it most.
Heading into 2025, I considered Gratitude, Purpose, Intention, and Discipline.
I thought I had settled on Gratitude. Then a moment in early January shifted everything.
During a training session, we talked about New Beginnings and how to help our clients step into life as Explorers in their next chapter.
The word Explore landed with a clarity I could not ignore.
It carried the energy I felt growing inside me: curiosity, adventure, courage, and a willingness to stretch beyond comfort.
I wanted to cross into the unfamiliar and return changed.
I wanted to treat life like a map still unfolding.
Every year I am amazed by how the right word finds me.
I suspect yours will, too.
Discover Your One Word
Finding your word begins with reflection. Give yourself room to listen.
Your word might arrive in a moment or reveal itself over a few quiet days. Both work.
1️⃣ Reflect
Think about the year behind you and the one ahead.
What created energy? What drained it?
What would bring more meaning and joy?
2️⃣ Ask
Use questions that open possibilities:
What do I want to focus on this year?
What do I want more of or less of?
What needs to change?
What matters most?
What one word will help me be my best?
3️⃣ List
Write down every word that comes to mind. Then narrow your list to the top three that stand out.
4️⃣ Choose
Give your shortlist a little time to breathe.
The right word will rise when it is ready.
Trust that your word will find you.
Be open. Be patient. Believe your word will appear.
What will your word be?
Share Your One Word
What is your word for 2026?
You are in good company. Hundreds of people have chosen a word that guides them each year.
Want to add your word to the growing word cloud? Share it here!
Don’t have it yet? That’s okay. Below, you can explore words others have chosen in the past. Perhaps their words will inspire your own.
Words Shared So Far for 2026
Looking for inspiration? Here are words shared in a previous year. Your word can be anything that feels true for you.
Remember Your One Word
Even the strongest word fades if you lose sight of it.
Life moves fast. Routines take over. Focus drifts.
Make your word visible so it stays alive.
Try one or two of these ideas or create your own:
Write it on a sticky note and place it where you start your day.
Add it to your phone wallpaper or screen saver.
Paint it on a rock and keep it on your desk.
Turn it into artwork or a t-shirt.
Wear it as a piece of jewelry.
Make it part of your password or planner.
Choose a reminder that fits your life.
See your word. Say it. Carry it. Let it guide you.
Your One Word in Action
Choosing your word is powerful. Living it transforms you.
It will not happen by accident. Intentional action brings your word to life.
Start simple. Identify three small ways to live your word.
Simple actions lead to lasting shifts.
Here are ways I lived my past words:
Playful looked like:
Using fun Zoom and Teams backgrounds: Calvin and Hobbes, Snoopy
Wearing bright colored clothes and a Mickey Mouse shirt
Experimenting with new dinner recipes like Colombian carne asada and aji picante
Reaching out to old friends on their birthdays
Intimacy looked like:
Going into the office more frequently, one to three times a week
Creating a desk sign that included my name, asked who they were, suggested a conversation starter card if they had time (this was Bold, too!)
Suggesting a weekly group “day in the office”
Taking a walk at lunch and listening to a podcast
Sharing gratitude with my wife at the end of each day
Accepting an invite to grab a beer with a friend
Listening more deeply and asking more questions
Joining a fitness center and participating in classes three to five times a week
Bold looked like:
Leading an experience event at my employer
Proactively getting assigned to a new role
Participating in business-building programs
Conducting my own webinar to grow my business
Getting involved as a 360 feedback coach and taking on my maximum number of recipients
This year, Explore looks like:
Navigating life as a solo entrepreneur
Expanding into fitness training, personal training, and now nutrition coaching
Stepping in front of the camera for my very own photo shoot
Hiking a nearby state park I had never visited, with a friend and an open mindset
Choosing challenge and curiosity again and again
Do not overthink it. Keep it simple and intentional.
If you do not know your word yet, trust the process. Your word will come.
I’d Love to Hear From You
One word can carry you farther than you imagine.
If you have a question about choosing your One Word or want to share how the process unfolds for you, I’d love to hear from you.
Supporting people through this process means a lot to me. I also enjoy hearing the stories of how a word reveals itself and starts to shape someone’s year.
Let’s do this.
You can reach me any time through my contact page.
Explore More
Looking for more inspiration?
If this One Word practice resonates with you, take a look at my weekly Thursday Thoughts where I share insights, stories, and small ways to grow each week.
You can read past posts and even subscribe if you want them delivered to your inbox each week.
Get Inspired with Thursday Thoughts
Curious about your next chapter and what comes next?
If you're ready to explore the non-financial side of retirement, take a look below.
Take the Reimagine Retirement Quiz
Explore Coaching with Mark
Hello, I’m Mark!
I invite people to reimagine life after their busiest working years and design a next chapter alive with purpose, passion, and possibility.
Many invest heavily in financial planning but skip the life planning, which becomes clear once the honeymoon phase of working less starts to fade.
Through my Retirement Wayfinder System, I help people explore “pretirement” planning across four key elements: Your Story, Your Spark, Your Rhythm, and Your People.
As a certified leadership and life-transitions coach and a certified personal trainer, fitness coach, and nutrition coach, I blend mindset and intentional action to help people navigate change with confidence and clarity.
My coaching draws from both personal and professional experience, meeting people where they are and helping them move toward what matters most.
A recovering perfectionist who loves music, the outdoors, craft beer, and ice cream, I believe in living with curiosity, kindness, and joy.
