uplevel your word of the year

I was thinking about my word of the year this the weekend and how this exercise has evolved so much for me.

I used to lock-in to one single word as my north star and, honestly, forget about it.

Or worse - I'd remind myself and ride it all the way into the finish line of the year feeling guilty that I didn't really rock it in the way I had hoped I would. 

As a poet - words really matter to me...

They are the codes for how we live, identify ourselves, interact with each other...

Words are everything.

As I sat in contemplation on my word(s) for 2026, it hit me...

Most people are choosing their word of the year as something they don't HAVE yet...

It's not a confirmation, it's a longing...

A wistful, wishful thing they are hoping for that is not here yet...

And the problem with this is - it will reinforce how "far" you are from the thing you want.  

Woah, right?

It's like saying that your word for the year is ABUNDANCE!

When you don't feel abundant at all...

And the word, itself, reminds you of that familiar truth every time you say it...

There's an even bigger reason why the word of the year exercise often falls short: 

There is no such thing as the future. 

I recorded a reel about this today - you can watch it here.

We really only have access to the present moment as the blank canvas to create from.

And since the premise of the word of the year - for most people - is focused on a future version of you - it puts us in a tricky position.

The you that you are hoping to become that taunts you from some imaginary, far away place "guiding" your every move.

So what do we do with this?

1. We register the power of the present moment as the portal to everything we could ever dream of and more.

2. We use our word of the year as an attunement tool to meet us in the moment - to navigate ourselves into the frequency/energy/vibration of what it is we really want to feel.

3. We embrace our sovereignty and take radical personal responsibility for our emotional reality.

4. We dream and create the lives of our dreams from a place of full power.

When you really GET that the present moment is the canvas, the launching pad, the place where you hold the magic wand - you start paying exquisite attention to your actions, your feelings, your energy and your inputs.

The present moment is connected to every version of you that could possibly exist -even the ones that transcend your imagination...

And when you learn how to really integrate this - you pull your power back.

So let's look again - 

• What is your word of the year, now?

• What does it activate IN you?

• Given your answers above, what's your next move?

I taught a free workshop last week called CREATE YOUR YEAR and in it I shared my words of 2026 and the 12 BIG lessons/tools I garnered from last year. 

We opened with an exercise that had us all moved to tears. 

You can click here to access the replay.

Wishing you a full power 2026 - I am so excited to journey with you, continue these deep conversations and bring them into our businesses and every facet of our lives.

Much Love, 

Amber