Create your very own Auto Publish News/Blog Site and Earn Passive Income in Just 4 Easy Steps
Happy New Year!
Here we are again. It's the start of a new year—that magical time when your journaling app passive-aggressively reminds you to “set your intentions” (and you almost believe you'll achieve them).
What are your New Year's traditions for the reboot? Do you write resolutions? Do you set intentions? How about goals? How do you ensure you continue to work toward these goals?
I've found that it's easier to choose a single word as my goal and guiding principle for the year. My New Year's diaries record my words for at least 20 years.
In case you're curious, here's the list of the final 10:
- Fantasy (2024)
- Balance (2023)
- Freedom (2022)
- Love (2021)
- Elegance (pre-COVID 2020)
- Happiness (2019)
- Scale (2018)
- Run (2017)
- Develop (2016)
- Manifesto (2015)
I also give a word for what happened last year. In fact, I'll first choose a word for the old year. The two words rarely agree. At the end of the year, 2018's “Scale” became “Selection” and 2016's “evolve” became “evolved.”
The years when they don't match reveal my problems. The “happiness” of 2019 gave way to “wandering,” and the “imagination” of last year gave way to “pivot.”
Focusing on a single word gives my intention a name and forms the basis for every action I plan and take, rather than a set of rules that I am likely to break.
Drum roll please: My word for 2025
I mentioned that my final word for 2024 was “Pivot.” I've been through a lot of changes this year (like many of you).
The nature of my work today is completely different than it was in January 2024. The model by which I do it has changed. The business world has changed. Geopolitics has changed. And our beloved marketing practice is facing some of the biggest disruption in over a decade.
Some of these changes felt hard and daunting. Other elements sparked positivity and excitement. But I'm grateful for everything. As I mentioned in a recent post, shifting my focus from “I have to” to “I can do it” has helped tremendously.
That’s why I almost chose “gratitude” as my word for 2025. For this reason I chose a different word.
It's so easy to fall into the trap of thinking about what we don't have. And it's much harder to remember everything we do. But this keeps people stuck in a scarcity mentality.
Gratitude can tip the scales in the other direction. But if you're not careful, you can go too far. Then what I call “rationalized gratitude” becomes toxic.
Rationalized gratitude sounds like a cruel inner monologue: “Unsatisfied at your job? Be grateful that you have a job!” Or: “Do you need more money? Be grateful for the money you have and spend less of it.”
This form of “gratitude” is actually a scarcity mentality in disguise. It shows you that there isn't enough for everyone, so you should consider yourself lucky to have anything at all.
When you practice gratitude, it's okay to acknowledge that life isn't perfect. And it's okay to recognize that you have things that others may be grateful for, but that don't suit you.
After thinking long and hard about the “pivot” I’m still working on, my word for 2025 came up. It is abundance.
Abundance is a word that is expansive, hopeful, and deeply connected to a new beginning. For me, abundance is not about accumulating money, things, or anything else.
Abundance is about flow – a dynamic, energetic rhythm of giving and receiving, of recognizing and amplifying what already exists.
Motivational speaker Wayne Dyer once said, “Abundance is not something we acquire. It is something we prepare ourselves for.”
This simple truth stuck with me as I thought about the kind of year I wanted to create.
For me, abundance is not about striving, rushing or changing. It's about attunement. It's about opening my eyes to the richness of life that already exists – of creativity, relationships, opportunities and even unpleasant challenges that challenge me.
It's about trusting that life has a rhythm and that full participation will get me what I need, when I need it.
This idea of abundance as flow seems particularly meaningful to me as I continue to focus my career on providing fractional marketing services.
I am fascinated by the idea of creating something sustainable and balanced: a company that thrives not through constant hustle and 225 days on the road, but through constant dynamism.
I want to deepen relationships with colleagues and friends, generate ideas with people I meet, and contribute my expertise in ways that feel stimulating and reciprocal. And in return, I want to feel inspired and free, with the kind of peace of mind that comes from knowing I'm aligned with my purpose.
In this sense, abundance touches every aspect of life. It's the freedom to choose where I spend my time and energy, the creativity to imagine new possibilities and bring them to life, and the gratitude that drives an “enough” mentality even as I strive for more.
Abundance is not static – it is a flow that is constantly moving and constantly renewing itself as long as you remain in harmony with its flow.
So when I set out to live my “Year of Rich Living” (the title of an imaginary book I wrote in my notes), I noticed I was writing these questions in my journal:
- How can I give more generously without fear of running out of money?
- How can I give space for inspiration to find me?
- How can I honor the flow of abundance by trusting in what is to come?
I hope that by sharing this intention, I will inspire you to think about what abundance might mean for you. It is not something we need to pursue or hoard. It's already there, waiting for us to tune in.
What is your word for 2025? Let me know on LinkedIn (and tag Content Marketing Institute).
It's your story. Say it well.
HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT:
Cover image by Joseph Kalinowski/Content Marketing Institute
Create your very own Auto Publish News/Blog Site and Earn Passive Income in Just 4 Easy Steps
