THRIVE: MY INTENTiON WORD OF THE YEAR 2025

For the last 11 years, I’ve chosen a ‘Word of the Year’ instead of making New Year’s resolutions. Rather than making a list of specific goals, like eating healthier or traveling more, I like to focus on how I want to feel energetically.

In fact, to prepare for this post, I went back to look at the words that I’ve selected over the past decade – BREATHE, FEEL, HEAL, REBUILD, CREATE, HOME, CLARITY, PURPOSE, EXPAND, COLLABORATE — and I was shocked to realize that I did not choose a word last year!

(How in the world did THAT happen?!)

I know I was in the throes of Lyme Disease treatment in 2023 & I guess I just forgot – but I truly believe that as a result of not setting a clear energetic intention for myself, things kind of went awry in 2024.

“Can you believe I didn’t pick a word last year?” I asked my friend, Stephanie, last week.

“Based on the way this past year played out, what word would your word have been?” Stephanie asked.

(That Steph, she asks good questions.)

So I thought about it.

And then I wrote this blog post.

And then, I told Steph my word for 2024 would have been RECEIVE.

“Because I really had to ask for & then allow people do practically everything for me,” I said.

For some reason, people tend to assume that because I have a large following on social media that I also have a strong social support system in real life. Unfortunately, this is not the case. I often say that I have 11K followers on Facebook, but I can’t find anyone to give me a ride to the airport.

The truth is, for the first 30 years of my life on this planet, I did not need to ask for much help. I was a good enough student. I was athletic and coordinated. I had friends. I was healthy. I got the job I wanted, lived in the house that I wanted, and I did not struggle financially.

The first time I ever really needed help was after my son was born. Back then, when I requested help, I was either not believed, had my needs minimized, or I was accused of exaggerating whatever problem I was having. As a result of living thru that experience, I sometimes revert to a false assumption that ‘everyone else’ has a better default support system, and I still carry a lot of shame around my perceived deficiencies in this area.

I also have a lot of feelings around receiving. Like most people in the United States, I tend to value independence & self-sufficiency, and for a long time I associated having to ask for & receive assistance as a public acknowledgement of weakness or failure.

Over the last few years, though, I’ve done a lot of work around these issues  — and I am happy to report that this year I was blessed & humbled to have had many wonderful people show up to help me in so many different ways. I received flowers and offers to pickup takeout; I let people do my grocery shopping and my laundry; I let them pick up my prescriptions, handle my errands, schlep me around town to doctor’s appointments; I received gifts & texts & greeting cards packed with words of encouragement; I borrowed my friends’ canes & walkers & shower seats; instead of isolating myself & hiding & being miserable, I asked for help & received the gift of fellowship on those terrible days when all I could do was cry. I even received a few surprise visits.

I was the recipient of so much love & positive energy during 2024, my love tanks have been filled up completely.

And, as a result of being cared for so thoroughly, I am clear about my ‘Intention Word of the Year.’

My word for 2025 is THRIVE.

It’s a good word, a hopeful word.

• In terms of my physical health, I’m starting off the year in a much better place than I was a month ago.
• I’m excited about an upcoming collaboration with my friend, fellow psychiatric survivor & holistic health coach, Emilie Jordao in which we will co-facilitate CONARE: Expressive Art & Wellness, an amazing 10-week online course which blends creativity with somatic healing modalities.
• I’m excited about co-facilitating a year of Women’s Circles, with my dear friend, Stephanie Rober Sheedy.
• I’m excited about the three home improvement projects that I’ve got on the docket.

This year, I know I have the skills, the mindset & the support system to flourish in the face of any and all challenges. I will continue to be intentional about how and with whom I spend my time, and I plan to excel in every area of my life – including my health, my relationships, my business, my spiritual life, and my relationship with myself.

What’s your ‘Intention Word of the Year’?