Do you ever pick a word of the year, Niepodam?

I started doing it because full-on goals felt overwhelming—like those big resolutions that come with a million steps, months of commitment, and a color-coded checklist that never actually gets finished.

Sometimes even just writing them down felt exhausting.

So a few years back, I started picking a word instead and it’s funny how they’ve shifted right along with my life.

Last year, I went with bright, because I wanted to feel more alive and excited about the everyday stuff.

And now, for 2026, it’s fearless. For me, that’s about quieting my anxiety and trusting myself to handle whatever comes my way—to believe I can do the things I set my mind to without letting fear call the shots.

What I’ve learned is this: a word doesn’t magically fix everything, but it does make decisions easier.

It helps me decide:

what I’m saying yes to (more time with my people, more rest, more things that matter)

and what I’m saying no to (extra commitments, things that drain me, stuff I don’t actually have capacity for)

When things get busy—and they always do—I come back to the word and ask, "Does this fit?"

I put together a quick Word of the Year tool to help you find a word that actually fits this season of teaching and life.

It’s simple and practical—no fluff, no journaling marathon.