My 2026 Word is RISE — What’s Yours?

Happy new year!

I am writing to you from Paris, where my husband and I are enjoying a short visit. We are seeing family, fabulous art, and are thrilled to be back in this magical city. 

No matter where I am at the start of a new year, I always feel exciting energy. Maybe you do, too.

I hope the first few days of your 2026 have been filled with love and joy.

What’s your personal vision for the new year?

I am curious to know if you have chosen a Word of the Year for yourself (that I wrote about last week). If so, I am excited for you!

And if not, early in 2026 is a great time to use my process and set yourself up for a wonderful year.

You can grab your free guide to choosing a Word of the Year here.

Use it to find a special word that will support you to live with intention and inspiration all year long.

My word for 2026

Last week, when I wrote about the Word of the Year process I’ve used for the last decade, I had not yet settled on my choice of a word for this new year.

That surprised a lot of people, and many have been curious to know my word. 

It took me a bit more time this year than usual to feel clear about my word.

I chose RISE.

As I sat with several choices, “RISE” most resonated as a word to inspire me — and provide energy for — the way I want to show up this year.

I also expanded on the way I want my word of the year to serve me.

I have a template I use each year, that I set up and then print. I pin the sheet with my word next to my desk, where I see it each day.

I will be happy to set up the Word of the Year this way for the first 10 women to request one — and will send an image file that can be printed out.

If you’d like that for yourself, email me to tell me your word. And include the supporting text you want, too.

Let’s all show up vibrantly this year! 

No matter what is happening in your life, choosing a word to support and inspire you can help you make each day the best one possible.

You might feel that a word like TRUST, or FAITH, or COURAGE are what you most need this year.

You might feel that a word such as SOAR or LEAD or ADVENTURE is aligned with what you are here for this year.

Maybe a word like REST, PEACE, HEALTH or NOURISH will make this year your best ever.

Please remember that you are filled with creative power, and that that power can be called upon in times of challenge, days that flow with ease, and times of great possibility.

Let’s all move through our lives feeling our creative power and using it. The world needs us all to show up fully and make our most meaningful contributions.

Choose Your Word of the Year for 2026

Starting a new year is, metaphorically, like stepping over a threshold — entering a new space that is separate from where you have been. 

And transitions of any kind mean change — although many people drift across the calendar transition, maybe with a quick resolution in mind, and then keep living as they have been.

This moment offers all of us an opportunity to think more deeply, and focus specifically, on the life we want to live the next 12 months.

What do you truly want in 2026?

In this transition to a fresh new year, do you feel called to do something new? To do more of something you’re doing now? To let something go? To embrace a particular way of being in your day-to-day life?

I invite you to think of entering a beautiful expansive place filled with great possibilities, and choosing the way you want to live in the new year.

To help you sharpen your focus and live your best year, I am happy to offer you a tool that I have used for years. It helps you to get crystal clear about a focus and quality of life that will be meaningful, and be inspired to take aligned action.

I and many of my clients have found this to be a remarkably helpful tool to use at the start of each new year.

Choosing a Word of the Year is powerful

While it may sound surprising, a carefully-chosen word has proven over and over to guide me in more ways than I initially envisioned.

The key is to get quiet and then move through a process of discovery.

Start by listening

Begin by kindling a light from within. Connect to the desires in your heart. 

Ask your heart what it wants. Ask if there are things it craves.

Then sit and listen.

You may hear whispers or bold statements.

Whatever you hear, think next about something small you can do to respond to a deep desire that can be satisfied with ease.

Honor what you hear

If, for instance, your heart longs for quiet, set time aside in a peaceful place. Make it beautiful. Light a candle. If you have flowers, put them where you will be. Add a scent that pleases you. Then savor the quiet.

If your heart asks for connection, reach out to someone and make a date. Or call a special person who is far away. Or plan a lovely way to spend time with someone about whom you care.

If there are a number of things your heart yearns for, aim to satisfy those desires gently and lovingly. 

Next, use a focused process to guide you

It is my pleasure to offer you a process I have honed that will help you choose a word that aligns for you, and will anchor you to what you want in the year ahead.

The words I have selected over recent years have made a tremendous difference for me. Here are a few of them.

Several years back I chose DEPTH. I yearned to dive deep into learning more and also do deeper work with my clients. My word inspired me to create new retreats, to take women deep into their hearts and find satisfying paths forward. 

In 2024 I chose IMPACT. I aimed to keep a keen focus on ways my work could touch and support as many women as possible. The word supported me to do more speaking, and to create a new program to bring into organizations to help women thrive personally and professionally. 

At the start of 2025, I chose SPACIOUS to guide my year. I have looked at that word each day, where it is tacked to the wall next to my desk. It has reminded my to simplify, embrace play, commit to a lighter schedule, and get more help.

To guide you to find a meaningful word that fits you for 2026, click here to download my PDF. It will walk you through 3 thoughtful steps.

(You can also click on the image above to get the PDF.)

You may quickly find a word that feels just right, as I have in some years.

Or, you may consider a word or two for a couple of days, even explore a synonym that is more nuanced and inspiring, and then land on the word that’s just right for you in 2026.

(A few years back, a client had started with the word THRIVE, and came to realize that FLOURISH would be an even clearer guiding word.)

And give yourself bonus points if you add a sentence or two, as a reminder of the ways you want your word to support you.

Living your Word of the Year 

As you will see when you download the PDF, I suggest printing out your word in large bold letters, and putting it where you will see it and be reminded of it each day — so you gain the greatest benefit from this process. 

And I welcome you to share the word you choose for 2026! Email me

One last thing…To supercharge your 2026, consider joining me and an intimate group of amazing women at Creation Vacation! There’s still an open spot for this glorious annual retreat that starts January 19. Let’s talk to see if it’s the perfect fit for you now, or if there’s another path to your most rewarding, fulfilling future.

A different kind of top-10 list

With the holidays upon us and the last days of the year winding down, top-10 lists will soon start showing up. We have all seen the typical lists of the top-10 films of the year, the top-10 world events, etc. In thinking about top-10s — which for me would include things like a significant birthday celebrated, the marriage of my nephew, coaching remarkable and inspiring clients, and a memorable trip to Paris — I decided to be grateful for all of those things, but to take a little different approach to thinking about how I want to compile my top-10 this time around.

I am thinking about the top 10 things I have learned that I want to take into the new year.

1. To start, I’m focusing on what I want to leave behind from this last year.

By reflecting on what went well and what things went awry this year, I will be able to leave behind habits and practices that I know do not serve me well. This will open the way for more of what I want to bring into my new year. What will I leave behind? For one, timidity. I have learned that when I take a step that feels big, and even a bit scary, it's always better than shrinking back. I will also no longer chase after every interesting idea I get or every opportunity that comes my way. I’ve learned that these distract me from my big priorities. Do you get the idea?

2. After reflecting on my last year, I will decide on the key things I want to create in this coming year and I will choose a word for my year.

When I have clearly defined my top priorities, for my personal life and my work, selecting a word that will guide me will follow. (I wrote about choosing a word of the year last December, and many people wrote to tell me they carefully chose a word to guide their year, too.) I learned that having my word was meaningful and inspiring, and that it was great to post my word where I saw it daily. I know this year’s word will help me to be focused and on-target, both with my new priorities and with how I want to live.

3. I will celebrate my achievements in this year and commit to celebrating my coming achievements in the new year.

We often lose sight of the things we have accomplished and achieved as we rush through our days — especially the small things that can have so much meaning. When we take the time to savor and celebrate ourselves for our successes, and celebrate things what we might overlook (such as trying out something new that is not a sure bet, or having a tough conversation rather than avoiding it), we encourage ourselves, and can appreciate that we are learning new skills and are growing in important ways.

4. I will make my visions visible.

For me, this includes making a vision board every 3 to 6 months. Creating a vision board is an incredible process, and the completed board provides a way for me to look at what I want to bring into my life on a daily basis, so I do not lose sight of what I want to manifest. Making things visible also includes writing down the top three things I will commit to each week and posting the list where I will see it often. The act of committing things to paper, and seeing them, is powerful.

5. I will get more help and support.

Last year I began to work with a great bookkeeper and wondered why I had waited so long to do that. My coaches are a big part of my support system, and I look forward to continuing my work with them. This year, I will begin to work with a virtual assistant to free me from daily tasks that take time away from doing the things that matter most to me and things that only I can do. I will also do more work with a great professional organizer to start the year with an updated filing system for my business, and to help me clear accumulated clutter in my office and home. And, I will think about other kinds of help and support I can enlist to make this a great year.

6. I will have weekly Accountability Calls with a colleague.

This is a practice I started in last year. In every call, we each report on what we accomplished in the past week, where we struggled, and what we learned, and we declare our top three priorities for the coming week. We close by picking a word to be our theme for the week. This has been a remarkable practice.

7. I will take excellent care of myself.

Having experienced a series of health challenges this year that are now, happily, resolved, I am well aware of the importance of careful self-care. I will pay special attention to what I eat and to my exercise routine. I will create a new daily practice that includes quiet meditation each morning, so that I will be centered, calm, and clear as I start each day. I will be tuned in to what causes me stress, and work to reduce those influences — and I’ll actively clear any stress that does come up.

8. I will show up, engage in constructive conversations, and take action related to civic causes about which I care deeply.

Current political developments are calling me to think creatively and partner effectively to be a force for sustaining and improving civil rights, ensuring social justice, building tolerance, protecting the environment, and more.

9. I will create as never before.

I know that when I write from my heart, and when I paint, and when I think creatively, and when I experiment freely, my life is enriched. Difficult emotions are transformed, I am fueled and inspired, I learn and grow, and I engage with others in amazing ways. I will also visit museums and galleries, attend live theater, music, and dance performances, and read as many great books as I am able. Creativity that I engage in and that I experience connects me to big, new ideas and accelerates inspiration.

10. I will live with love as a driver.

I know that love is powerful and positive, and that is what I want to be. I know that love is an antidote to fear and anxiety. So, I will continue to make “love” my watchword, as I have been especially focused on doing recently. I will check in with myself and ask if I am I serving myself, my family, my clients, my community, and the world with a full heart, and if I am modeling love and tolerance for those around me.

I am looking ahead to the next year with the desire to live bigger than ever. That desire informed my top-10 list entries. What will you include on your forward-looking top-10 list? How will you create the best year ever?

Let me know if you are making a top-10 list, and what your list (or lists) include. I would love to hear your thoughts on the topic.

All my best wishes for the upcoming holidays and a BIG and happy year. Let's all look ahead to a year filled with love, creativity, joy, abundance and peace.