My coach and mentor, Christine Kane, has a free ebook she releases every December just before the new year.

It’s called Your Word of the Year Discovery Tool, and it may very well change the way you think about your goals for 2013.

(Click here to download your free copy. I’ll wait.)

Anyhoo, the whole idea is to answer some introspective questions about the type of person you want to be in the new year.

By choosing a single word that encompasses that feeling you want to have, it will act as a guide for all the decisions you will face. And yes, you can only choose 1 word, not a few or a phrase.

Let’s say you choose the word POWERFUL. By using the word powerful as your mantra, you will shift your thinking to that of a powerful person.

If you’re offered a job, but the pay seems a little low, a powerful person would ask HR if they can go higher, offer flexible hours, or other benefits to sweeten the deal. A powerful person knows there’s no harm in asking for what you really want.

Here’s another example. Let’s say you are resonating with the word RELEASE.

If release is your word of the year, you will think twice before exerting a lot of effort into trying to change someone (because you know that’s impossible). You might also embrace the idea of doing things in a “good enough” way rather than obsessing about perfection.

Why Choose a Word of the Year?

There’s one very good reason to choose your own word of the year. It’s a no-brainer way to keep a resolution.

Really! By keeping this word front and center all year (perhaps in your planner, as your desktop wallpaper, on the mirror, or on the fridge), you will be living your resolution every day with every decision.

Think of it as your compass for 2013. Your word will always point you in the right direction.

So, what’s my word of the year?

It took me a while to sort through all the conflicting thoughts, feelings, and passions bumping around in my brain. I have so much I want to do! I want to empower so many people! I want to have fun, live life, and be insanely happy!

And then a single word emerged like a beacon in the darkness.

FOCUS

There have been lots of changes for me in 2012, and I’m looking forward to living less scattered and more focused in 2013.

My word, focus, will guide me when I start to drift away from my healthy eating goals. It will give me extra determination when I’m on the treadmill. It will help me narrow down who I serve through my business because I can’t serve everyone (FYI, expect some changes soon).

And it will give me permission to focus on myself. Speaking of which, I think I’ll block off my “me time” for the week because I deserve it.

What’s your word of the year for 2013?