Word of the month ideas

We’re kicking off 2023 with Word of the Month Ideas and monthly motivational activities you can enjoy all year!

In 2014, I started choosing a Word of the Year to help guide my goals, dreams, and plans.

At first, it was exciting to make decisions inspired by the Word of the Year because everything was fresh and new, purpose-filled and hopeful.

It kept me on track for a good portion of the year and helped me accomplish so many things.

Recently, I was going through old journal entries and realized I had placed a bit too much pressure on one word though.

After all, I had plenty of work I needed to do in other areas of life and sometimes my one word just didn’t fit.

So, this year, I’ve decided to take the pressure off and embrace a Word of the Month.

That way I can intentionally focus on cultivating specific things each week for the entire month while staying within the framework of my yearly goals.

Truthfully, I have no idea if it’s going to work but I’m excited to try a fresh approach. So, grab your calendar, and let’s make this year count!

Here’s a look at our Word(s) of the Month, Activities to Enjoy, and How You Can Create a Similar Calendar Too…

January Word of the Month:

• Simplify

Activities to Enjoy:

• Create Simple Systems That Work
• Set Goals and Intentions
• Craft a Vision/Motivation Board
• Find an Easy Skincare Routine You Enjoy
• Start Quarter Challenge

February Words of the Month:

• Connect & Encourage

Activities to Enjoy:

• Send a Card or Flowers to an Old Friend, Loved One, or Someone Special
• Take an Elderly Neighbor or Friend to Lunch
• Have Dinner by Candlelight
• Pay for the Groceries of the Person Behind You in the Express Lane
• Keep Sundays Sacred
• Listen Intently Without Distractions

March Words of the Month:

• Cultivate Healthy Habits

Activities to Enjoy:

• Make a Healthy Smoothie or Juice Recipe
• Enjoy Movie Night with a Friend
• Go for a Walk on the Beach or in a New to You Trendy Neighborhood
• Prioritize Sleep
• Stretch Before You Get Out of Bed
• Fill Your Water Bottle and Place It in the Fridge Before Going to Bed or Place a Carafe Filled with Water on Your Nightstand
• Do a 15-Minute Clutter Catcher Clean-Up Each Night

• Organize

Activities to Enjoy:

• Declutter
• Go On a Digital Detox
• Create a Capsule Wardrobe
• Donate One Box a Week to a Local Charity or Community Food Bank
• Safely Toss Expired Beauty/Wellness Products/Stained or Tattered Clothes
• Get a Wall Calendar or Magnetic Meal Planner for Your Refrigerator
• Find Ways to Automate Weekly/Monthly Tasks
• Hire a Personal Chef or Food Delivery Service
• Sign Up for a Newsletter That Motivates You

May Word of the Month:

• Nourish

Activities to Enjoy:

• Prioritize Self Care
• Create a Simple 5-15 Minute Makeup Routine
• Buy New Undergarments
• Sign Up for a Local 5K, 10K, 15K, Half or Full Marathon
• Take a Power Nap in a Dark Room
• Buy Flowers for Yourself and a Friend Who Least Expects It
• Put Together 7-10 Outfits You Feel Amazing In

June Word of the Month:

• Experiment & Explore

Activities to Enjoy:

• Try a New Recipe or Restaurant
• Experiment With Fresh Makeup/Hair/Outfit Ideas
• Ask Someone New to Lunch
• Play Tourist in a Nearby Town
• Enjoy a Concert or Play
• Cross Something Off Your Bucket List
• Visit a Farm or Botanical Garden

July Word of the Month:

• Celebrate

Activities to Enjoy:

• Celebrate Independence Day
• Hike a New Trail
• Picnic at the Lake
• Read a Book on the Beach While Listening to the Waves
• Watch an Epic Fireworks Display
• Plan a Christmas in July Weekend
• Go to Your Favorite Bakery for Coffee and Dessert

August Words of the Month:

• Listen & Learn

Activities to Enjoy:

• Watch a New How-To or DIY Video
• Take a Class and Learn a New Skill
• Rediscover Your Favorite Childhood Hobby
• Host a Mini-Retreat
• Listen to a New Podcast or TED Talk
• Make Reservations for a Random Date Night

September Words of the Month:

• Refresh & Renew

Activities to Enjoy:

• Simply Your Current Routines
• Refresh Your Bedroom or Your Favorite Room in the House
• Renew an Old Friendship, Habit, or Hobby You Once Loved
• Read an Empowering Book
• Put a Puzzle Together or Host a Family Game Night
• Listen to Classical Music
• Get a Facial or Deep Stone Massage

October Word of the Month: 

• Inspire

Activities to Enjoy:

• Implement Cozy Routines
• Buy a New Candle, Essential Oil Scent, or Create a New Simmer Pot Recipe
• Make a Pot of Soup and Fresh Bread for a Family Member or Neighbor
• Visit a Museum
• Pick Apples or Find an Amazing Spot to Watch the Leaves Change
• Journal on the Porch with a Warm Blanket and Seasonal Drink

November Words of the Month:

• Plan & Prepare

Activities to Enjoy:

• Deep Clean and Prep for Holiday Guests
• Give Loved Ones or Trusted Neighbors the Gift of Time by Babysitting the Littles So Their Parents Can Christmas Shop
• Host a Cookie Swap, Favorite Things, or Wrapping Party
• Spray Lavender or Deep Sleep Mist on Your Pillow at Night
• Safely Scatter Candles Around the Bathroom and Take a Bubble Bath

December Words of the Month:

• Abundant Gracious Joy

Activities to Enjoy:

• Donate to a Sweater Drive or Family in Need
• Craft Christmas Ornaments or Attend a Wreath Making Party
• Host Someone New for the Holidays
• Do One Thing Your Future Self Will Thank You For
• Stargaze at Night

Simple Ways You Can Create Your Own Word of the Month Calendar…

Choosing Your Word of the Month:

Before choosing a Word of the Month, look over your goals for the year if you have them so they can help guide you.

For example, if you’re starting to train in January for a marathon in June, you’ll want to use words that motivate you to reach that goal each month.

 If you don’t have goals for the year just yet, no worries, I’ve included a list of ideas down below.

Keep it simple by thinking about your priorities and your values, how you want to feel, what you want to fully focus on, something your future self will thank you for, habits you’re excited to create, or things that have been on your bucket list for far too long.

Word of the Month Ideas:

Now that you know how the Word of the Month works, I thought I would share these ideas to help make choosing your own easier.

Abundant * Accept * Achieve * Act * Add * Adventure * Apply * Appreciate * Attitude * Balance * Beautiful * Begin * Believe * Best-Self * Bold * Boundaries * Brave * Budget * Calm * Caring * Celebrate * Champion * Change * Collaborate * Commit * Communicate * Compassion * Confident * Connect * Consistent * Consolidate * Contribute * Courage * Craft * Create * Cultivate * Declutter * Delegate * Design * Determination * Discover * Dream * Emphasize * Encourage * Energize * Excellence * Experiment * Fearless * Finish * Focus * Forgive * Fun * Future-Self * Give * Goals * Gratitude * Grow * Habit * Happy * Heal * Healthy * Honor * Imagine * Implement * Improve * Inspire * Intentional * Joy * Kind * Lead * Learn * Less * Listen * Love * Manage * Master * Meditate * Mindful * Motivate * Move * Nature * Nest * New * No * Nourish * Nurture * Open * Organize * Overhaul * Overcome * Participate * Passion * Patient * Peace * Plan * Practice * Prepare * Present * Prioritize * Progress * Prosper * Purpose * Rebuild * Reclaim * Recognize * Redesign * Rediscover * Relax * Release * Renew * Repair * Repurpose * Rest * Reset * Resolve * Restore * Ritual * Routine * Self-Care * Shift * Shine * Simplify * Slow * Steward * Streamline * Strengthen * Success * Support * Talent * Time * Transform * Travel * Trust * Try * Upgrade * Value * Vision * Wealthy * Wise * Wonder *

Making it Visible…

Once you’ve decided on a word for each month, make it visible!

Write the words in your calendar, stick post-it notes on your refrigerator or create a folder on your phone, listen to podcasts or read books on that topic, set reminders with Alexa, or create a vision board. 

Creating a New Soundtrack…

If you’re the type of person that has great intentions, but little follow through (not judging at all, I’ve been there too) set yourself up for success by creating a new soundtrack.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve stopped doing something I wanted to do for the sake of something I felt like I had to do.

Guilt and obligation seem to go hand in hand sometimes, don’t they?

The thing is, it’s not selfish to take care of yourself.

After all, you can’t pour from an empty cup.

And if you don’t make time to do the things that lift you up, it’s tough to lift others up.

You don’t have to do an activity every day or even every week. But I urge you to give yourself something to look forward to each month.

It might not be easy at first, but I promise, the effort will be worth it.

Cheering you on as you choose a Word of the Month or Word of the Year and create a life you love!

Other Motivational Posts to Enjoy:

7 Tips for a Successful Week (one of your Top Ten Favorite Blog Posts)

10 Tips for Creating a More Organized Life

Finding Clarity With Journaling Prompts

Until next time, I’ll see you on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.

Many blessings,

CoCo

When you’re a doer and an action-taker, staying focused is of utmost importance. But setting monthly or weekly goals can sometimes be overwhelming and set us on the path to burnout. And no one wants to burn out before they achieve their goals!

One way to mitigate the laser-like intensity of weekly or monthly goals is by instead setting a word of the month. This is a technique employed by many over the last few years, and it’s growing in popularity. Like a word of the year, choosing one single word for any given month can help focus your attention on your goals while still being flexible.

Words Have Power

If you know Wild Simple Joy, you know that I believe words have tremendous power over our lives. They have the power to tear us down and set us into a tailspin of negativity. But they also have the power to lift us to greater heights, to release our burdens, and to help us attract mind-blowing things into our lives.

According to Dr. Joe Dispenza, the words we use during self-talk are powerful in creating new neural pathways in the brain, effectively rewiring our thoughts and mindset. This can help us create more joy, success, and learn to take calculated risks.

Words also have the power to communicate to others in our lives our devotion and gratitude, or our inattention and disconnection. There is no need to provide evidence that words greatly affect others around us!

But did you know that the words we use in our thoughts and speech are also like prayers to the Universe? The Law of Attraction is primarily what dictates this. When we focus our attention on positive, abundant, fulfilling words, we’re more likely to be given those gifts by the Universe, Spirit, God, or whatever you believe in!

(Learn more about Dr. Joe Dispenza and some of his famous quotes here.)

History of Word of the Month

Word of the year has a very distinct history, stemming from dictionaries that assigned a word of the year for each year as it came to a close. Individuals decided that this was a wonderful practice for themselves, and they started to choose a word for the coming year instead!

This then got narrowed down into a word of the month to accommodate the ebb and flow of life.

Why You Should Choose a Word of the Month

The premise is simple, really: it’s powerful to choose a word of the year… but life is cyclical and changes with the seasons. Why not embrace that feeling of flow and break down your time period into months instead of just one for the year?

You can choose a word for each month of the year in conjunction with a word of the year, or you can do a monthly word in place of a yearly word. There’s no right or wrong way to do this. Do what works best for you.

You can choose them in advance, or you can pick the word on the last day of the previous month.

How to Choose a Monthly Word

You can honestly choose however you like! I prefer to brainstorm and narrow down my choices to find the right fit. I also like to be flexible when a word isn’t working for me. (Read all about my horrendous experience with my word of the year last year!)

1. Brainstorm

What kind of word do you want your life to embody for the next four weeks? Energetic? Radiant? Calm? Focused?

There’s no wrong choice. Brainstorm a few things that hold deep meaning for you right now.

2. Ask yourself some personal development questions

If you need more ideas, greater focus, or need to narrow down your list, you may want to ask yourself some personal development questions.

• What words bring me a feeling of accomplishment?
• What words bring me a feeling of peace?

If you need ideas for what questions, check out this huge list of deep questions to ask yourself!

3. Narrow down your list

Once you have some excellent words, work on narrowing the words down to choose just one for the coming month.

RELATED POST: 20 Decks of Affirmation Cards for You To Utilize the Power of Words

My Words for the Months January Through December 2023

I decided to choose my word of the month in advance (all 12 months at once), and I decided to use my New Year tarot reading to inspire my monthly word. (Obviously this is a personal choice that goes along with my own beliefs, so take it if it resonates, or discard it if it doesn’t.)

Here are my power word choices for 2023:

• January – Foundation
• February – Strength
• March – Power
• April – Wit & Insight
• May – Beauty
• June – Commitment
• July – Swiftness
• August – Balance
• September – Master Artist
• October – Priestess
• November – Light
• December – Rest & Reflection

The beauty is that I have goals to work toward, but if, for example, something happens in March and I need to reset my priorities for the following months, I can always just go back in and change the next few words until I get back on track.

I’ll make sure to come back at the end of the year and let you know just how well these words worked for me!

Always remember that these words are like sending out a prayer to the Universe! Be careful what you wish for!

I’ve selected these 361 words to be widely-varied and applicable to a great many aspects of your life, such as relationships, finances, job or career, community, home, children, spirituality, and so on.

Many of them are the same as those one the personal word of the year list, but there are a few more here.

1. ability
2. abundance
3. abundant
4. acceptance
5. achieve
6. admire
7. adventure
8. adventurous
9. affect
10. affluence
11. align
12. alignment
13. alive
14. allure
15. allow
16. amaze
17. ambition
18. ambitious
19. amplify
20. appreciate
21. art
22. artful
23. artisan
24. ascendancy
25. ascending
26. aspiration
27. astonishing
28. attraction
29. authentic
30. authority
31. awake
32. awareness
33. awe-inspiring
34. awesome
35. badass
36. balance
37. be
38. become
39. beautiful
40. beauty
41. believe
42. belong
43. birth
44. blessing
45. bliss
46. bloom
47. boss
48. bold
49. bouncy
50. boundaries
51. brave
52. bravery
53. breakthrough
54. breath
55. breathe
56. breathtaking
57. brilliant
58. buoyant
59. buoyancy
60. captivate
61. captivating
62. celebrate
63. centered
64. ceo
65. challenge
66. challenging
67. charisma
68. charm
69. charming
70. cheer
71. classy
72. cleanse
73. colorful
74. comfort
75. command
76. commit
77. commitment
78. community
79. complete
80. completion
81. connected
82. connection
83. conquer
84. consistent
85. contained
86. contemplate
87. contribution
88. courage
89. courageous
90. create
91. creation
92. creative
93. curious
94. dedicated
95. delightful
96. depth
97. desire
98. design
99. devoted
100. discipline
101. discover
102. divine
103. dream
104. driven
105. dynamic
106. Earth
107. earthy
108. ease
109. easy
110. ecstasy
111. effortless
112. electric
113. electricity
114. elegance
115. elevate
116. empathy
117. empowering
118. energy
119. enjoy
120. enliven
121. enrapture
122. enrich
123. enthralling
124. epic
125. epitome
126. exceptional
127. exciting
128. exclusive
129. exquisite
130. extraordinary
131. fabulous
132. faith
133. family
134. fantasy
135. fantastic
136. fearless
137. feeling
138. feisty
139. ferocious
140. fierce
141. fiery
142. finish
143. floating
144. flow
145. flowing
146. fly
147. focus
148. force
149. forgive
150. forgiveness
151. foundation
152. foundational
153. free
154. freedom
155. fun
156. gain
157. genius
158. gentle
159. genuine
160. give
161. giving
162. glamour
163. glisten
164. glow
165. glowing
166. goal
167. God
168. Goddess
169. gorgeous
170. grace
171. graceful
172. gratitude
173. grounded
174. grit
175. grow
176. growth
177. happiness
178. healing
179. health
180. heart
181. heavenly
182. help
183. hero
184. heroine
185. honest
186. honesty
187. hope
188. humility
189. idea
190. ignite
191. imagine
192. imagination
193. immerse
194. impact
195. improve
196. influence
197. innovation
198. insight
199. inspiration
200. inspirational
201. integrity
202. intense
203. intention
204. intentional
205. invest
206. joy
207. joyful
208. jubilant
209. kindness
210. King
211. laugh
212. lead
213. leader
214. leadership
215. learn
216. liberate
217. light
218. limitless
219. love
220. lovely
221. luxury
222. magic
223. Magician
224. magnificence
225. manifest
226. manifestation
227. marvelous
228. meaning
229. meditate
230. metamorphosis
231. mind-blowing
232. mindful
233. mindset
234. miracle
235. miraculous
236. moon
237. money
238. motivated
239. new
240. nirvana
241. nourish
242. optimistic
243. passionate
244. patient
245. peace
246. peppy
247. perfect
248. perfection
249. perspective
250. phenomenal
251. play
252. playful
253. pleasure
254. positivity
255. power
256. powerful
257. prevail
258. Priestess
259. priority
260. progress
261. purpose
262. Queen
263. radiant
264. rainbow
265. receive
266. refined
267. reflection
268. release
269. renewed
270. rest
271. rich
272. rooted
273. safe
274. satiating
275. secure
276. security
277. self-care
278. self-love
279. self-worth
280. sensational
281. sensual
282. service
283. share
284. simple
285. simplify
286. smile
287. soar
288. soothe
289. sophisticated
290. sovereign
291. sovereignty
292. soul
293. soulful
294. space
295. sparkle
296. Spirit
297. spirited
298. spiritual
299. splendid
300. splendor
301. spritely
302. stargaze
303. still
304. stillness
305. strength
306. sublime
307. success
308. sun
309. supernatural
310. surprise
311. surprising
312. surrender
313. swiftness
314. sympathy
315. teach
316. tenacity
317. thrilling
318. thriving
319. timeless
320. trailblaze
321. transform
322. transformation
323. travel
324. unbreakable
325. unchained
326. understanding
327. unlimited
328. unstoppable
329. Universe
330. vibrant
331. vigor
332. vigorous
333. vision
334. visionary
335. vital
336. vitality
337. vivacious
338. vivid
339. voice
340. warm
341. warmth
342. wealth
343. wealthy
344. weightless
345. wellness
346. wholehearted
347. wild
348. wish
349. wicked
350. wit
351. witch
352. witchy
353. wonder
354. wonderful
355. worthy
356. yearning
357. zeal
358. zealous
359. zenith
360. zest
361. zestful

350+ Ideas for Your Word of the Month

English is increasingly used for communication all over the world. For the latest set of words that we’ve added to Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries online, we’ve chosen to focus on English as it is used worldwide, or World English (or even World Englishes). Many of these words are related to food (see our last blog post about banh mi), because people everywhere like to try new foods, and popular foods spread quickly around the world.

Foods that change when they travel – tikka masala and schnitzels

Banh mi is a tasty Vietnamese sandwich resulting from a mix of different cultures, and it is now becoming popular outside its native Vietnam. When food is exported in this way, it often undergoes changes, sometimes because some of the ingredients are not readily available in the new country, and sometimes because people have different tastes there, or have an idea for fusion food, mixing it with another ingredient or dish that is popular in that country.

When many people began to move to the UK from the Indian subcontinent in the second half of the twentieth century, for example, they brought with them their culinary traditions, and some people opened restaurants. The food they made quickly became popular with British people, but of course, the British at that time were not used to spicy food, so this food was adapted to British tastes. Yoghurt or cream, for example, were added to create milder dishes with a more liquid consistency, like our word of the month tikka masala (a combination of the existing dish tikka and a masala sauce. In due course, tikka masala travelled back to India and to other parts of the world and became popular there too.

Another example of culinary transformation can be found in the schnitzel, which in its native Europe was originally made with veal. When German immigrants took it with them to the United States, veal was not easily available, so they started to use beef instead. And when German Jews migrated to Israel, almost a century later, they began to use chicken, because that meat was cheaper there. So today, in the different countries where it is eaten, a schnitzel can be made with a variety of meats.

Foods that change over time – pigs in blankets

Tikka masala and schnitzel are terms that are entirely new to the English language. Sometimes a term that already existed in English evolves and the meaning changes as the dish’s popularity spreads. Take the snack food pigs in blankets, for example. It’s more commonly called pigs in a blanket in the United States, but then it isn’t actually the same thing there – in Britain, it’s sausages wrapped in bacon, but in the US the sausage is wrapped in pastry, rather like a British sausage roll.

It seems that, in terms of sausages, the American meaning may have been the first one. When the pig in a blanket first crossed the Atlantic sometime around the middle of the last century, the meaning was adapted, possibly because Britain already had the sausage roll. Looking back at the origins of pigs in blankets, though, things get even more interesting. The first evidence in the Oxford English Dictionary goes back, as we can see below, to 1880, but it has nothing to do with sausages –  the term was originally used for oysters wrapped in bacon!

This oyster and bacon combo, however, was not in itself an American invention, as it is mentioned in British cookbooks of the time, under the rather strange name of angels on horseback. It seems this name may have come about because the edges of the bacon turn upwards when it is cooked, looking a little like the wings of angels.

A masala of languages – chakka jam

Sometimes, too, an English word is used together with a word from another language to create a new expression. Take chakka jam, for example – and despite what you might think about jam, this one has nothing to do with food! When blocking roads became a popular form of protest in India, this term was coined from the Hindi chakka (meaning “wheel”) and the English jam, as in traffic jam. A chakka jam, though, is a type of protest, a new meaning that does not exist in either of the words chakka and jam.

So, as we can see, in all the many varieties of World English new words are constantly coming in from other languages, the meaning of existing words is changing, and words

are being put together in new ways to create new meanings. Masala pizza, anyone?

Discover more words and their meanings at our Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries!

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Mark Temple worked as an English teacher in Spain, Italy and Latin America before becoming an editor in the ELT Dictionaries department at Oxford University Press.