FLOW Over Force: How One Word Can Shape Your Entire Year

Happy New Year, everyone! I hope you welcomed 2026 with a full heart, a clear mind, and a moment to reflect on the year behind you. This transition is such a gift; a natural pause that invites us to look inward, release what no longer serves us, and step into a new chapter with intention.

If you are someone who feels overwhelmed by resolutions, goals, and the pressure to “get it right,” I want to share a shortcut that has transformed my life over the past five years. It’s simple, grounding, and surprisingly powerful. Instead of taking a resolution path, I take a vision path.

Allow me to explain.

Journaling as a Year‑Long Release

Throughout the year, I journal about the good, the bad, and the truly messy. I do it to keep my body, mind, and spirit light. Some seasons I write daily; other times it’s sporadic. I don’t critique myself or judge the rhythm. I simply notice the pull to write and honor it.

This practice helps me stay open to the positive experiences that flow my way. It’s a gentle way of clearing emotional toxins and making space for clarity. (CLARITY was my word for 2025 and boy was it popping up everywhere...I loved it!)

The Power of Choosing One Word

As the year winds down, I begin thinking about one single word . . . a word that feels good, sparks positive energy, and sets the tone for the year ahead.

This isn’t about tasks or checklists. It’s about tuning into your inner flow. That flow is what moves the universe in your favor. It’s what helps you receive, create, and align.

And here’s the wild part: once you choose your word, it starts showing up everywhere. Little reminders appear without effort . These reminders show up in conversations, signs, moments, synchronicities. It’s like the universe taps you on the shoulder and whispers, “Remember this.”

This year, my word is CURIOUS.

I hear myself saying' "Hmm I am so curious about . . ." 

I will be saying this a lot in 2026.  Just think of how much I am going to learn and discover by year's end!

Why Vision Beats Resolutions

Traditional New Year’s resolutions are goal‑oriented. They are often rigid, task‑driven, and rooted in outcomes. Vision, on the other hand, is expansive. It asks:

How do you want your year to feel?

Who do you want to become?

What energy do you want to carry?

Goals can support your vision, but without a vision, goals become chores.

When you begin with a single word to answer these types of questions, your vision is born and then you can build your 90‑day goals around it. 

After you choose your word, you may begin to feel a wonderful whole body shift. Stress leaves the body. Creativity rises. You feel more in control and more open at the same time. And because you only have to remember one word, the process becomes fun, light, and surprisingly effective.

FLOW: The Effortless Middle

We often focus so much on outcomes that we forget the importance of simply touching lives positively — starting with our own. Protecting your peace, nurturing your inner world, and staying open to goodness are not luxuries; they are foundations.

Imagine standing in the exact middle of a tug‑of‑war rope. Neither side is pulling harder. There’s no strain, no resistance. That’s what FLOW feels like. Effortless. Natural. True.

A Little Science to Support the Magic

I also love grounding this practice in something familiar: the theory of inertia, or Newton’s First Law of Motion. It states that an object at rest stays at rest, and an object in motion stays in motion unless acted upon by an external force.

In other words, things tend to continue in the direction they’re already going.

Your word becomes that gentle force — the nudge that keeps you moving in the direction of your vision. Not through pressure, but through alignment.

Five Years In — And Still Growing

I know this approach may sound a little “loosey‑goosey,” but after five years of practicing it, my life has become deeper, richer, and more fulfilling. These words have become building blocks — small anchors that guide me into becoming a better version of myself each year.

So if resolutions feel heavy, try choosing a word instead. Let it guide you. Let it surprise you. Let it shape your year in ways you couldn’t plan if you tried.

Here’s to a year of being CURIOUS, open, and in FLOW.

Thank you for taking the time to read my words!  Cheers to a great year and your one Curious Word.  Enjoy!

XO,

Deb Ryan