Why I chose SPARK as my 2025 word of the year (+ a peek at my desktop ~vision board~)
Happy New Year, friends!
People seem to have a lot of strong feelings about what you should do to set yourself up for success in a new year.
Look to the internet for more than five minutes and you’ll come across all the reasons that New Year’s resolutions will help you reach your goals and also all the reasons that New Year’s resolutions will ruin your life. You might walk away feeling inspired to manifest your heart’s desires or pretty sure that manifestation is the wooest of all the woo that ever wooed.
I could go on and on—and I’m certainly not here to jump into the chorus of people trying to tell you what to do. What I can tell you is what I do… and use this space to hold myself a little extra accountable in the coming months. The other day, my mom and stepdad hosted a little New Year’s open house, during which I found myself sitting in a circle with a group of other women who started casually sharing their hopes for 2025. Like me, some of them had chosen words of the year. Others hadn’t. Everyone came to the conversation from a different starting point, but it was really fun to compare notes—and I hope you’ll have a good time reading a couple of mine!
I do happen to be a word-of-the-year girlie, and this year, I’ve chosen… SPARK.
Let’s break down the basics first. The word has many meanings, but here are a few that I found especially resonant:
a hot glowing particle struck from a larger mass (noun)
something that sets off a sudden force (noun)
a latent particle capable of growth or developing (noun)
to produce sparks (verb)
to respond with enthusiasm (verb)
to set off in a burst of activity (verb)
Here’s why spark feels like the perfect fit for me in 2025…
A lot of amazing things happened in 2024. I became a mom! I sold my first book!
But making those things happen and navigating through the next steps often felt like a trudge. I often felt lost in the process—and I definitely lost my spark, too.
I don’t expect every day of 2025 (or any year) to be non-stop sparks, but I do want to regain that energy and outlook. Yes, I made a lot of things happen last year, but truthfully, it rarely felt good. I want to ~invite~ and ~allow~ the spark back in!
Currently Reading: Shady Hollow by Juneau Black
A mystery-loving friend recommended this to me last year while we were chatting about ways for me to get back into the genre and I’m so grateful she did. It’s a unique take on the recent “cozy mystery” trend: a murder mystery set in a village populated entirely by woodland creatures. (And yes, it’s written for adults.) I’m finding it so timeless and charming and delightful—plus, a quick read and the start of a series!
Spark also feels like the perfect progression from last year’s word, which was steady.
When I sat down to choose my word of the year at the end of 2023, I knew that there were major changes coming my way. I was extremely pregnant at that time and had no idea what my life would look like personally or professionally in 2024. Steady was a reminder for me to stay the course and keep showing up no matter the surprises or inconsistencies. I did that to the very best of my ability—but now, I want to put some energy back in and let the sparks fly.
I’ve been coming up with a word of the year every January since 2016 or so, but more recently, I added something new to my annual ritual: creating a ~vision board~ with my word as its focal point and using it as the desktop for my computer so I see it every day.
For me, vision boards do feel a little woo woo (though I’m thrilled if they work for you), but this digital collage approach has been a good
one. Plus, they’re a lot of fun to make.
I’m excited to share this year’s desktop collage with you and to open up about some of the more specific things I have my eye on—literally and figuratively—in 2025.
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