If the idea of setting goals for 2026 makes you feel equal parts hopeful and tired, you’re not alone. A whole new year can feel like a clean slate, but also like a lot of pressure. And if you’ve ever hit February thinking, “Wait, what was I doing again?” you already know the problem with big, complicated goal lists.

That’s why I love the One Word practice.

One Word gives you direction without overwhelm. It keeps you anchored when life gets loud. And it helps every goal you set actually belong to the same year instead of feeling like a random pile of resolutions you forget once real life shows up.

So let’s talk about what One Word is, why it works, how to pick yours for 2026, and how to use it in a way that feels realistic. I’ll also give you 236 word ideas at the end if your brain is currently offering you nothing but elevator music.

What is the One Word challenge?

The One Word challenge was created by Jon Gordon, Dan Britton, and Jimmy Page, the authors of One Word That Will Change Your Life.

The idea is simple: instead of trying to chase twelve goals, forty habits, and a personality makeover, you choose one word to guide your decisions for the year.

One word becomes your filter. Your compass. Your quiet “this is what matters” when you’re tempted to drift.

Why choose a word of the year?

Choosing one word helps you overcome distractions and stay focused on what actually matters to you.

Here’s why it works so well for real life:

It gives your goals a theme, not just a checklist.
It helps you make decisions faster, because you know what you’re aiming for.
It keeps the year cohesive, even when the months feel messy.
It turns motivation into direction. Motivation comes and goes. Direction stays.

The best part is that One Word doesn’t replace goals. It strengthens them. Your word is the backbone. Your goals are the muscles.

My One Word examples (and why I trust this practice)

I can’t remember where I first learned about the One Word concept, but I’ve used it for at least seven years now. Every year, my word changes and sets the tone for what I want to build, protect, or grow.

Sometimes I choose the word. Sometimes the word chooses me.

The year I chose COMPASSION

Years ago, my spouse was going through a particularly difficult time. I wanted to shake him and tell him to get it together, but I knew that wouldn’t help.

So at the beginning of that year, I chose the word COMPASSION.

That word guided me through days that felt impossible. When times were tough, and he was swirling through a personal crisis, COMPASSION kept me steady.

There were days when I wanted to lash out, yell, and walk away. But that one word helped me hold the line in a way I’m still proud of. I even bought a Circle of Compassion necklace and wore it all year. It wasn’t magic. It was a reminder. A steady nudge toward the kind of person I wanted to be in my hardest season.

Funny thing is, it became helpful in places I didn’t expect.

That same year, my mom was dying of breast cancer, and my dad was struggling to watch his wife of nearly fifty years suffer. I cared for them through her final weeks, and COMPASSION gave me the guidance to stay the course and be strong for both of them.

I had more pain that year than I’d had my entire life. But COMPASSION gave me strength I didn’t know I had. It was long and emotionally draining, but I’m thankful I chose that word. It didn’t change the circumstances. It changed how I walked through them.

The year I chose FORWARD

Another year, I made the hard decision to close my online store after twenty years of having a brick-and-mortar and online business.

I didn’t know what the next chapter was going to be, but I knew the chapter I was in was done.

So I chose the word FORWARD to guide me.

FORWARD didn’t let me camp out in fear. It pushed me to pivot. It forced me to look at my business with fresh eyes. It gave me a sort of stubborn bravery, the kind that shows up even when you don’t feel ready.

The year I chose FOCUS

A few years ago, my word was FOCUS, and let me tell you, she showed up like a boss.

FOCUS helped me take a blog from 6k visitors a month to more than 300k. FOCUS helped me triple my YouTube followers. FOCUS helped me create online courses. Not because I worked myself into dust, but because I stopped doing everything and did the right things consistently.

That’s the magic of One Word.

It doesn’t add more to your plate. It clears the plate.

What I want for 2026

For 2026, I want this practice to help you the way it’s helped me.

Your word doesn’t need to be impressive. It needs to be aligned with your real life.

Because the point isn’t a cute word on a pretty page. The point is a year that feels like yours.

How to choose your One Word for 2026

Choosing One Word is personal. No one can hand you your word, because no one else is living your life.

Also, your word will change from year to year because you change. That’s a good thing.

Here’s the simple SweetPlanIt way to choose your word:

Step 1. Look at where you are now

Take a quick, honest scan of your life right now.

Ask yourself:

What is working that I want to keep?
What is draining me that I don’t want to repeat?
What do I wish I had more of next year?

You’re not writing a memoir here. Just a few words.

If you want the printable, step-by-step version of this whole reset (so you’re not piecing it together from scratch), the Yearly Reset Kit for 2026 is right here.

Step 2. Think about where you want to be

Now, picture the kind of year you want to live in.

Ask:

What do I want to feel more of in 2026?
What do I need to protect or strengthen?
What kind of person do I want to be by the end of this year?

You’re looking for themes, not perfection.

Step 3. Make a short word list

Write down words that keep popping up. Words that make you exhale. Words that feel like a gentle push in the right direction.

You can pull from the big list below, or make your own. There is no wrong way to brainstorm.

Step 4. Narrow to the one that feels like a compass

When you read your list, one word will usually feel different.

Not necessarily the prettiest.

The truest.

Choose the word that feels like:

“Yes, this is what I need.”
“This will help me stay steady.”
“This word belongs to me right now.”

That’s your word.

How to use your One Word all year

A word only works if you see it and live it.

Here are the best ways to make it part of your 2026:

Put it somewhere visible.
Front page of your planner, Notes app on your phone, sticky note on your desk, whatever you will actually see weekly.
Write a quick intention for it.
One sentence. Example: “My word is CALM. I am choosing smaller plans, steadier habits, and fewer yeses.”
Use it as a decision filter.
When you’re not sure what to do, ask: “Does this support my word?”
Pair it with your goals.
Your word guides your why. Your goals guide your how.
Check in monthly.
One word is flexible. If the word you chose stops fitting, you’re allowed to adjust. That isn’t failure. That’s honesty.

If you want a quick monthly check-in, ask:

How did my word show up this month?
Where did I drift away from it?
What’s one small way I can live it better next month?

That’s it. Keep it realistic. Keep it alive.

236 One Word ideas for 2026

If your brain is blank right now, here’s a big list to get you started. Use these words as inspiration, or as prompts to help you discover the word that fits your year.

Pro tip: if you want to get extra mileage out of this, print the list and circle the ones that make you feel something. The word you need is usually hiding in that reaction.

abundance

absorb

action

adept

add

advance

adventure

affect

align

alive

allow

anchor

appreciate

authentic

awareness

awe

balance

be

beautiful

become

begin

believe

belong

better

best

big

bliss

bloom

bold

boss

boundaries

brave

breathe

build

calm

capable

care

celebrate

centered

challenge

change

cherish

clarity

cleanse

clear

comfort

commit

compassion

complete

confidence

connect

conquer

consistent

contemplate

courage

create

cultivate

declutter

dedicate

deliberate

design

determination

devote

direction

dream

driven

ease

elevate

emerge

empower

encourage

energy

enlighten

enough

enthusiasm

evolve

excite

exhale

expand

explore

faith

family

fearless

fierce

finish

flourish

flow

focus

forgive

forward

freedom

fun

future

generous

gentle

give

glow

go

goals

grace

gratitude

grounded

grow

habit

harmony

happiness

heal

healing

healthy

hero

hope

humble

hustle

ignite

imagine

immerse

improve

increase

influence

innovate

inspire

intention

journey

joy

kindness

laugh

lead

learn

less

light

lighten

listen

live

love

magical

manifest

meditate

mindful

mission

moment

momentum

money

more

move

movement

now

nature

nurture

opportunity

organize

passion

patience

pause

peace

persevere

persist

positive

possible

power

practice

pray

present

progress

prosper

purpose

question

quiet

receive

reclaim

reflect

relax

release

reliable

renew

renewal

reset

resolve

respect

rest

rise

sacrifice

satisfy

seek

self-care

self-love

serenity

serve

share

shift

shine

simplify

slow

smile

soar

solve

soul

spark

sparkle

spirit

steady

still

streamline

strength

strive

strong

success

support

surrender

survive

teach

think

transcend

transform

thrive

trust

truth

try

unique

unleash

unlimited

understand

unstoppable

upwards

value

vibrant

vitality

wander

wealth

whole

why

win

wish

wonder

work

worthy

Your turn

Your One Word doesn’t have to make sense to anyone else. It just has to make sense to you.

When you find it, you’ll feel it.

If you want the printable, step-by-step version of this whole reset (so you’re not piecing it together from scratch), the Yearly Reset Kit for 2026 is right here.

So tell me, what word are you choosing for 2026, and why?