Find Your Word for 2023 Workbook
Find Your Word for 2023 Workbook
Word 2023
BY SUSANNAH CONWAY
Welcome to Find Your Word!
New Year's resolutions have never worked for me as they always sound like a recipe
for future guilt. "Get healthy" sounds like a sensible goal to have, but it doesn't feel very
inspiring. Even the more specific “Go swimming twice a week” has failure built in. I either go
to a pool twice a week or I don’t — there’s no room for any other outcome (and that's when
we beat ourselves up for "failing"). On the other hand, choosing a word like ENERGISED or
even WHOLE affects me in a completely different way. They encourage me to make better
choices. They empower rather than order, inspire rather than judge.
You can't "break" a word like you can break a resolution. The word (or words!) you choose is
there to inspire you whenever you need it. Your word is your ally. It might infuse its wisdom
through every single day of 2023. It's also likely you'll forget all about your word until that
day in May when — BAM! — you remember exactly why you chose that word :-)
This workbook is designed to be completed over five days to help you figure out what your
word for 2023 could be. Take your time working through the exercises — they aren't overly
complicated, I promise. Obviously you can complete the workbook in one sitting, but gifting
yourself five days to do this opens up space for your word to appear organically. My words
always seem to find me in the shower or when I'm walking in the park, so Find Your Word will
give you a helping hand if you've been drawing a blank. All you need is some paper and a
pen — a journal is ideal. I've also included some printable worksheets you could add to the
back of your Unravel Your Year workbook if you wish.
If you already have an inkling of your word for 2023 keep it tucked in your pocket to see if it
still feels right when you get to Day Five. You might end up with one word but you could also
end up with several… Or one for each month or season…. Or maybe you’ll realise you need
another 12 months with your word from 2022. There are no rules to this word-finding thing so
take your time and enjoy the process. You can't do this wrong.
This is the 15th year in a row I’ve chosen a word and I don't have any plans to stop — that's
how impactful this practice has been for me. Usually I'll pick a word I know will help me
with stuff that's coming up — for example, VISIBLE was my constant companion as I tended
to my fledgling business in 2009. BRAVE was the perfect choice for the publication of my
book (and subsequent book tour) in 2012. The following year I welcomed the energy of OPEN
knowing I was ready to try dating again (it helped!), and by the time 2015 swung around
it was NOURISH that supported me through much-needed surgery and the long recovery
afterwards. In 2016 it became apparent that LOVE was the only possible word for a year
that contained a life-changing family emergency. In 2022 I've danced with THREE words!
We can’t always predict what challenges and gifts a new year will bring but we can take
time to assess where we are NOW to gauge where we want to be NEXT.
Pause for a moment right now to take a deep breath and ask yourself these questions:
Just sit with the answers that come into your mind. Jot down any thoughts that stand out in
your journal and let them be for now.
It's time to start gathering some raw material to sift through. I've recorded a visualisation to
help you picture your ideal day in 2023. An “ideal day” isn’t about jetting off to somewhere
tropical — it’s simply a day that feels GOOD. You could picture a day you know is coming up
and want to feel good about it or just play with how you want your days in 2023 to feel. Let
the visualisation take you where you need to go.
Start by finding 11 minutes of quiet time away from distractions. Put your phone on silent
and find a comfortable seated position.
Now listen to the audio (there's a written transcript at the end of the ebook) and circle back
here when you're done…
Hopefully you were able to picture your ideal day as you listened to the audio — could you
sense it? Feel it? While you're still in the zone I invite you to get out your journal and write
down everything you can remember from the visualisation. Think about where you were...
what you were doing... how you felt... what you were looking forward to.
There are no right or wrong answers, reactions or ponderings here. We’re simply looking for
clues, okay?
Perhaps you're already sensing what you need support with in 2023 after the year you've
had in 2022. Perhaps you have some big plans you want to explore, some big events
coming up, some big changes to navigate. Perhaps you’ve had such a big year you’re
wishing for a quieter more reflective year in 2023. Perhaps you know what it is you're ready
to step into (or away from) personally... professionally... emotionally... physically. OR perhaps
you simply haven't got a clue. It’s all good, loves!
Today we're going to dig into what you have coming up in 2023.
Get out your journal and spend some time musing on the following questions:
As ever, there are no right or wrong answers to these questions. Write down whatever
comes into your head and remember nothing is set in stone, we're simply excavating more
raw materials.
A large part of this process is simply staying open to epiphanies and keeping your eyes
and ears open. Our words can find us in the most unexpected ways — in a social media
caption, on a flyer, the title of a book, a song on the radio. A friend might say something in
conversation and suddenly there’s your word. We are surrounded by words all the time so
don’t be surprised if the exact one you need lands on your shoulder in the supermarket :-)
Okay, today we're going to gather some possible words and start unravelling them to see if
we can find the right one.
Ready?
PART ONE
With a pen in your hand, look back through your notes from the Ideal Day visualisation
and circle any words that feel important. They might be feeling words (e.g. calm, happy,
content), they might be action-oriented words (motivated, energised, focussed) or they
might even be completely random words that mean something specific to you. As I hope
you know by now, there are no right or wrong answers!
Next, look through your responses to yesterday's questions and circle any words that catch
your eye. They don't necessarily have to be words that could be The Word — though they
might be! — just quickly read through everything you wrote and see what stands out. Try
not to overthink this bit — go with your first reactions. Are there any words that feel full of
potential?
Then, taking a new page in your journal jot down all the words you circled, in no particular
order... just get them on the page.
Now put your pen down and go make a cup of tea/coffee/walk the dog/take a break and
then come back here when you're ready...
PART TWO
So hopefully you now have a list of about 10 to 20 words — maybe more but hopefully no
fewer than 10. Somewhere in this list is the key to your word for 2023. It might be the actual
word itself or it might be a clue to your word... let's dig in and find out.
Look over your list of words and select up to FIVE that speak to you the most. Any more than
five and it's going to feel overwhelming, so stick with a maximum of five for this leg of the
journey.
On a new page in your journal explore the following questions for each word in turn:
— What's your own definition of this word? What does it mean to you?
— Look it up in a dictionary and/or thesaurus and jot down anything that speaks to you
— Can you think of any supporting words for this word e.g. LOVE could be supported by
caring, passion, connection, commitment
— Is there another layer under this word? e.g. NURTURE might really be about creating soul
connections or community
— How does this word make you feel? Excited? Motivated? A bit nervous? Expanded?
If you're anything like me there might be a couple of words on your list that you already
feel more drawn to than others — that's good! Stay open for now and hang out with your
potential words, twirling them around your mind as you go about the rest of your day. You
don't have to make a final decision just yet.
PART ONE
As you consider the potential words you've gathered, think about whether you need an
ACTIVE word or a PASSIVE word for 2023.
For example, if 2022 was a particularly busy year are you now yearning for a gentler ride in
2023? If that's the case choose a word that inspires that feeling inside you from the get go.
For example: Peace, Home, Rest, Listen, Restore, Calm, Soften, Ease
On the other hand, are you ready for a year full of forward movement and change? Got
mountains to climb and need more wind in your sails? Choose a rallying word that inspires
and emboldens. For example: Yes, Power, Fly, Strength, Ignite, Focus, Wild, Invigorate
If you're not sure what's coming down the pike in 2023 this could be the time to choose a
word that supports you inwardly and feels like a hug — Nourish, Nurture, Tend, Become,
Glow.
Or maybe you need a word that'll empower you like a superhero cape as you tackle
everything you must do in 2023 — Stretch, Brave, Expand, Integrity, Adventure
— Which word creates a physical reaction in your body when you say it? Might be a tingle
up your spine. A glow in your heart. Butterflies in your tummy. A long satisfying exhale.
— Which word thrills you? Conversely, which word feels like a blessed relief?
— Which word feels like a delicious gift you want to wrap around your shoulders and wear
for a year?
— On the other side of that, are you wishing the word you're drawn to was cooler or more
hip? Don't discount that word just yet! It might be exactly what you need, so trust your
instincts.
PART TWO
Ideally you want to pick a word you're a little bit in love with. If you're having trouble
narrowing down your word — especially if the words you've gathered are similar in meaning
— try this trick:
Take two of your words and pick one to be heads and the other to be tails. Then simply flip
a coin, call heads or tails and whichever way the coin lands is your word for the year. Pay
attention to your immediate reaction — do you feel pleased or disappointed? Your body/
gut will tell you the truth here! Disappointment is a sure sign it's not the right word. Work
through your words in this way — changing up the pairings as you go — until you land on
the word that feels the most right. It doesn't need to be perfect (because nothing in this
world is) but it should be the one that gives you the most tingles.
Remember that you can always change your mind! Perhaps you'll have an epiphany
halfway through January and realise it was MOVEMENT you needed all along. Or maybe
you'll hit March and be hungering for FLOURISH. Words can be changed and discarded. You
make the rules here and you can do whatever feels most in service to your life and needs.
Each year I pick one key word to guide and inspire me for the next 12 months but I often
select two or three supporting words too. For example, when I chose OPEN as my word for
2013 I was also drawn to soft and radiate so I kept those two as supporting words, knowing
they’d support me as I practiced being OPEN in my life (really powerful!)
So if you're having difficulty deciding between two or three words consider choosing
one main word and keeping the others as supporting words. It could be that each word
supports a different aspect of your life and so the combination of them all makes perfect
sense. You may have an INWARD word and an OUTWARD word. You could have an ACTIVE
word for work and a PASSIVE more nurturing word for home (or vice versa!) Your word may
actually be a mantra or phrase like SHINE YOUR LIGHT.
Hopefully you've narrowed it down to two or three words by now so I've got one more trick to
help you suss out which is the right word to wrap around you in 2023. Have you ever noticed
how brilliant ideas appear when you're doing something completely unrelated? We're going
to harness a bit of that magic to help us settle on our word.
Write your potential word in the centre and just let it sit there while you colour. Give yourself
half an hour to do this simple activity, then see if you have any more clarity about your word
choice when you've finished.
If you're still undecided, try this: forget about everything we've done for the last three days —
ignore the plans and projections, the dictionary definitions and coin flips — and simply ask
yourself this:
© S U S A N N A H C O N W AY S U S A N N A H C O N W AY. C O M
Welcome to the last day!
I'm pretty good at keeping my word in my thoughts as I go through the year — not
obsessively, of course, just enough to remember it when I need to — but I still find it helpful
to make my word official in some way.
In recent years I've shared my word on Instagram as my way of naming and claiming it.
Next I'll dig into my thoughts and intentions around the word in my journal. In 2014 I created
a word-of-the-year notebook to record all the MIRACLES as they happened, and I had a
Pinterest board in 2016 (highly recommend doing this!).
— Create a vision board. Get some poster board and a stack of magazines and cut out all
the images that *feel* like your word. You could do some visioning in your journal. You could
use a pinboard or stick images to your fridge with magnets. You could even commandeer a
corner of a room and fill the walls with inspiring pictures: your word nook!
— Add your word to a favourite photograph and set it as your desktop wallpaper. If you
don't have photo editing software head straight to Canva — it's free and simple to use.
— Go analogue and write your word on Post It notes. Stick them everywhere.
— Write your word on a pebble and add it to your altar. Don't have an altar? It could be
as simple as a candle, some shells and a trinket from a loved one. Collect your treasures
together on a shelf or table as a reminder of your intentions. Create a sacred spot in your
home, just for you.
— Paint a picture and include your word. Write it on your skin with a Sharpie. Doodle it on the
front of your day planner.
— Write a poem inspired by your word. Create a mantra. Fashion it into an affirmation you
say to yourself as you brush your teeth.
It's definitely worth instigating monthly check-ins with your word throughout the year.
Perhaps on the first Sunday of every month you give yourself half an hour to sit with your
journal and reflect on the reasons you chose your word. How has it been supporting you?
What could you do to bring more of your word into your life? Do you need extra supporting
words? A new word? A phrase? A mantra?
Here are some journal prompts to reflect on each month — replace the words in CAPS with
your word:
— Are there any additional words that would support me next month?
Pro tip: If you use a day planner print out 12 copies of the following worksheet and insert
them into your calendar section ready to reflect and review at the end of each month.
Are there any additional words that would support me next month?
I've loved having three words this year so I'm doing it again for 2023
- SIMPLIFY. EASE. IMPERFECT. These words feel powerful without asking
me to be more than I already am. They make me slow down and
breathe more deeply. I'm looking forward to seeing how they help me
shape the year.
Loves, I truly hope you have enjoyed this workbook and have found
the word or words that feel just right for YOU. Don't worry too much
if your word is being elusive — sit with the questions and stay open
to those epiphanies! And remember, it's not the word that makes a
magical year, it's our intentions and open hearts. WE are the magic
makers!
And take another breath in…Really fill your lungs and let your tummy expand…. And let it out
through your mouth.
And take one more in through your nose… and let it out again through your mouth.
As you let your breathing return to its normal rhythm I invite you to bring your awareness
from your head down into your feet. Feel into your toes…. Feel the tops of your feet… the soles
underneath… Feeling the heels.
Now bring your awareness up into your left leg… through your ankle… into your calf… your
shin… Feeling into your knee. Up into your left thigh. Feel the whole length of your leg. Feel it’s
presence. Feeling its weight…
Now swap over into your right leg… feeling your ankle… your calf… your shin… feeling the
bones in your knee… into your thigh.. feeling the weight, the flesh of your leg… feeling the life
force pumping through it.
Now bring your awareness up into your pelvis. Feel how the bones cradle all the organs
inside the base of your body. Feeling the warmth there, the blood… Rest inside your pelvis,
feel the strength of your bones.
Now bring your awareness up into your belly. Take a breath and feel how your belly
expands. You might like to rest your hands there. What does it feel like inside your belly?
There might be some rumbles if you’re hungry. Maybe a few aches. Just rest inside your
belly for a moment.
Now bring your awareness up into your chest. Feel how your lungs expand as you take a
breath. Can you feel the beat of your heart? If there’s any tightness there just notice it and
keep gently breathing in and out, feeling your lungs expand and contract…
Now bring your awareness to your back… feeling the small into the small of your back… the
skin… and going deeper into your spine… imaging each of the bones… and the flesh… moving
up into shoulders…
Now drop your awareness down into your left arm… through the shoulder into your bicep…
your tricep… into your elbow… down through your forearm into your wrist… your hand. Feeling
the sensation of your entire left arm.
And now swap over to your right arm. Moving through your shoulder… down through your
bicep and your tricep… into the bones of your elbow… down through your forearm… into your
wrist, your hand. Is there any tension there? Just notice it.
Now bring your awareness up into your neck. Notice how it supports your head, feeling the
air passing through it into your lungs as you breathe… and with your next breath bring your
attention fully into your head… feeling the front of your head… your forehead… eyebrows…
eyes… nose… your lips… cheeks…. your chin… And then going deeper within, noticing your
tongue and your teeth… the roof of your mouth… And then just rest in the space inside where
your thoughts float around…
Now taking another deep breath… from this fully grounded space, fully present in your body,
I invite you to open your mind and picture your ideal day in the coming year… Think about
how you feel when you wake up in the morning on this day… when you open your eyes… get
out of bed… maybe take a shower or bath…
Picture yourself eating breakfast and preparing yourself for everything you’re going to do
today. What are you looking forward to? Where are you going to be spending your day
today… What are you doing?
And now you’re in the morning, you’re in the place you want to be. Doing things things
that feel good and make sense, that bring you a sense of satisfaction perhaps… A bit of
responsibility.
Trusting that there’s space for some self care, what are you going to do to look after yourself
today? To look after your mind and your body? What’s bringing you the most joy?
And how will you unwind in the evening? Who’s going to cook dinner? Maybe it’s you or a
loved one…
Now taking another deep breath in… letting it out through your mouth… let yourself become
aware of the room again. Hearing the sounds around you… the smells… wiggle your toes…
stretch your back out.