Ep 3 | How to Live Out Your Word of the Year (Don’t Quit in June!)

Don’t Quit Your Word of the Year

Have you ever picked a Word of the Year, felt excited about it in January… and then completely forgotten about it by spring?
You’re not alone.
Every year we hear from people who say, “I had a word, but I changed it in June,” or “I honestly forgot what my word even was.”
The truth is, choosing a Word of the Year is the easy part.
Living it out is where the transformation happens.
For the past ten years, choosing a Word of the Year has become one of the most meaningful rhythms in our family. It has shaped our marriage, our parenting, our work, and most importantly, our relationship with God.
It’s not because the words themselves are magical.
It’s because they become a lens through which we live.

More Than a Goal

We love setting goals.
Goals help us accomplish meaningful things. But a Word of the Year asks a different question.
Instead of asking, What do I want to achieve? it asks, Who is God inviting me to become?
That simple shift changes everything.
A goal might encourage you to read more books or exercise three days a week.
A Word of the Year shapes your character. It becomes a filter for your decisions, your habits, and even the way you see difficult seasons.
Over the years we’ve chosen words like Intentional, Extraordinary, Freedom, Consistency, Focus, Shine, Pause, and Strength. Looking back, we can see how each one prepared us for the season that followed.
Often, we didn’t understand why God gave us that particular word until months later.

The Word That Carried Us

Our words for 2025 were Content and Discipline.
When we chose them, we had no idea what the year would hold.
We knew our daughter Darla would need medical care after birth, but we never imagined months in the NICU, multiple surgeries, or spending much of the year living six hours apart while Christian cared for our six older children and Kayla stayed with Darla at the children’s hospital.
Looking back, it’s hard to imagine walking through that season without those words.
At first, Kayla thought the word content was about learning to love our new home in Pagosa Springs. We had recently moved across the country, and she wanted to feel settled.
But God had something much deeper in mind.
He taught her that true contentment isn’t found in comfortable circumstances. It’s found in trusting His goodness, even when life feels uncertain.
There were days filled with fear.
There were moments when we didn’t know if Darla would survive.
Yet underneath it all, God gave us a quiet current of joy—not because everything was okay, but because He was.
Christian’s word, discipline, became just as important.
With Kayla away for months, he suddenly found himself caring for six children, working full time, keeping the household running, and leading our family through an incredibly difficult season.
Discipline wasn’t about perfection.
It became the steady rhythm that kept our family grounded when life felt anything but predictable.
Looking back, we can both say the same thing:
Those words didn’t just describe the year.
They shaped us through it.

Stay Loyal When It Gets Boring

One of the biggest mistakes people make is giving up too soon.
The excitement wears off.
Life gets busy.
The word starts to feel ordinary.
That’s usually the exact moment when the real growth is about to begin.
Formation is almost never exciting every single day.
It’s slow.
It’s repetitive.
It’s often unseen.
But that’s how deep roots grow.
We’ve learned that by September or October, many people begin noticing fruit they couldn’t see in the spring. The habits have become more natural. Their perspective has changed. Their relationships feel healthier.
Not because they picked the perfect word.
Because they stayed with it.

Five Simple Ways to Live Out Your Word

If you’ve already chosen your Word of the Year, here are a few simple ways to keep it front and center:

1. Put your word somewhere you’ll see it every day—a planner, phone lock screen, bathroom mirror, or refrigerator.
2. Read books, listen to podcasts, and study Scripture around your word. Become a student of it.
3. Filter your decisions through your word. Ask, “Does this help me become the person God is shaping me to be?”
4. Take time each month to reflect. Write down what you’re learning and how you’re growing.
5. Most importantly, stay loyal when it gets boring. Growth usually happens quietly before it becomes obvious.

It’s Not Too Late

Maybe you’re reading this in January.
Maybe it’s July.
Either way, it’s not too late.
You don’t need a new calendar year to begin becoming the person God is calling you to be.
If you haven’t chosen a Word of the Year yet—or if you’d like help creating a plan to actually live it out—we’ve created a free Word of the Year Guide to walk you through the process. Inside you’ll find reflection questions, a list of more than 100 word ideas, and practical ways to stay intentional throughout the year.
And if you’d like to hear more of our story—including what our words taught us during one of the hardest years of our lives—we’d love to invite you to listen to Episode 3 of The Rooted Family Podcast: Word of the Year: How to Choose One and Actually Live It Out.
Our hope is simple: that you won’t just choose a word this year.
We hope you’ll become it.