Action: My Word for 2026 and How One Word Can Keep You Moving Forward

Creating my first face-to-camera video for Instagram was not easy. My limiting beliefs were loud. They told me I didn’t have the right face the right clothes or that I simply wasn’t ready. Not yet was the phrase that kept repeating in my mind.

But I have big goals this year and I know that if I want to grow and truly bring my dreams for 2026 to life I need to take action even when it feels uncomfortable.

Over the past few days I’ve been working intentionally on my goals and creating a vision board. In most years I’ve leaned towards setting gentle intentions for the year ahead. However I’ve reached a new chapter in my life marked by a significant birthday where I feel ready for something more expansive. This year my intentions are bigger bolder and focused on growth.

As someone who lives with anxiety I know how easy it is for me to slip into a freeze response especially when my inner critic takes the lead. When that happens motivation can disappear and self-doubt can take over. I realised I needed one simple anchor something I could return to when fear or hesitation surfaced to help me refocus and keep moving forward.

That anchor for me is Action.

Why choosing a word can help

Choosing a word for the year isn’t about setting rigid goals or demanding constant progress from yourself. It’s not about doing more or being more than you are ready for. It’s about meeting yourself exactly where you are.

Everyone enters a new year at a different point in their life. Some are full of energy and ideas ready for expansion. Others are tired healing or finding their way after a significant life event. You may not even feel ready to set intentions at all and that is okay.

This is where a single word can be incredibly supportive.

When life has been stressful or overwhelming the nervous system often stays in a state of protection. Anxiety overthinking procrastination or feeling frozen are not personal failings they are signs that your system is trying to keep you safe.

When the nervous system feels under threat the unconscious mind seeks familiarity and certainty. It can resist change even when growth is deeply wanted. This is why big goals can sometimes feel exhausting or unreachable particularly for women who feel unseen stuck or held back by anxiety.

A word for the year works differently from a long list of intentions. It speaks to the unconscious mind in a language it understands simple symbolic and emotionally meaningful. Rather than demanding change it gently guides it.

Your word becomes something your nervous system can return to in moments of stress or self-doubt. It offers direction without pressure. Over time this repetition helps create a sense of safety around movement and choice allowing change to feel possible rather than overwhelming.

Whether your word represents rest courage clarity softness or action it can quietly influence the decisions you make the boundaries you hold and the way you speak to yourself. Growth doesn’t have to be loud or dramatic sometimes it begins with a single steady focus.

A gentle reflection

If you’d like to explore your own word for the year try this:

Take a few slow breaths and ask yourself

• What do I need more of in this season of my life
• What would help me feel supported rather than pushed
• When I imagine the year ahead what quality feels most grounding or nourishing

Notice the first word that comes to mind. You don’t need to analyse it or get it “right.” Trust what arrives.

A small invitation to action

Write your word somewhere you will see it in a journal on your phone or on your vision board. Let it be a quiet companion rather than a demand.

You don’t need to move fast. You don’t need to have everything figured out. Even the smallest aligned step taken with compassion is enough to create momentum.

One word can be a beginning and sometimes that is all you need to keep moving forward.

Lots of Love 

Kate ❤️❤️