Every year at MudLOVE we spend time thinking about our intention for the new year. This year we asked our friend Cynthia to share her journey in choosing her 2021 Word of the Year. You can check out the rest of Cynthia's work here.

Since early 2015, I have been a “planner.” 

Not a wedding planner, not an event planner (though I have worn this hat before), and certainly not a city planner. But a person who chooses to engage in the mindful practice of setting up, arranging—and sometimes even decorating with stickers and washi tape—a schedule in an agenda or planner for the purpose of accountability, self-care, and time management. It was only after joining the online community of like-minded folks who also share this hobby and habit that I learned about the custom of choosing a word of the year. 

Back in 2017, I adopted the word “Discipline” and carried it through into 2018, because I felt like I still had more to meditate on with that word. In 2019, I chose the word “Simplify” and in 2020, I moved onto “Purposeful.” 

After living through a once-in-a-century, global pandemic and other historic events, I found myself feeling a lack of purpose and clarity. When you operate in survival mode for months on end, it can strip away so much of your nuance, color, and creativity. In the final months of 2020, I felt a deep sadness. As I looked ahead at the next five years of my life, it appeared to be one large, intimidating blur. I didn’t like this feeling, so through self-reflection and journaling, I came to my word for 2021: vision.

Vision is defined by the Cambridge English Dictionary as:

  • an idea or mental image of something
  • the ability to imagine how a country, society, industry, etc. could develop in the future and to plan for this

Synonyms for vision include “creativity” and “imagination”—two incredibly important virtues I felt myself in short supply of at the end of the year. In choosing “vision” as my word of the year, I vow to take mindful steps each day to hold myself accountable in crafting the great vision I am now starting to see for my life.

If you’ve never selected a word of the year before, I highly encourage you to spend some time journaling and doing reflection on what worked and what didn’t in the year before. Consider what things left you feeling whole, empowered, impassioned, or well. Once you get a sense of what invigorates you or what you feel strongly about changing or improving in your life, hop online and use the dictionary and thesaurus tools available to see what sorts of words find their way to you. 

Lastly, choosing a word of the year should be a stress-free process. Do your best not to overthink it and follow your intuition. Once you select your word, try to incorporate it into your daily life. Write it on a sticky note and put it somewhere you’ll see it every day. If you use an agenda or planner, write it down at the start of every month. Set it as your wallpaper on your computer or smartphone. Or purchase an item from MudLOVE with your word of the year as a daily reminder. 

Most importantly, be committed to living each day with intention.

Bring your Word of the Year to life on a bracelet, mug or tumbler. Shop the full collection HERE.

More about Cynthia: Originally a transplant from the North, Cynthia Velasco has lived in Central Florida for nearly 15 years and has been fortunate to call the City Beautiful her home for the last six years. She currently resides in East Orlando with her husband and son. You can usually find her at the library, her favorite stationery store in Winter Garden, or at one of downtown Orlando's many cozy coffee shops.