Three Years, Three Words, One Soul

i stopped setting resolutions a few years ago. Instead, I began paying attention to how I wanted to live and letting a single word guide me through the year. A focus word.

Each January, a word rises to the surface. Sometimes soft, sometimes strong, always meaningful. It becomes the lens through which I navigate life, work, and the choices in between.

Alongside this practice, I take the VIA Character Strengths Survey. It’s a research-backed tool that identifies the qualities I naturally lead with — my core inner traits, like honesty, hope, learning, or perspective.

When I started looking at these two practices together, my annual word and my top strengths, I noticed something deeper: A rhythm. A personal pattern. A map of who I’ve been becoming.

2024: Grow

Top Strengths: Appreciation of Beauty & Excellence, Prudence, Kindness, Love of Learning, Hope

This was a year of quiet expansion. I returned to community and volunteered more locally. I made space for softness, restoration, and connection. Growth showed up in the way I stayed rooted, not in how fast I moved. This was the beginning of something deeper.

2025: Build

Top Strengths: Appreciation of Beauty & Excellence, Prudence, Love of Learning, Hope, Perspective

This year felt more focused. I launched the There’s No Place Like Soul podcast , a project that had been forming quietly in the background. I stepped further into mentorship and visibility. Building wasn’t just about creating something new, it was about strengthening the foundation of what was already there.

2026: Harmony

Top Strengths: Appreciation of Beauty & Excellence, Love of Learning, Social Intelligence, Prudence, Honesty

This is a season of integration. I’m learning to live in rhythm with myself, letting my strengths support me in deeper connection, clarity, and calm. Harmony looks like alignment, within and around me.

What Stayed Steady

Across all three years, three strengths kept showing up:

💛 Appreciation of Beauty & Excellence

📚 Love of Learning

🧠 Prudence

They’ve become a personal throughline, the steady core I return to, even as other strengths shift in and out of focus.

Listening In

This practice, choosing a word and reflecting on my strengths, continues to guide me in meaningful ways. It’s a conversation with myself. A way to move forward that feels less like pressure and more like presence.

If you’re curious about your own strengths, you can explore them here: Take the VIA Survey