a life-changing word…

A Word That Changed My Year

The start of a new year is perhaps the most natural time to step back, reflect, and rethink our lives. First, it marks the end of a calendar year. Secondly, many of us take one to three weeks off to spend time with family and to celebrate holidays that are meaningful perhaps seeing people we haven’t spent much concentrated time with since the same time last year.

Some people even take time to get away—to sit quietly, reflect proactively on the year behind them, and think ahead with anticipation toward the year to come. They may write goals to help them focus and move forward. And if you’re one of those people, good for you! (You’re actually in the minority!) For years, I have set goals, but this season has always been complicated for me.

I have struggled for years with seasonal affective disorder—commonly known as the winter blues. In my own life, that struggle has ranged from a mild malaise to something far more debilitating: a complete lack of energy or desire to do much of anything. I remember a moment in high school—before I was ever diagnosed, but when the symptoms were already present—when a friend told me that fall was their favorite season. I looked at him with genuine disbelief. I couldn’t fathom how anyone could love that time of year!

The Pacific Northwest’s fall marked the beginning of the rainy, cold, and dreary months.

I wrestled with this for years, including many years before I eventually decided to try an antidepressant. Even that choice wasn’t simple. It came with side effects, and at times those side effects were significant. I’m grateful for medical tools, but I also knew there had to be more.

Last year, I discovered what I would call a secret weapon: a principle that can help overcome something that has held you back for years. And that is what I want to share with you today. Last year, I took some advice from John Maxwell and chose a word—one area of growth I wanted to focus on intentionally. I had done this before with mixed results, but this time was different.

This year, my word was gratitude. And the difference wasn’t just the word—it was the plan.

My wife had given me a small journal, and in that journal, I committed to writing down one thing each day that I was thankful for. That was it. Even I could do that! So every night—whether I felt like it or not—I wrote something down. Mind you, it was rough at first. One day, I wrote something like “I’m thankful I’m not depressed every day!” But slowly, something began to change.

I now realize what it was: we tend to find what we’re looking for.

When I knew that each evening I would need to write something I was grateful for, I began looking for things to be thankful for throughout the day. Scripture puts it simply: “Seek, and you shall find.” By setting my focus on gratitude, I told my mind what to look for—and it responded accordingly.

As far as objective change, I wasn’t on my antidepressant at all this past year. Multiple people have, unprompted, stated they notice more joy in my life this winter than in the past.

Jesus said, “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness.” Seasonal affective disorder is real, and there is scientific support behind it. I take my vitamin D. I use every physical tool available to me. But when I fixated on the gray and the dreariness, guess what I saw?

When I shifted my focus to what I had to be grateful for, I began to overcome. And you can too—if you’re intentional.

John Maxwell says you can’t change your life until you change something you do daily. So here’s what I want to encourage you to do: pick a word. Choose one area of growth and pursue it intentionally. You’re not stuck where you are unless you choose to stay there! When you pick a word and take the first step of writing something down every day, change happens.

If your word is gratitude, do what I did. If your word is abiding in Christ, write down one moment each day when you noticed yourself abiding. If your word is financial freedom, record a decision you made that moved you closer to that goal.

Whatever your word is, be intentional—and be daily.

So I’ll leave you with this encouragement: be intentional, dwell on a word, and be changed.
Have a phenomenal new year—and may it be your best year yet.