Today I’m lookng back on my Word of the Year 2025 and sharing how it went.
When I chose strong as my word for 2025, I wasn’t thinking about grit or pushing through. I was thinking about something quieter and steadier. A strength that could hold me rather than demand more from me.
Looking Back on My Word of the Year
As the year unfolded, ‘strong’ stayed with me—though not always in the way I expected. It wasn’t loud or dramatic. It didn’t show up as constant energy or confidence. Instead, it revealed itself in small, ordinary moments: in the boundaries I kept, in the pauses I allowed, in the decisions where I chose what was right over what was easy or expected. And above all in having a grateful attitude in the most difficult of circumstances.
I didn’t always feel so resilient. And yet, that was when the word carried the most weight. I began to see that strength doesn’t involve feeling capable daily. It’s about staying present. About not abandoning yourself when things feel uncertain or heavy.
I noticed strength surfacing in conversations—when I spoke more honestly, even if my voice shook. It appeared in decisions—when I chose simplicity, rest, or alignment instead of obligation. Sometimes it arrived quietly, as a question I carried with me: What would strength look like in this situation? That question alone changed how I moved through the year.
What surprised me most was how gentle this word turned out to be. I had assumed strength would require more discipline, more effort, more resolve. Instead, it often asked me to soften. To trust myself. To rest without guilt. I’ve come to understand that strength and gentleness aren’t opposites, but can actually coexist.
I experienced subtle but important shifts because of this word. I became less reactive and more intentional. I shifted my understanding of strength away from productivity and toward qualities like perseverance, loyalty, and compassion. I discovered the value of trusting my own rhythm. Clinging to my core beliefs, even when the path of least resistance was more appealing.
Looking back, I’m deeply grateful I chose strong. It didn’t demand I change who I am. It started where I was. I was reminded that true strength means standing firm, again and again, in truth, compassion, and grace, not proving anything.
Would I recommend this word to someone else? Yes—but with an invitation. Let it redefine itself for you. Let it be quieter than you expect. Softer. Deeper. Sometimes, the strongest thing we can do is stay with ourselves.
Thank you Lisa, for nudging me to write this post in response to yours.
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Strength is often associated with the physique. What I have understood is that it need not be so. It can be an attitude too. And it’s about small moments in life. What accrues to our overall well-being is the cumulative effect. Very nice post, Corinne.
Wish you a Merry Christmas Season and a bright, healthy, and peaceful New Year!
(My latest post: Reflections on 2025)
I have always hated being called strong because more often than not it meant I was behaving the way people wanted me to.
But after reading this, I realised that “strong” can be something so different. As you said, gentle, and trusting your own rhythm.
Thank you for this post.
Strength sounds like a powerful word—a word demanding one’s focus, discipline, and a lot more. But you make it sound so gentle and calm. Your tryst with strength is what a meaningful life blooms into. So gentle, so beautiful, so inspiring.
Wish you a wonderful 2026, Corinne.