There’s a reason most New Year’s resolutions don’t make it to February. About 80% of people abandon theirs within the first two months. That’s not a willpower problem. That’s an alignment problem.

When you make decisions from a “should” place, when you set goals that sound good on paper or because someone told you that you need them, something in you eventually says no and cuts it off. Then you beat yourself up like you didn’t commit. But the truth is, the universe was saving you from yourself.

That’s why I’ve chosen a word of the year for years now, and why I do it using human design. A word of the year works differently than a list of resolutions. It becomes the measure you hold everything up against. Something crosses your desk, you get an idea, an opportunity shows up, and you ask: does this align with my word? If it doesn’t, it doesn’t belong there.

But the word has to be right for YOU. And that’s where your human design type comes in.

If you don’t know your type yet, run your free Human Design chart here and then come back. You’ll need to know whether you’re a Projector, Manifestor, Generator, Manifesting Generator, or Reflector.

Why the Word of the Year Works Better Than Resolutions

Resolutions tend to become a list of goals, a list of tasks, a list of things to check off. And I always have goals. I always have tasks. I’m always breaking things down and looking at quarterly plans. But when I think about what this year is really about, what’s the bigger vision, the bigger intention behind everything I’m doing, that’s where the word of the year comes in.

The word encapsulates everything. It makes all the goals make sense, or it reveals which ones don’t make sense. And those are the things that have to go.

Let me show you what I mean. In 2024, my word was “optimize.” I chose it because I had that early-stage entrepreneur tendency of creating a million different things and throwing spaghetti at the wall. I hired mentors who preached creating new offers and launching constantly. I burned out. I didn’t make as much money as I wanted. It was not something I wanted to repeat.

So I said: I need to optimize. I need to get good at what I have versus constantly creating new things. I got serious about data. You cannot improve that which you do not measure.

Then in 2025, my word was “scale.” And I’m proud to say we increased revenue by 50% and profit by 70% this year. That’s the kind of growth that happens when you’re working from an aligned place.

The word wasn’t magic. I didn’t just say “scale” and then it happened. Everything I did that year had to align with scale, or I didn’t do it. That was the filter.

The Human Design Approach to Choosing Your Word

Here’s where most people go wrong with word of the year exercises: they pick words like “growth” or “expand” that sound good but aren’t grounded in anything specific to them. The word becomes another New Year’s resolution that doesn’t stick.

Human design helps you stick to things that are right for you. And the way you do that is by starting things correctly for your type.

The biggest problem is making decisions from a misaligned place, then wondering why you can’t hold onto them. When you choose your word of the year in alignment with your design, you’re setting yourself up to actually follow through.

I’m going to give you specific questions based on your human design type. These questions are entry points into your correct decision-making process. You’re not going to hear your question and immediately land on your word. You’re going to journal, take a walk, sit with it, and let your word come to you.

If you’ve never looked at your chart with guidance, a Human Design reading can help you understand these concepts at a deeper level so the questions land differently.

Projectors: What Do You Want to Be Recognized For?

For Projectors, everything comes down to recognition. Invitations are just recognition. Every time somebody compliments you, you feel successful. That’s your signature.

So when you’re choosing your word of the year, ask yourself: What do I want others to see in me? What is the thing I want to be recognized for?

Then go deeper. Journal or take a walk inside that question. What would it mean if you were seen for these things? What would it be like for you?

You’re not going to land on something like “I want to be recognized for my wisdom, so my word is wisdom.” That’s too surface. But this question is the entryway into your correct process for finding your word.

What Projectors need to avoid is choosing a word based on what they think they need to DO. That approach will probably burn you out by February and won’t feel aligned. Start with recognition, with how you want to be seen, and let that guide you somewhere real.

Manifestors: What Impact Do You Want to Make?

Manifestors, you’re all about impact. The question for you is: What word would signify the impact you want to make this year?

What do you want to change? What do you want to shift? What matters to you?

That will be far more important than any goal you write down. You’re still going to have tasks and targets, but the word encapsulates all of it. It’s what makes everything else make sense, or not make sense.

If something isn’t aligned with the vision you have for the impact you want to make, then it doesn’t belong on your list. This is how you commit to something that matters to YOU versus something that just sounds good or someone told you should be a priority.

Reflectors: How Do You Want to Feel?

Reflectors, you’re sampling all the energy around you. So much of your experience is feeling. That’s where your question starts.

Look back at this past year. What feelings do you not want to carry into the new year? What feelings are you no longer available for? Have an experience with all of it, the whole roller coaster you’ve been on.

Then look forward. How do you want to feel this year?

Your goals should align with a feeling. Journal through this, experience yourself through the question, and let your word emerge from there.

If a word doesn’t match a feeling, question it. If choosing it feels like just another list of things you need to do or impossible things you need to achieve, it’s not going to stick with you. But a feeling will. A feeling is worth committing to.

If you’re curious how specific aspects of your chart influence your emotional landscape, booking a reading can give you that personalized context.

Generators: What Will Excite You to Work On?

Generators, your path is similar to Reflectors but with a different focus. Your question is: What will excite you to work on? What word sets the tone for that sacral fire?

You’re testing anything you’re considering and seeing: does this turn me on or not? Am I excited about this or not?

Your word might be about the excitement itself, or it might be about what you’re doing. When I chose “optimize” for 2024, it wasn’t a feeling word exactly. But doing less but better felt really sexy to me that year. I got excited about that. I knew it would give me the life I wanted. “Scale” was very exciting too. It felt good.

If you’re not sure what lights you up, look at your Human Design chart and pay attention to your defined centers. They can reveal what kinds of energy consistently feel right for you.

Manifesting Generators: What Will Activate You?

Manifesting Generators, what will activate you this year?

Your question is similar to Generators, but you’ve got that Manifestor vision piece too. You’re not just looking at what excites you to work on. You’re also asking: What impact do I want to bring? What energy do I want to bring to this year?

Let me give you my example. My word for the coming year is “obsessed.”

Here’s how I got there. I’ve got a lot of new things coming for my business. When I started looking at the list of everything I want to make happen, it started to feel crushing. And when something feels crushing, I don’t want to do it. That’s a sacral shutdown. When you’re overwhelmed, your sacral says: I can’t handle it right now. This isn’t exciting. I don’t want to do it.

Sometimes we make ourselves do it anyway. But I don’t want to live like that.

So I told myself: if I’m going to do new things this year, I need to be obsessed with them. I need to be so excited that when something crosses my desk and asks “do you want to do this?” if I’m not obsessed with it, the answer is no.

Because when I’m obsessed with something, it comes out great and people buy it. My energy is contagious, and that’s what gives me momentum. If I’m obsessed, it will be easy, it will be fast, and I’ll have fun. And if I have fun, people will want to have fun with me, and they’ll be successful.

That’s the human design way. I know it can sound a little unusual, but I promise you, it makes a difference. I see it over and over again with people. And where I see people lose it is when they go back in their head and start strategizing instead of staying connected to what got them there in the first place.

How to Use Your Word All Year Long

Once you have your word, don’t just file it away. Put it somewhere you’ll see it daily. On your phone. On a whiteboard. Somewhere visible.

Your word is a North Star, an energetic theme for the year. It’s the vibe. And you can come back to this process any time during the year if you find yourself losing contact with it.

When you find yourself getting overwhelmed or off-track, ask yourself: am I aligned with my word right now? If not, that’s useful information. It tells you something needs to shift.

If you want to go deeper on aligning your business with your human design, I’ve broken down my philosophy and strategies in my secret podcast, Aligned and Profitable. It covers why alignment allowed me to optimize, why misalignment was causing me to bounce from thing to thing without truly committing, and what it looks like to build profitably when you’re operating correctly for your design.

Your Word Is Waiting

The word of the year process is a way to start the conversation correctly with yourself. Not from what you should do. Not from what someone else told you to care about. From what’s actually right for you.

Your type gives you the question. Your process, whether that’s journaling, walking, sitting with it, or waiting for clarity, gives you the answer.

I’d love to know what you land on. Tag me on Instagram @nicolelainoofficial with your word and how you got there. It makes my day to see people doing this work.