What My Word of the Year Has Taught Me So Far

Hello, darling,

Each year, I choose one word to help guide the way I want to live.

When I started thinking about my Word of the Year for 2026, I knew I wanted to live a more intentional and calmer life, one that felt more proactive than reactive and more aligned with the woman I am becoming. The word that kept coming back to me was Refinement.

Now that it's September, I can see that the word has come to mean more than I expected. It has led me to take a closer look at different areas of my life and ask myself whether something is adding joy, serving a purpose, or simply leaving me feeling drained. From my daily habits and routines to friendships and so many things in between, looking at my life through the lens of Refinement has given me a new perspective.

What Refinement Has Come to Mean to Me

When I chose Refinement as my word for the year, I envisioned it guiding me as I took a step back and reevaluated things like my morning and evening routines, weekly habits, and even my cleaning schedule at home. I thought it would help me improve the little systems that make everyday life run more smoothly.

What I didn't expect was for it to make me reevaluate things like my wardrobe, friendships, and even how I spend my free time.

Somewhere along the way, Refinement seeped into almost every aspect of my life, and I'm here for it.

What started as a desire to improve my habits and routines has also taught me to become more selective. I've simplified things that felt unnecessarily complicated, paid more attention to what brings me joy, and become more willing to reconsider the things that leave me feeling drained.

I've realized that simplifying certain areas of my life helps me feel calmer and more collected instead of constantly frazzled. In that sense, Refinement has become less about improving everything and more about being intentional about what I allow to take up space in my life.

Where Refinement Has Shown Up in My Life

Refinement has shown up in almost every aspect of my life, whether at work, at home, or in my personal life.

I took the time to refine my wardrobe and keep the things that make me feel good when I wear them. I adjusted my morning routine until I found one that actually worked for me instead of trying to force one that didn't. I've become more intentional about nurturing friendships that feel reciprocal and fill my cup, and I've paid closer attention to how I spend my free time.

None of these changes has been particularly dramatic on its own. But together, they've helped me create a life that feels a little more aligned with what matters to me.

That's probably what has surprised me most about choosing Refinement. I thought I was choosing a word that would help me improve my routines. Instead, it has changed the way I think about what deserves my time, attention, and energy.

What I'm Still Refining

I'm still refining things in my daily life whenever I notice that friction has started to creep in.

Something that worked perfectly well at the beginning of the year didn't necessarily work over the summer when my work schedule changed and my son was on summer break. And what worked during summer break doesn't necessarily work now that he's back in school and football practices and games have changed the rhythm of our evenings.

I'm learning that what works in one season of life may not work in the next.

Instead of seeing that as a failure or assuming I wasn't disciplined enough to stick with a routine, I can simply reevaluate it. Maybe a routine needs to change. Maybe something needs to become simpler. Or maybe life is particularly busy right now and I need to give myself a little more flexibility.

I'm beginning to think we're never really done refining, and perhaps that's part of the beauty of it. Our lives keep changing, so it makes sense that the way we live them will need to change too.

What My Word Has Taught Me So Far

Refinement has taught me that things don't have to be perfect, but they don't have to feel like an uphill battle either.

When I realize something isn't working or going as smoothly as I'd like, I can take a step back and consider whether there's another way to approach it. Sometimes a small adjustment is all that's needed to make life a little easier. I've always believed in working smarter, not harder, and Refinement has helped me apply that idea to more areas of my life.

It's also taught me that sometimes I simply have to roll with the punches.

If my son’s football game ends later than expected and I won't have time to cook dinner that night, it's okay to pick up takeout on the way home. Having routines is helpful, but life doesn't always cooperate with them. I've learned that enjoying the moment I'm actually living is much more rewarding than worrying about whether I followed a habit or routine perfectly.

There are still a few months left in the year, and I'm curious to see what else Refinement has to teach me. What started as a word I chose to guide my habits has become something much more meaningful. It reminds me to pay attention, make adjustments when something isn't working, and continue creating a life that feels more intentional and more like my own.

I'd love to know: did you choose a Word of the Year for 2026? If so, has its meaning changed for you as the year has unfolded?

With grace,

Sandra