The Power of a Word: Strengthen Your Purpose and Relationships in 2026

Having a purpose gives life energy, meaning, and momentum. It is what helps you stay grounded and resilient when life throws a hard punch. Purpose is the reason you keep showing up, even after a setback. One of the simplest and most powerful ways to bring that purpose into everyday life is by choosing a Word of the Year. A single word can act like a personal north star, quietly guiding your choices, your priorities, and your relationships.

American culture often puts romantic love front and center, but research tells a bigger story. Friendships matter deeply for well-being and longevity. People with close friends and trusted confidants are more satisfied with their lives, experience lower rates of depression, and are less likely to die prematurely from heart disease and other chronic conditions. Strong social connections help regulate stress, lower blood pressure, and even change how the brain responds to challenges. Simply having a supportive friend nearby can make hard things feel more manageable.

Work relationships matter too. Research on retirement shows that when people stop working, what they miss most is not the job itself, but the relationships they built at work. The daily conversations, shared goals, and sense of belonging often leave a bigger mark than the title or paycheck. That is why experts encourage people to invest in positive relationships with coworkers while they are still working. Those connections often become part of the meaning we carry long after the work ends.

On the flip side, loneliness and poor-quality relationships are linked to higher risks of heart disease, depression, and early death. Connection is not optional. It is foundational to resilience, health, and purpose.

This is where your Word of the Year comes in. Your word can intentionally shape how you show up in relationships, whether with friends, family, coworkers, or yourself. A word like connection, presence, courage, or care can gently remind you what you want to prioritize when life gets busy or overwhelming.

Tips for choosing your Word of the Year:

• Reflect before you choose. Look back on the past year and ask what felt missing, draining, or especially meaningful. Your word often lives in that answer.
• Think relationally. Ask how you want to show up for the people in your life. Your word should support the kind of connections you want to build or strengthen.
• Keep it simple and flexible. One word is powerful because it can adapt to many situations, from work to friendships to personal growth.
• Let it guide small choices. Your word does not need to fuel massive change. It works best when it shapes everyday moments, conversations, and boundaries.
• Revisit it often. Write it down, keep it visible, and check in with it when decisions feel unclear.

Purpose is rarely lived out alone. Relationships are where purpose is practiced, resilience is reinforced, and meaning is built over time. Choosing a Word of the Year is not about perfection or pressure. It is about intention. It is about naming how you want to live, connect, and move forward, supported by the people who matter most. Having a purpose gives life texture, meaning, and momentum. It is what helps you stay steady and resilient, even when life lands a hard punch. Purpose, or vision, is the reason you keep showing up after being knocked down. It is a goal or ideal bigger than you, something you are aiming toward that gives direction to your days and depth to your choices.

So ask yourself: what are you living for this year, and who are you living it with? Why do you invest your time, talent, and treasure the way you do? The word you choose for the coming year often reveals what you want to grow in your connections with yourself, your activities and others, whether that is presence, patience, courage, trust, or joy. Stacked Intent offers workshops and free resources to help you be your intentional self. There is also a retreat March 5-8, 2026  — Rediscover Your Intentional Self — that will be a space for inspiration, reflection, and connection—a place to strengthen your relationships, clarify your purpose, and live fully in alignment with your Word of the Year.