Every year, for quite a few years now, I have gone out for lunch with three friends on New Year’s Eve. And at this lunch, we each choose #OneWord which we hope will be resonant in the year that’s about to start.
From time to time as the year goes on we meet up and often talk about how the year is going with respect to our chosen words. I remember in the past choosing ‘write’ (when I started working on my fiction), ‘balance’ one year, and last year’s word was ‘pace’. I’ve found it a useful strategy for thinking about and deciding on what I want to focus on in the coming year. I used the idea of #OneWord for my second short novel. See my Amazon author profile here if you want to find out more.
Inevitably, in December before we meet the four of us are mulling over the options. I decided that I wanted more fully and intentionally to ‘appreciate’ things in 2026. I know there is so much I should be grateful for. I read Oliver Burkeman’s ‘4000 weeks’ in the summer, of 2025 which made me reflect on the passing of time, the value of our time, and our priorities. (If you survive until you are 80, you will have had about 4000 weeks of life…which is a sobering thought).
These were some of the things I decided I should perhaps appreciate more this year:
My friends and family (including my husband who, I have often said, deserves to be sanctified upon his death…)
My health, including the two new knees I was fortunate enough to have surgically implanted (is that the right phrase?) in late 2023
My home and garden – and, we hope, keeping the flood waters at bay this year (we flooded in January 2024)
The fact that I continue to be invited to contribute to the leadership development of individuals and groups – in schools and for other organisations – and to speak at conferences on the subject of leadership. I still love it
The pleasure I get from reading about education, writing about education, and sharing what I read, and write, on social media – especially LinkedIn, these days
The invitations to give talks about my foray into fiction writing, and the four novels I have written in the last few years – and the fact that people buy the books at the end of each talk. I’ve given 17 talks so far and have another 8 booked in my diary. I also appreciate that people still buy (or listen to the audio version of) ‘Making the Leap’, the education book I wrote in 2016 about the transition to headship. It is a thrill when I receive positive feedback and the message that it encouraged people to go for headship and supported them through the process
Our holidays and the time we spend away – last year was Paris, Vietnam, Juan-les-Pins and Mojacar in Spain
And, lastly, my hobbies and other interests, including choral singing (and involvement in my Choral Society), and the extensive fiction reading I enjoy (and the membership of my Book Club). I managed to get through 125 different books in 2025
There may be other things I should appreciate more, and that’s something I will give thought to as the year unfolds.
In recent years I’ve written a ‘Nurture’ post, reflecting on the year that has just ended and exploring my hopes and intentions for the year ahead. The most recent of those is here. This January I am sharing this post about my choice of #OneWord, instead. I hope others find it interesting, and perhaps it encourages them to reflect on what they wish to concentrate on in 2026.
Thanks for reading, and best wishes for a positive year.
Photo credit: Nano Banana
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