In the midst of a warm but windy January morning on the Gulf Coast of Texas, I chose my 2025 word of the year. You see, I’ve avidly blogged about my chosen words since 2013, amassing 13 years of thought work around actionable ‘north star words’, an exercise which began here.
For the first eight years (2013-2020), I chose three actionable words to guide my choices and decisions.
Transitioning from Three Words to One
Then, on the ninth year, in 2021, in light of a conversation with my sister and her reference to the Abiding Together Podcast, I leapt into seas of change, winnowing down my three-words exercise to a single word.
Abiding Together describes their initiative, saying, “Each year, we ask God to give us a theme to focus on for the new year and invite you to do the same.”
It was a new challenge to single out just one word on which to focus a full year’s intentions, but once I did so, it was exhilarating. To accompany the practice, and as suggested by the podcasters, I printed and framed my ‘word’ and placed it prominently in my daily line of sight. Alongside my sisters and sister-friends, we regularly encouraged one another to center our minds, hearts and prayers on our one-word.
Addressing a Change of Heart
Selecting this year’s word has been a process. And while that process is usual and normal, what’s not usual is for me to publish my ‘word’ and then later change my mind. But, alas, in 2025, I’ve re-thought my selection, which I had previously published on CareerTrend’s sister site, here.
I had chosen the word, ‘persist’ on the heels of a stressfully challenging year, but also a year that culminated in liberating and transformative change. As such, it made sense to want to maintain that momentum of transformation and to ‘persist’ in the actionable steps toward a series of further hopeful changes.
However, after further deliberation and a series of conversations both externally with my closest confidantes and internally through reading and praying, the word that has taken precedence over ‘persist’ is ‘simplify.’ It feels clarifying, uplifting and in synchronicity with some thoughts and goals that already are in motion and which deserve greater attention.
After selling our 2000 sq foot island home and all the furniture therein and moving into our beautiful new Brinkley RV, simplifying is well underway as we have slashed our possessions and physical distractions by 90+%. That being said, I also see some great gaps and inconsistencies with my new more liberated living/working lifestyle and other day-to-day ways of behaving/thinking/doing.
Decluttering to Simplify
For example, I feel digitally overloaded and emotionally fraught with too much mind clutter.
This includes being bogged down by simple decisions like what to do with video footage intended for our various YouTube channels. Often, I start splicing together scenes with the intention of a quick ‘video short’ and then the ‘quick’ little project multiplies into a full-blown larger video production, which wasn’t necessarily necessary. This can be extremely time consuming and emotionally draining.
I’d like to do less of that – the overthinking of things that don’t always have to be complicated. To uncomplicate things, as it were.
I’d also like to whittle down entrepreneurial ventures into just those where my energy and the rewards (emotionally, intellectually and/or financially) are synchronized. This is after a year-plus of dipping my toes into new entrepreneurial waters (beyond my 27-year venture with CareerTrend, which is still my main priority).
I am now separating the wheat from the chaff to simplify my work and life, focusing on those areas/ventures that matter most and releasing (liberating from) those that don’t.
Another impetus to simplify was on the heels of a luxuriously calming, ’empty-my-head’ walk I recently took reminding me of the beauty of a clear mind, devoid of worry, anxiety, new projects, what’s next and what-ifs. No ‘dreaming, planning, scheming,’ but instead just being.
Unburdening Self + Others
Simplifying also means not taking on the burdens that others already are carrying calmly and confidently, and which only requires I “let them be.” This doesn’t mean not offering support, a listening ear or hands to handle that for which I can be useful. It just means not handwringing when I’m not needed, or my interjection is unnecessary. It means unburdening self and others from my angst.
Finally, I am anticipating a plethora of other ideas and tips and strategies to simplify my work and life, several of which I’m ruminating on now.
I’ve always prided myself on going ‘deep’ and unraveling complexity to clarify communications, so I know that there’s an inherent need and innate personal desire to balance the nuance of complexity with the liberating simplicity of things. Complicated ideas and initiatives are real and welcomed, but they can be balanced with simplifying methods of navigating to shores of hope and joy.
In sum, while I will always seek out and am enriched by complexity in thought and doing, for 2025, I am seeking fewer of those initiatives; as well, more focused intentions on those complex initiatives I do choose. But more importantly, I seek more of the simpler, joy-filled engagements in an effort to live out my word of the year!
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Scroll down to see my Words of the Year (+ links to accompanying blog posts) from 2013 to Present! I think there may be a bit of a theme and interconnectedness between the words, particularly between 2018 and this year’s word.
2013: Deliberate, Revive, Relationships
2014: Build, Unwind, Focus
2015: Devour, Poetry, Luxuriate
2016: Health, Trust, Intimate
2017: Pace, Pray, Pow
2018: Simple, Quality, Hope
2019: Faith, Unfetter, Deepen
2020: Discipline Equals Freedom
2021: Capacity
2022: Peace
2023: Flourish
2024: Liberate
2025: Simplify
I am Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter, Owner of CareerTrend.net, a Certified Executive Resume Master (CERM) and C-Suite Career Storyteller. I’ve written more than 2,000 C-Suite, Entrepreneur + Board Resumes, Bios and Web content strategies.
Humanizing your story through meticulously focused collaboration, I breathe new life into your career narrative, connecting the dots between your value proposition and the audience’s needs.
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Hi Jacqui, While I will never go to the RV direction, simplify has been part of what we have been doing all of last year. My late husband, Bill, was somewhat of a hoarder. I started by clearing and donating many things. Then this fall, my sons decided a more aggressive approach was needed. Dan rented a 30 foot dumpster (we wanted a 15 foot but they were out and so gave us 30 for the price of 15) we filled it all up with the under the deck, garage, and basement clutter. There is more but we got a good start.
I admire and applaud your initiative, we easily get cluttered not just by stuff but by other things. I hope to keep decluttering throughout 2025. ~ Julie
Hello Julie,
I admire your lived story of perseverance and can only imagine the physical, intellectual and emotional seas you have been navigating following the illness and ultimate passing of your dear Bill.
It sounds like you have dug into the decluttering with aplomb and are much further along than it may even seem from your close-up perspective. Albeit, I’m sure it also may seem like a never-ending process, especially as you juggle other family/work/life obligations and strive for periods of rest and rejuvenation in between.
Thank you so much for taking time to comment and for your kind, relatable remarks. I totally agree re: ‘easily getting cluttered not just by stuff but by other things.’
Here’s to forward momentum to both of us as we simplify and declutter in 2025!