My One Word for 2026 & Other Ways to Set Goals

Before we jump into the topic, I want to remind you that I’m having a sale on three of my books right now. You can get signed paperbacks for ONLY $5 each, and that includes shipping. Make sure to order what you want before I run out!

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Christmas is over, and the New Year looms. For some, that means setting new goals. Others disagree that January 1—”just a date on the calendar”—should prompt us to reconsider our plans. While I respect the naysayers’ take, I find this to be a good time to reassess where I’ve been and where I’m going.

Rather than come up with a long list of goals, however, I typically choose a single word to guide my year. And I’ve written about the one-word approach several times:

• Resolution Week: What’s Your “One Word” for Your Marriage?
• My One Word for 2022 (and What It Means for My Ministry)
• My One Word for 2023, and 8 Quick Tips for Finding Yours
• Our One (Sex) Word for 2025

Choosing a single word to guide you is a common approach, but there are plenty of others. Whether you use them at the New Year or another time, it can be helpful to set some goals for yourself and/or your marriage.

Goal-Setting Approaches

What are the options? Let’s look at a few.

SMART Goals. With this strategy, make however many goals you want but be sure they are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. For instance, instead of jotting down, “I want our marriage to thrive,” write something like: “We will go on a date at least once every two weeks in 2026.” It’s specific, measurable, achievable (depending on your situation), relevant to having a thriving marriage, and time-bound—though one would hope you enjoy it so much, you continue the practice.

Start / Stop / Continue. Identify habits or projects to begin, to let go of, or to keep doing. I’ve done this with my work life and found it very helpful to assess where I am, what I want, what needs to give, and what is worth my ongoing effort.

Life Wheel. A life wheel is a chart that shows key life areas, and you make goals within each area. I personally like the 8 Dimensions of Wellness, with growth areas being physical, intellectual, emotional, social, spiritual, occupational, financial, and environmental.

Vision Board. With a vision board, you collect images, words, or symbols to display what you hope to experience or cultivate in the year ahead. You can put them on an actual board, a One Note page, a sketch pad, or wherever you want. Your board might include a picture of someone jogging (if you want to exercise more), photos of faraway destinations (if you want to travel), examples of beautiful bedrooms (if you want to redecorate), a graphic of an open Bible (if you want to read more Scripture), and so on.

Color. I only recently heard about this one—people choosing a color to represent the tone you want for the year. Maybe that would work for you! Would you prefer a calm blue? A cheery yellow? A bold red? Or maybe something very specific like muted teal or apricot cream to get just the feel you want? You could also go with a full palette. (Check out this cool palette generator: Coolors.)

One Word. Choose a single word to guide your mindset, priorities, and decisions. Some words I’ve heard include health, focus, yes, peace, and surrender. You can find more tips and inspiration from One Word For 2026: How to Choose Yours (Plus 236 Ideas) — Sweet PlanIt.

Phrase or Motto. Instead of one word, select a short phrase to represent how you want to show up this coming year. Want examples? “Slow progress is still progress” can remind you to appreciate how far you’ve come and keep going. “Be faithful in the small things” can help you focus on everyday kindness and godliness. “Stay in the moment” might be exactly what some of you need to relax and enjoy time spent in nature, with children, or in the arms of your spouse. Plenty of mottos are out there, or you can make up your own.

Scripture. Find a Bible verse or passage to meditate on throughout the year and to guide you. There are so many possibilities! You might have one already in mind, look in your Bible for a verse/passage that really fits where you are now, or discover the right option with posts like Top 101 Encouraging Bible Verses to Inspire You | Bible Study Tools.

My One Word

As previously stated, choosing one word is my favorite approach, because it’s simple, broad, and flexible. That said, I actually changed my word a few months into 2025—from open to enough. Open was supposed to guide me to be more open to experiences, but I learned after some helpful sessions with a spiritual coach that what I really needed was to let go of feeling like I had to do All The Things. I needed to remember that sometimes I have done enough, that I am enough, and that when I’m not enough, it’s still okay because God is more than enough.

I embraced my one word so heartily that I got a bracelet with it and haven’t taken it off since I put it on. (Thank you, Etsy.)

Although I will take it off and replace it soon with my word for 2026: serve. Why serve? Because that’s the season I’m in. In the course of this past year, I have:

• Visited my aging, Alzheimer’s stricken mother several times (five hours away)—not sure how much longer she’ll be with us.
• Walked with a dear friend as she made the difficult, but well-warranted, decision to leave her marriage.
• Welcomed my son and his fiancée back to our no-longer-empty nest so they could return to college and avoid debt.
• Traveled to see my sister (three hours away) and sit at her bedside as she recovered from two serious strokes and an emergency brain surgery.

And in 2026, I’ll be caring for my husband for several weeks after a much-needed knee replacement surgery in January and then providing childcare from time to time after my first grandchild is born in February.

It’s a lot, y’all. And I’ve had moments of overwhelm. But then I remember: “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). No one’s asking me to be flogged and die on a cross but simply to be there for my loved ones in need. Not only can I do that, but I can do it with joy.

Though the one-word reminder helps.

What Season Are You In?

Whatever goal-setting approach you use, pause and ask what’s going on in your life? Where do you need to focus? What about your marriage and sexual intimacy? (You knew I’d get to that topic eventually!)

Do you need to invest more time in connection with one another? Better understand your sensuality? Address body image issues?

Do you need to say “enough!” to the mental load and emotional labor you’ve been carrying in your marriage? Set boundaries with your spouse regarding sexual frequency and repertoire? Finally break free from your porn and/or erotica habit?

Do you need to learn better communication skills? Speak each other’s love language more? Increase your sexual savvy?

Do you need to be okay with a lapse in the intimacy you’d love to have, because that’s where your life is right now? (God knows Spock and I haven’t had as much sex as we’d like in the last few months.) Do you need to cast a someday vision of what you want life to be like when you get through your current hardship?

Do you need to go to counseling? (I recommend Aldrich Ministries Coaching Network or Better Help.) Attend a marriage event? (Check out Intimate Covenant’s annual retreat.) Read a book together? (Faves include God, Sex, and Your Marriage by Juli Slattery; Secrets of Sex and Marriage by Shaunti Feldhahn & Dr. Michael Sytsma; and, of course, my resources.) Take a marriage course? (Such as The Gottman Institute’s Art and Science of Love or Awesome Marriage’s Sex Course, in which I’m a contributor.)

Where are you now? Where do you want to be? And what’s the next step?

Choosing a word, a vision, a plan, etc. can clarify what you truly desire for your life, your marriage, your sexuality, and how to get there.

Are you a goal-setter? What goals do you have for yourself and your marriage in the New Year?

Disclosure of Material Connection: This post includes one or more affiliate links, meaning if you click on the link and purchase an item, I receive an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you.