My Word of the Year: CURATE
I am a little delayed in selecting my word of the year for 2026.
I've had the feeling for a while but couldn't come up with a name for it. Then I saw my friend Laura Gassner Otting share that her word for the year was “curate”, and like most of her ideas, it really landed for me.
My word for this year is curate.
I already have some momentum with this, but I want to continue proactively curating the energy in my body and the environments I am in.
I am going to curate what is happening inside my body by continuing to develop and adhere to optimal habits. I'm going to prioritize sleep, diet, exercise, and meditation/prayer so I can get as close as possible to the optimal version of me showing up every day.
By doing these things well, I will prioritize being kind to the future version of myself over being nice to the present version of myself.
I am also going to be more aggressive about curating where I spend my time and who I spend it with. You have likely heard the old adage, "You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with." This is a popular mantra because it is true.
If I'm being honest, I've taken my eye off the ball here recently. A few months ago, I realized the majority of my recent conversations were with people I was pouring into—filling their cup, not mine. And I was interacting with too many folks who are playing a different game than I am. And by spending time with them, I wasn't spending enough time with those who challenge and elevate me, or with those who prioritize the same things.
I love being in a position to help lift others up, and I'm not going to stop.
But I need to make sure I'm spending at least as much time with people who share my values — and live them.
In my opinion, who you spend your time with is the most overlooked and under-appreciated tool for living the life you want.
If you are looking to create a big impact in the world, I hope you are spending a good amount of time with others who are wired the same way.
If you want to be in great shape, you must be around people who lead healthy lifestyles.
If being an amazing parent is important to you, you need to be around others who prioritize this as much as you do.
If you want to be in a thriving relationship with your significant other, you cannot spend meaningful time with folks who are okay with being in a mediocre relationship.
I invite you to join me in conducting an informal relationship audit.
Who do you spend a lot of your time with? Do you pour into them exclusively, or do they lift you up?
Curating my body and my relationships is a big part of how I plan to be kinder to the future version of myself this year.
