56 | Why I Choose a Word of the Year + The Quiz I Use Every Year

It's that time of year—everyone's setting goals, making resolutions, and planning their 2026 author business. But what if one word could give you more clarity than a hundred strategies?

In this episode, I'm sharing why I personally choose a Word of the Year, how it's kept me focused and grounded for 8 years, and the quiz I use every single year to help me discern what that word should be.

This isn't a "you must do this" episode. It's simply me sharing my experience with a practice that's transformed how I approach my author business—and inviting you to try it if it resonates.

I'm also sharing how my last three words turned out to be prophetic—revealed years before God would call me to create this podcast and The Revive to Thrive Way™. He was already naming what He was about to birth through me, and I couldn't have known that at the start of each of these years.

If you're heading into 2026 feeling scattered, overwhelmed, or unclear about what to focus on—this practice might help you too.

Plus, I'm sharing my collection of river stones with 8 years of words written on them—and how looking back, I can clearly see how each word was the foundation of that year, often in ways I never expected.

Scripture referenced: Ecclesiastes 3:1 (a time for everything), Proverbs 4:25-27 (fix your gaze), Proverbs 16:9 and 19:21 (hold plans loosely)

Perfect for: Christian authors feeling scattered, anyone overwhelmed by conflicting advice, writers looking for focus in 2026, those wanting practical ways to align with God's plan

Mentioned:

The Revive to Thrive Way™ waitlist

DaySpring Word of the Year Quiz.

👉 Listen now to uncover the secret to becoming an anointed scribe!

Transcript

It's that time of the year again.

Everyone setting New Year's resolutions,

making vision boards, planning their 2026 author goals.

And somewhere in the mix, you've probably seen people talking about choosing a Word of the year.

Maybe you've tried it, maybe you're curious about it, maybe you think it's just another trendy thing.

But for me, this simple practice has become one of the most clarifying things I do each year.

One word,

one God given theme that helps me discern which opportunities to say yes to and which to say no to.

One word that keeps me grounded when shiny strategies try to pull me off course.

Today I'm sharing why I choose a Word of the Year, the quiz I use every single year to help me find it,

and how this practice has transformed how I approach my author business.

Turn up the volume, friend, because this one might just bring you closer to the clarity you've been praying for.

This is episode 56.

I'm Urcelia Teixeira, ex real estate agent turned award winning Christian fiction authority.

When I wrote my first novel on a bucket list whim, I had no idea it would spark a spiritual journey that would redefine my calling. But you know what, friend?

Self publishing wasn't easy. I got caught in the hustle, chasing rankings and sales while desperately trying to stay rooted in Christ.

Now, by God's grace, I'm building my author business his way. And now he's called me to help you do the same same.

Welcome to the Anointed Scribe podcast where faith meets business for Christian writers. Let's write, publish and grow our author business God's way. Are you ready? Well then, let's get started.

Hey, it's your author friend, Urcelia. And welcome to today's episode of Anointed Scribe.

It's awesome having you here. Whether you're a regular listener or you just found me, I'm really grateful you chose to hang out with me for a bit. So welcome to the Anointed Scribe tribe.

If you haven't yet subscribed, please do, because I'd love to have you here with me every week. God is doing great things and he is ready to transform your author business too.

Now, I want to be upfront about today's topic by saying that this isn't one of those episodes where I'm going to tell you that you must have a word of the year or you're going to do 2026 wrong.

That is not what this is. Instead,

I just want to share my own experiences with this practice why I love it, how it's helped me stay aligned with what God's asking me to build and the specific tool I use to help me discern what that word should be.

And then if it resonates with you, maybe you'll want to try it out too. Because, friend, if you're anything like me,

you need all the help you can get when it comes to staying focused in a world full of shiny objects and conflicting expert advice, Right?

So let's talk about it.

First, let me tell you what a Word of the Year is not at least not for me.

It's not a magic formula or a horoscope.

It's not a replacement for prayer and seeking God.

It's not something I slap on a vision board and expect miracles.

And it's definitely not a resolution in disguise.

So what is it? For me,

it's a single word, a theme rooted in Scripture that God reveals to me to guide my decisions, my focus, my and my priorities for the entire year.

It's like having a filter for every opportunity, every strategy,

every idea that comes my way. When something shows up, a new course, a collaboration opportunity,

a marketing strategy, a book idea, I can ask does this align with my Word for this year?

Does it align with God's vision for me this year?

And if it doesn't, I know it's probably not for me right now. Or ever, even if it's a good thing.

Now, I want to be very clear. I use this loosely, not rigidly,

because Proverbs 16:9 says in their hearts, humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps, right?

And Proverbs 19:21 reminds us many are the plans in a person's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails.

I receive my Word of the year at the start of each year, but I don't treat it like a contract carved in stone.

The way I maintain that flexibility is by staying in constant communication with God throughout the year.

Of course, I meet with God daily in my quiet time. But beyond that,

I also set aside intentional time every Saturday morning for me to have what I call a business meeting with God,

where I only talk business and strategy and make sure I'm still on course with what God's calling me to do.

I want to always be in God's plan and his purpose, and I want to make sure that I'm always on track with a vision he has for me.

And I adjust or tweak where God leads and guides me. Very important. Because here's the thing.

My Word of The year never supersedes God's instruction or guidance.

If God redirects me mid year, I follow his voice, not my word.

If he opens a door that doesn't seem to align with my Word on the surface, I seek him about it rather than automatically saying no.

The Word is a guide, not a rule book.

It is a filter,

not a cage. So yes, I use it to help me discern,

but I never let it replace fresh, ongoing communion with God,

whether that's my daily quiet time or my weekly business meetings with Him. He's still sovereign.

He's still speaking. And sometimes he changes direction mid course and. And I need to be flexible enough to follow him, right?

Because here's what I've learned.

Not every good thing is a God thing for me in every season,

Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, there is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens.

A season for everything, not everything in every season.

And having a word of the year helps me remember that.

Now I want to share something that makes this practice really meaningful for me. I've been seeking God for His Word of the Year since I started writing back in 2017.

And I don't just write them down and forget about them. I have a collection of flat river stones, large pebbles,

on which I've written each of these words and the year they applied to.

They sit on my desk where I can see them.

And friend, when I look back at these stones,

I can clearly see how each of the words was the foundation of each year that passed and years where it gets really powerful.

Sometimes God's meaning for that word wasn't what I thought it was at the beginning of the year.

So let me give you more context.

In 2023, my word was transform.

My word for 2024 was thrive.

And in 2025,

it was create.

Now in isolation, at the start of each of those years,

I assumed it was all about me and my journey. I assumed it was all about my transformation and me stepping into a flourishing year.

More book sales, more income, more joy, more writing, more peace.

And while that was all true,

these words went a lot deeper than I initially thought and what God actually meant by them.

See, God had called me back in November 2023 to share the transformation he brought about in my mind, heart, and business.

And then through 2024, he kept pressing me to share my transformation.

And on the back of my word for 2024, which was thrive. In November 24,

exactly one year after he first called me, I finally launched this podcast, the Anointed scribe.

But see, it didn't stop there.

Because my 2025 word was create.

And again, I saw this superficially as in creating more books, etc. But a few months ago, God gave me a vision for the transformational program I'm about to release called the Revive to Thrive Way.

Do you see it?

Transform,

Create,

Thrive.

God called me to create the Revive to Thrive Way. To share the specific method. God transformed my heart, mind, and all for business with.

I mean, but God, right? And I only realized this a few months ago when I packed up my office for our move.

Those words weren't only about my circumstances. They were prophetic. They were God's plan unfolding. Because God's word is alive, right?

God was already naming what he was about to birth through me.

And I couldn't possibly have known that at the start of each of these years when God revealed each word to me. That's the thing, friend.

God rarely, if ever, reveals his entire plan for you all at once.

He holds back the mysteries and reveals the steps to you little by little as you in air quotes level up, so to speak,

as you go through the process of growth and transformation and getting closer to him and his plan for you.

When God reveals a word,

he's often speaking about things you cannot see. Yet he's already preparing you for what's coming. You just don't know it. Yet.

Every single word I've ever received from him has played out. Not because I forced it to happen or directed my thoughts and actions toward it,

but because my heart was open to hearing God's voice and instruction around each of these words and scriptures that went along with it.

And sometimes, often actually,

he's speaking prophetically about what he's already planned.

That's the beauty of letting God reveal your word instead of you choosing it yourself. We don't want to thumb suck this.

You're inviting him to set the theme before you even know what the year will hold.

So here's why I love having a word of the year. It's not about limiting myself. It's about focusing myself.

Because when I try to do everything,

chase every strategy, implement every tactic, I end up scattered, exhausted, and honestly ineffective.

But when I have one clear theme guiding me,

everything gets simpler.

Proverbs 4: 25 through 27 says, Let your eyes look straight ahead,

fix your gaze directly before you. Give careful thought to the paths for your feet, and be steadfast in all your ways. Do not turn to the right or the left.

Keep your foot from evil,

fix your gaze, be Steadfast. Don't turn to the right or the left.

That's what a Word of the Year does for me. It helps me fix my gaze on what God's asking me to focus on this new year.

Now here's where it gets even more practical. So I'm going to share how I actually discern my Word of the Year.

Here's my specific process. First, I pray and ask God to use the quiz tool, which I'll share with you in a bit, to reveal His Word for me. I'm not just taking the quiz casually.

I'm inviting God into it from the start, asking him to speak through it. Because God does that, right? He uses tools. He uses man made things to speak to us.

Then I take whatever word the quiz suggests back to God in prayer. I sit with it. I meditate on the scripture directly tied to that word.

I pray about it some more.

And then this is the critical part. I ask God to confirm it.

Now, in my case, I have a prophetic gifting. So I usually hear from God straight away.

That's just how he's wired me to hear Him. But friend, even if you don't have that same gifting,

God will confirm his word for you if you ask him to be it directly, audibly, through visions, through someone else, through scripture, through circumstances. However God speaks, speaks to you personally.

He will confirm it.

You just need to ask and then pay attention.

And also, don't rush the confirmation process, right?

Give God space and time to speak in the way he speaks to you. God operates outside of time, right?

And here's what I've learned. When it's the right word, you'll know.

It settles in your spirit. It resonates. It feels like coming home.

So years ago, I discovered a tool that's been incredibly helpful in this process.

The DaySpring Word of the Year quiz.

Now, I'm not sponsored by dayspring. They have no idea I'm talking about this.

But I love this quiz because it asks questions that help me discern what season I'm actually in and what theme might serve me. Well,

it's not just telling me what my word is and then helping me identify what God might already be highlighting in my life.

What I also love is that it asks these questions using Scripture so I know and trust the source.

Because God's word is alive, right? Like I said before, God's word is alive.

And based on my answers,

it suggests words that help me discover a theme, a scriptural theme from God's word that that will speak directly to where I am.

Then I take those suggestions to God in prayer, check them against Scripture, and ask is this the word you are revealing to me, Lord? Or is this something else you want to say?

Because the quiz is just a tool to help me discern,

God has the final say now. Full Transparency Day Spring usually releases the new quiz in late December, I think, or early January.

So by the time you're listening to this on December 5, the 2026 quiz might not be live yet. But if you're interested in trying this, here's what you can do.

Go to DaySpring's website and look for their Word of the Year quiz.

If it's not live yet, bookmark it and come back in a few weeks. Or you can just Google dayspring Word of the Year quiz and you'll find it.

I'll also drop a link in the show notes once it goes live so you can find it easily. But even without the quiz,

you can start this process now if you want to try it. In fact, you should.

I already started seeking God for a Word back in September, so this quiz could even be what confirms it for you, right?

So if you're wondering, Here are some of the questions I ask myself as I pray about my Word of the Year.

I have many questions, but I'll just give you the first five. Otherwise, we'll be here all day.

First I ask, what season am I in?

Am I in a building season?

A resting season? A pruning season?

A breakthrough season?

Knowing my season helps me discern a word that aligns with where God actually has me, not where I wish I were right.

Second question I ask is, what's been my biggest struggle this year?

Not the new year, the year that I'm currently in?

Maybe it's comparison.

Maybe it's fear. Maybe it's striving.

Maybe it's confusion. And I need direction.

My struggle often points to what God wants to heal or transform in the coming year.

Third,

what keeps coming up in my quiet time with God? Has there been a theme in my Bible reading? A verse that keeps showing up?

A topic God keeps bringing to my attention?

I pay attention to that because I can tell you with certainty it's not random.

A fourth question that I ask is, where do I need the most growth in my faith?

In my character?

In my business practices?

In my relationships?

Sometimes my Word addresses the area I've been avoiding. It's not always to do with work,

but it often applies to work. Because if you are healing, you know, maybe in your faith or in your character that that obviously is going to spill over into your work as an author, right?

And the fifth question I ask when praying for God to reveal my word for the coming year is what would make 2026 feel successful from God's perspective, not the world's?

This is a big one for me because if my word is, say, abundance,

but I'm measuring abundance by book sales and income,

I might miss the abundance God's actually giving me.

So I ask,

what does success look like through God's eyes for me next year?

Once I have some potential answers to these questions, I keep talking to God about them. I keep reading the word. I search scripture to see where God guides me. I sit with it,

earnestly praying about it. And when I get a word, I'll ask God if this is the word he's revealing to me.

Does this settle in my spirit? Or does it feel forced?

Because the word doesn't come from the quiz,

the word comes from God.

The quiz just helps me identify what he might already be highlighting.

And here's something I've noticed. My word isn't always glamorous.

It's not always the inspiring word I might choose for myself.

One year, my word was wait.

Not exactly Instagram worthy, right?

But that was the season God had me in. A season of waiting, of trusting his timing instead of forcing my own.

And that word, wait, it saved me from making so many mistakes that year because I was alerted to it.

I waited. I prayed.

Every time I wanted to rush ahead, launch something prematurely,

force a door open, I'd remember, hold on. My word is wait.

So I'm waiting.

It was fun,

but it was obedience.

And obedience is always better than my best ideas executed in the wrong timing.

Now, once I have my word, here's how I actually use it.

I write it down somewhere. I'll see it daily.

I put mine on a stone and add it to the bowl on my desk.

I write the related scripture out and stick it on my inspiration wall.

I make a dashboard for my planner.

Some people make it their phone wallpaper. Others create art with it and frame it on their desk. The point is, keep it visible.

I also use it as a decision filter. When opportunities come up, I ask, does this align with my word? If my word is simplify and someone's offering me a complicated new marketing strategy,

that's probably a no for me right now,

right?

If my word is courage and I'm scared to do something God's been nudging me toward, that's probably a yes.

Then I also pray through it regularly. I don't just receive my word and forget about it. I come back to it weekly in my meetings with God and I'll ask him, lord, how am I living this word?

Where am I resisting it?

What do you want to teach me through it?

Really dwell on it with God?

Another thing I do is I also share it with someone who'll hold me accountable. I tell a friend, my husband in my case,

sometimes someone in my writing community, and I'll ask them to occasionally ask me about it because accountability helps it stick.

Now, some of you might be wondering, is this really biblical or is it just a trendy thing and that's a fact? Fair question, friend.

So here's what I personally have to say to this the practice of choosing a Word of the Year might be modern, but the principle is ancient.

Throughout Scripture, God gave people themes for seasons.

Moses had themes of obedience during the wilderness wandering.

Joshua had courage when entering the promised land.

David had faithfulness during years of running from Saul.

Mary had surrender when the angel appeared.

God has always given his people focus for specific seasons.

We're just giving it a name and a structure.

And honestly, in a world full of information overload, conflicting advice, and shiny object syndrome, I need all the help I can get to stay focused on what God's actually asking me to do.

So for me, having a Word of the Year isn't just helpful,

it's essential.

It keeps me from chasing every strategy. It keeps me from comparing myself to authors in different seasons.

It keeps me aligned with God's specific plan for my author business instead of everyone else's generic advice and friend. If you're heading into 2026 feeling scattered, overwhelmed, or unclear about what to focus on,

maybe this practice could actually help you too.

Not because it's magic,

but because it creates space for God to speak clearly about this season.

Not every season.

Now, speaking of focus and clarity, this transformational program I mentioned the Revive to Thrive Way that God gave me a vision for.

It launches hopefully in January, and it's specifically designed to help Christian authors build on the right foundation.

The foundation that makes any everything else in your author business finally work the way it should.

Because when you're building on the right foundation with God, everything changes. I'm living proof of it.

I'll share more about the Revive to Thrive way in the coming weeks.

But for now, if you want to learn more, if you're interested, you can find the link in the show notes to get on the wait list.

So friend,

if this Word of the Year practice resonates with you.

Here's what you can do.

Start praying about your Word of the year for 2026. Now ask God. What theme do you want to reveal for me this coming year?

Take the Day Spring Quiz. When it goes live, I'll remember to link it in the show notes and then seek God's word with intention.

Not because it sounds trendy, but because it might help you align with where God's actually leading you this coming year.

Because when you build with his theme,

his timing and his plan,

everything gets clearer.

Friend. Before I let you go, I want you to use the Send me a message link in the show notes and let me know where you need God to show up for you today so I can pray for you.

It's 100% anonymous. I can't see your name or your email or your phone number. I can't even reply to you. But I can read your request and I can pray for you.

So I encourage you to use this feature to send me a private message to let me know what you are struggling with right now so we can come together and take this to the Lord in prayer.

And if you found today's episode helpful, please consider subscribing and leaving a review.

You know firsthand the impact this has on discovery, so please help me get this show into more listeners ears. I have a mission and I cannot do it without without you.

Oh and if you want more tips outside of the show, sign up to my monthly 5 minute Mana emails. The link is in the show notes. Okay, so that's it for today's show.

Thank you for listening. And remember, for such a time as this,

you have been called to thrive as God's anointed scribe.