Is it possible to characterize a something as significant as a year with just a few words?  What words do you associate with 2014?

Merriam Webster: Most Looked Up Words

If you’re stuck, MerriamWebster.com has suggestions.  The site recently released the top ten most looked up words of 2014, and they reveal interesting things about the past twelve months.

1. Culture means paying attention to  behaviors which allow us to characterize an idea, issue, or group.  For example, “pop culture,”  “celebrity culture,” and “nerd culture.”
2. Nostalgia originally meant “homesickness,” and searches on its meaning were encouraged by popular historically based T.V. shows like Downton Abby and Boardwalk Empire.
3. Insidious Look-ups for this word spiked when the media called various cyber attacks in 2014 “insidious”, as well as after the death of Thomas Eric Duncan, the first person diagnosed with Ebola in the U.S.  The medical definition of insidious is “of a disease: developing so gradually as to be well established before becoming apparent.”
4. Legacy means “having lasting impact.”  It’s often used in reference to people with historical significance, like Thomas Jefferson, or, more pertinent to 2014, Derek Jeter, who played his last game with the Yankees.
5. Feminism is the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities. Time named 2014 “the year of pop feminism.”  Of course, Time also listed Miley Cyrus and Beyonce as two of its 100 Most Influential People.  Miley isn’t the example of feminism I want to follow.  See my post on misogyny for the opposite of feminism.
6. Je ne sais quoi – Who knew that a Sonic commercial could inspire so many to learn French?  This expression means “a pleasant quality that is hard to describe.”  (In the commercial, it’s confused for “Jenna said what?”) The words literally translate  to “I know not what.”
7. Innovation is the introduction of something new, and I’m glad people are looking up and thinking about this word.
8. Surreptitious means sneaky, clandestine. Users probably came to Merriam-Webster inspired by all the talk about the government collecting data, as well as the 40th anniversary of Watergate.
9. Autonomy – There’s been much international news about nations and groups of people seeking autonomy.  The Scotland referendum for independence is one example.
10. Morbidity was often confused with mortality this year.  Morbidity, from the Latin word for “disease” (morbus), means “the incidence of disease.” Mortality, from  the Latin word for “death” (mors), means “the number of deaths in a given time or place.”  As you can guess, both words spiked in look ups with coverage of the Ebola crisis.

Although I like “autonomy” and “innovation”, some of these words depress me.  I want to think about something more positive than “morbidity.”

Guiding Words for 2015

I love January for its fresh start feeling, a chance to build new habits and create real change.  My friend Valerie wrote a post on how she challenged herself to choose a “theme word” for 2014 and the surprising results of her choice.  She’s picked a new theme word for 2015, and I decided to join her.

My guiding word for 2015 is…

I’m not talking about a gift.  I mean paying attention to the people and the experiences around me.  I want to react less and focus more, to actually listen to people when they speak to me instead of thinking about the socks that need sorting.

This isn’t an empty New Year’s resolution.  I spent much of 2014 doing four things at once on five hours of sleep.  Even though bus-i-ness has become the new status symbol, I’m determined to rebel. This year, I’m going to focus on one book and task at a time, and even meditate (I’ve only got time for 5 minutes a day, but it’s a start.)  Here are my inspirations:

• Michael Hyatt’s teaching on intention, focus, and margin.  Read his post on goal setting, or listen to his interview with Jeff Goins on the Portfolio Life podcast to learn about the how to set goals that matter.
• My friend Amy Makechnie’s determination to sit still, at least for 15 minutes.  She, like me, has four kids and plenty of noise in her head.  Read Amy’s hilarious, but thought provoking, post on meditation.
• This NPR news piece on How a Skeptic Learned to Love Meditation.
• This episode of the Books on the Nightstand podcast, in which hosts Michael Kindness and Ann Kingman pledge to multitask less and focus more, in regards to books and life in general.
• The book One Thousand Gifts by Ann VosKamp

I wrote down my guiding word and goals, and I’m ready to get present in 2015. Michael Hyatt says to create real change, you have to get out of your comfort zone.  I’m getting out there.

How about you?  What word do you choose to guide your experience of 2015.  As Valerie warns on her blog, choose carefully!

Julia