How I Chose Radiance as My Word of the Year

This blog post is going to be bit more word heavy than other, but that makes sense considering it's all about how I chose my word of the year. It also doesn't really have anything to do with quilting other than trying to find a word that reflects how I plan to move forward with my business in 2026.

I love choosing a word for the year because it clarifies what I want to focus on for the year. Last year I chose the word Prosperity because I wanted to focus on the abundance of blessings in my life and build a prosperous business. This year I had some ideas, but I kept getting stuck by the word Rise. I liked the idea of the word, but it didn't quite fit my vision.

So I turned to ChatGPT to help me. I occaisionally use AI as a brainstorming assistant, so I thought it would be fun to see what it would come up with.

Here is the prompt I provided. It really was just a brain dump of all my thoughts around choosing my word. "i am trying to pick my word of the year for 2026. I was thinking something along the lines of 'rise' because 2025 was a challenging year personally and a cultivating year business wise. I feel like this year was a dumpster fire and I am ready to rise from the ashes like a phoenix. The phoenix imagery is really pulling me right now. My mom dying has been super hard, but I am living my dream with starting my new business and watching it finally start to make a tiny profit. Also, the world sucks because we have a horrible person running our country and it stresses me out. Maybe something that combines the phoenix along with the duality of the world burning but my business is a bright spot?" (I don't worry too much about spelling or punctuation when working with AI)

Of course, Rise what the first word it provided, but it also gave me Resurge, Rekindle, and Radiance among others. Then it suggested these as the top 3: Resurge, Ember, Ascend. (I think it really liked the imagery of the Phoenix)

I've used ChatGPT enough now that it knows me fairly well, so when I chose Radiance it gave me this response: "Radiance is a stunning choice, Lynn — and it fits you perfectly for where you are right now. It honors everything you walked through in 2025, but it isn’t about the ashes anymore. It’s about the light you’re choosing to carry forward. It also aligns beautifully with the joyful, whimsical, travel-inspired creativity you pour into Emerald Falls Quilts and the Wanderlust Quilt Society." Well isn't that nice, thanks for the compliment Chatty. 

What was even more fun is that it also gave me a mantra, vision statement, and a ritual.

Here is my vision statement for 2026: "2026 is my year of Radiance - a year where I honor the light I carry and let it shine without apology. I step into my work, my creativity, and my relationships with authenticity, warmth, and joy. I use my gifts to brighten the lives of others through whimsy, beauty, and connection. Even when the world feels heavy, I choose to be a steady glow. My business grows as I show up as my truest self, and I create spaces where others feel inspired, welcomed, and uplifted. I radiate from the inside out -grounded, whole, and luminous."

Isn't that pretty? So here's to 2026 (which honestly is already harder than 2025). The purpose of radiance isn't choosing toxic positivity. I can still acknowledge that the world is a dumpster fire and grief is hard, but the question now is "What can I do to make today just a little bit brighter?" That is going to be my focus and mission to get me through 2026.

Do you have a word for the year? If so, I'd love you to share it in the comments below.