Every year I choose word for the upcoming year

Key Concepts

• Intentional Word of the Year: Selecting a single word to guide focus and intention throughout the year, rather than traditional resolutions.
• Solarpreneurship: Entrepreneurship specifically within the solar energy industry.
• Exponential Growth: Rapid and accelerating growth, particularly in business.
• Media Buying: The process of purchasing advertising space.
• EP (Extended Play): A musical release longer than a single but shorter than a full album.

2024: A Year of Creation

The speaker reflects on 2024, having chosen “create” as their guiding word for the year. This selection coincided with a significant life change: leaving a full-time job to pursue entrepreneurship, specifically within the solar energy sector – termed “solarpreneurship.” Despite initial uncertainty, the year proved remarkably productive across multiple domains. The speaker highlights quantifiable achievements demonstrating the impact of focusing on creation. Specifically, the newly established business generated revenue nearly double that of the previous full-time salary. This financial success was coupled with substantial growth in online presence. A TikTok account reached over 140,000 followers, and a YouTube channel surpassed 2,000 subscribers. LinkedIn followers increased to over 5,000.

Beyond content creation, the speaker developed and launched a digital advertising course that exceeded six figures in revenue for the year. This course is supported by a “bulk ads system” currently serving four clients. The year also fostered professional networking, resulting in new relationships with entrepreneurs, business owners, and brands offering paid video collaborations. As a media buyer, the speaker created “thousands of ads” for clients. Personal creative pursuits were also realized, including composing new music with a pop punk band and recording a new EP scheduled for release in early 2025. Finally, and perhaps most significantly, the speaker and their wife are expecting a child in January, representing the creation of “a literal human.”

Reflecting on Intentionality

The speaker emphasizes the value of annual reflection, assessing the degree to which the chosen word was embodied throughout the year. This process informs the selection of the next year’s guiding word. The speaker notes, “It's always fun to look back each year and see like how I did or did not live into like my word that I chose for the end of the year.”

2025: The Shift to Balance

Looking ahead to 2025, the speaker’s chosen word is “balance.” This selection is directly motivated by two major factors: the impending arrival of their child in January and the “exponentially” growing business. The speaker anticipates that effectively managing these competing demands will be “probably the most important” challenge of the coming year. The implication is a move from a year focused on outward creation to one focused on internal harmonization and sustainable management of existing successes.

Technical Terms Explained:

• Media Buyer: A professional responsible for purchasing advertising space across various platforms (social media, search engines, websites, etc.) to reach a target audience.
• EP (Extended Play): A music release that is longer than a single but shorter than a full studio album, typically containing 4-6 songs.
• Solarpreneurship: A portmanteau combining "solar" (relating to solar energy) and "entrepreneurship," denoting business ventures focused on solar energy solutions.