word of the year

Written By Jo Want

2026: STEADY

Last year, I made a quiet promise to myself. After Bali, after months (and MONTHS!) of wobbling with my fitness, I decided to get back into running. I picked a 6-week plan, committed to it, and started ticking off the sessions.

Halfway through, I got ill. A couple of workouts were missed. Old me? I would have binned the whole thing, rolled around on the floor, and muttered “what’s the point, I’ll never do this properly anyway. FUCK IT!"

But this time, something was different. I moved the end date in my app, watched the plan adjust, and just… carried on. Session by session. Step by step. Messy, imperfect, sometimes grumpy. And now, almost at the point of running my first 5k on that plan, I know it’s going to be harder than if I’d done it straight through. But it doesn’t matter. Every single session I’ve completed - even the ones where I dragged my arse out of bed and felt like death warmed up - counts. I’ve done the work, and I’ve kept showing up for myself.

That, more than anything, has inadvertantly become my guide and essentially forged my word for 2026.

This year, my word is STEADY.

Not flashy. Not dramatic. Not a sprint to prove anything. Just consistent, compassionate, unshakable presence with myself. Choosing myself. Steadily.

Why STEADY?

Because 2025 was a lot. A fucking lot. I spent much of it wobbling, surviving, sometimes barely holding it together, and often feeling guilty for not doing more, being more, giving more. I rebounded from people-pleasing into something that felt like rebellion — ignoring what I “should” do and doing what felt good, messy, or just slightly naughty.

I feel like STEADY is the opposite of that chaos. It’s:

  • Doing things even when it’s not perfect

  • Trusting that showing up counts

  • Sticking with the plan even if life goes sideways

  • Believing you’re worthy without needing proof

  • Moving forward without burning out

And yes, that includes fitness, creativity, friendships, work, and pretty much everything else in life.

‘Rules’ for a STEADY 2026

I don’t usually do resolutions. So let's call these guidelines or handrails - gawd knows I need a hand staying upright!

Consistency over excitement

  • Boring but repeatable > dramatic but unsustainable.

No quitting when I feel flat

  • Neutral days still count. So do meh days.

I choose myself without needing a reason

  • Rest, joy, care… none of it needs to be earned.

Notice when old patterns disguise themselves as urgency

  • “All in or what’s the point?” - "IT'S A TRAP!"

Allow things to be unfinished, imperfect, and still worthwhile

  • Progress doesn’t need fireworks. Quiet wins still win.

I don’t invalidate effort because the outcome is imperfect.

  • I finish things even when they’re not impressive.

An anchor for wobbly days

When life throws me off, I will come back to this:

I choose myself - steadily. I don’t need to rush this.

Why this matters

Because life isn’t linear. It’s messy, imperfect, and sometimes ill-timed. But that doesn’t mean the effort is wasted. The small, repeated choices - getting up, turning up, moving forward - those are the things that build a life you can actually live in.

This is the 2026 version of me: not chasing fireworks, not punishing myself for missing a step, not trying to prove anything to anyone. Just showing up for myself, over and over, steadily.

It’s not sexy. It’s not loud. But I’m starting to see that it works. And it feels like fucking magic.

So that’s the plan.

No big reveal. No dramatic overhaul. Just me, choosing myself - again and again - without binning it all off when life gets in the way.

Maybe your word for this year is something else entirely. Maybe you haven’t picked one yet. That’s okay too.

Whatever you’re carrying into this year, I hope you’re gentle with yourself. You don’t have to rush it. You don’t have to prove anything.

You can just… keep going.

💛

Jo Want
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