As 2026 gets started, I keep coming back to one thing.

One word.

At the beginning of last year, I chose WIN as my word of the year.

That decision took longer than I expected.

Picking a word sounds simple. It is not.

I have done this every year for a long time, and every time I am reminded why I keep coming back to it. Choosing a word forces clarity. When everything is important, nothing is. A single word creates direction when motivation fades and priorities compete.

This year, I wanted a word big enough to push me and broad enough to grow with me. I did not want something narrow or overly clever. I wanted something that could apply to business, family and personal growth without boxing me in.

What I learned again this year is that there is no wrong word.

There is only one that makes you pay attention.

Related: How the Best Leaders Make High-Stakes Decisions During Scary Times

Why I keep coming back to a word of the year

I have tried goals. Lists. Annual plans. Quarterly targets.

They all have value.

They also get noisy fast.

Life does not move in straight lines. Businesses do not unfold neatly. Family, health and relationships refuse to fit into tidy frameworks. A word cuts through that noise. It does not tell you exactly what to do. It gives you a lens to decide.

Throughout the year, I kept asking myself one simple question: Is this a win? Not just financially. Not just professionally. Overall.

That question became a checkpoint instead of a scoreboard. It changed how I evaluated opportunities, how I spent my time and how I defined progress when outcomes were not immediate.

What “win” meant in January

At the start of 2025, win looked like momentum.

Career growth. Smart investments. Expansion. Execution.

Those things mattered. They still do. I wanted to win in business. I wanted to make good bets. I wanted progress that showed up on paper. That definition was not wrong.

It was just incomplete.

The win that redefined everything

This year, my wife and I welcomed a son.

That alone reshaped my perspective.

Then we named him Winwood, after Steve Winwood.

Suddenly, the word I picked stopped being theoretical.

It became personal.

We did not realize it at the time. Then I put two and two together, and it all made sense.

Holding my son changed how I define success. It slowed the clock. It sharpened priorities. It reframed what matters when everything feels loud.

Some wins cannot be measured. They are felt. The biggest wins rarely announce themselves.

Looking back at the year honestly

If you look at 2025 strictly on paper, it is mixed.

Some investments did not play out the way I hoped. Some timelines stretched longer than planned. Some outcomes are still unfinished. That used to bother me more.

This year taught me something different. To lose is to win. That sounds counterintuitive until you live it.

Every miss forced reflection. Every delay revealed blind spots. Every tough outcome sharpened judgment.

Nothing was wasted. Not time. Not effort. Not energy.

If you learn something, it counts. If you grow, it counts. If you walk away clearer, it counts. Progress is not always linear. Growth rarely is.

Related: 3 Bold Moves Every Entrepreneur Should Make This Year

The wins that mattered most

When I look back, the wins that stand out are not the loud ones.

They are quieter.

More present time with family. Better conversations. More intention with how I say yes and how I say no. A clearer understanding of what deserves my energy and what does not.

Those wins do not show up on a spreadsheet. They compound anyway. Win stopped meaning more. It started meaning better.

Why choosing a word actually works

Choosing a word did not make the year easier. When opportunities came up, I ran them through the filter.

Does this move me closer to winning long-term?

Sometimes the answer meant pushing harder. Other times it meant slowing down.

Both count. That surprised me.

A word gives you permission to adjust without feeling like you failed. It allows growth without abandoning direction. That is why it works better than rigid goals.

Related: Why Do You Want to Live Somebody Else’s Life? 5 Ways to Build the Life You Really Want

What I tell my team every year

I always tell my team to pick a word of the year.

Do not overthink it. Your word does not need to impress anyone. It needs to guide you. It will evolve as you do.

What starts as a professional goal often turns personal. What feels like ambition early in the year can become alignment by the end of it. That flexibility is the point.

A good word does not lock you in. It keeps you honest. It gives you something to check against when decisions get noisy and priorities compete. Direction beats perfection every time. Mine did.

Win started as achievement. It became alignment.

That shift did not feel like settling. As 2025 closes, I am proud of the year.

Not because everything worked.

Because everything taught me something. The biggest win was not a deal or a return or a headline.

It was perspective.

Nothing is a waste of time if you learn something.

Cheers to 2026. LET’S WIN!