Every year, I pick out a focus word. A word that governs various aspects of my life that year in lieu of resolutions: Focus (2009), discipline (2010), growth (2011), nurture (2012), surrender (2013), challenge (2014), connect (2015), strength (2016), self-care (2017), evolve (2018), simplify (2019), energy (2020), release (2021), structure (2022), grace (2023), trust (2024), and manifest (2025)
My word for last year was MANIFEST and 2025 started off on such an incredible note of intentionality, speaking my wishes to power, and envisioning incredible opportunities.
By February, it threatened to derail me in a way I never imagined.
At first, I was in denial that this was even happening. In essence, cycling through various stages of emotions. Anger at the sheer audacity of it all and sitting in disbelief. For months, I wanted to share this. My spirit said wait. God said be patient.
You see, patience is not a natural virtue of mine. It is one I’ve had to cultivate over the years. I sat on incredible news for four years. The longest I’ve had to be patient without sharing publicly. That is progress because we want instant results. We want to see the flowers the second we plant the seeds. We want to tease out news before it’s ready. We want to share what we’re building before securing its foundation.
So for eleven long months, I stayed obedient. By being patient, I remained true to myself even when circumstances tried to pull me out of character. A person who holds space and gives grace. I waited until my anger dissipated, pity surfaced, and grace was all that was left.
By December 2025, I pulled out my vision book to see if some of what I manifested at the beginning of the year had come to pass, even though it felt a little derailed.
And sure enough, they did in the most unexpected ways. I kept checking off a few items in disbelief asking: What?! How? When?
So you guessed it…
My focus word for 2026 is… PATIENCE
The dictionary defines PATIENCE as:
- the quality of being patient, as the bearing of provocation, annoyance, misfortune, or pain, without complaint, loss of temper, irritation, or the like.
- an ability or willingness to suppress restlessness or annoyance when confronted with delay.
- quiet, steady perseverance; even-tempered care; diligence.
Patience doesn’t mean the “person of peace is unskilled at war”. Patience doesn’t mean you’re a pushover. Rather, it means your next spiritual evolution where nothing can trigger you out of character unless you let it. That you’re moving on your own timeline and not someone else’s. That you’re willing to sit with delay until ready. That you can wait four more years on amazing news until it’s worth sharing.
Not only will I continue practicing patience and growing, I will embody obedience because God has proven time and time again that if I listen, He’ll handle the rest.
So 2025 ended up being a remarkable year of personal growth and 2026 will continue that evolution in all aspects of my life. Here’s wishing you all a 2026 filled with intention, abundance, and peace within your control.
