It’s back again! Our annual parenting reset and planning challenge is getting a GLOW UP this year. Click here for all the details!
It's that time of year again when everyone is searching for the perfect "word of the year." While it's full of hope and ambition, let's be honest – many of us forget about it within a few months. Come next January, we're back at square one, contemplating a fresh word while the previous one languishes in oblivion. Yikes.
Where does the word of the year come from?
And does it really work? Let's take a deeper look.
The practice of selecting a word of the year originated in the publishing industry, specifically with language publications like Oxford in the early 20th century. These publications started choosing words or phrases that reflected the cultural, social, and linguistic trends and developments of the past year. It serves as a way to highlight terms that has been particularly impactful, influential, or representative of the year's events, issues, or concerns. Over time, the concept gained recognition and popularity, spreading to media outlets and eventually becoming a trend on social media.
Here is a top 5 collection of 2023’s words of the year:
Oxford: Rizz.
Dictionay.com: Hallucinate.
Collin’s Dictionary: AI (Artificial intelligence).
Merriam Webster: Authentic 1
Did yearly resolutions just get a makeover?
A few years ago, people didn’t choose a word of the year. They had resolutions and people reset their goals and and made promises each year. However, as time passed, folks started to notice that they were ineffective because no one would actually follow through with those promises.
What’s interesting is that the concept of resolutions did not come from some Guru’s personal productively book. The idea dates back to Babylon era. Babylonians made resolutions to their Gods to pay their debts and return borrowed items. Keeping these promises was seen as a way to earn favour and avoid divine wrath.
For early Christians though, making resolutions or vows at the start of the year was a religious ritual. Their vows were typically related to living a more pious and virtuous life. January 1st, which marked the Feast of the Circumcision of Christ, became a significant date for making these commitments.2
As someone who likes to understand the "why" behind trends, I realized that randomly picking a word at the start of each year that is a inspired and influenced by Pagan ideologies might not be the most effective way to lead my life in the direction I want to go.
What If I did things in a way felt more aligned with who I am? I wanted a process that had far more depth, fulfillment and reward and that led me to the "Hadeeth Theme of the Year."
What ignited this idea is my recent application of planning my life with the end in mind. This technique has been working well for me on a personal and spiritual level.
Having the end in mind with goal-setting helps us stay focused on our purpose while achieving long and short-term objectives with minimal distractions.
This approach is particularly valuable for parents like myself who often face interruptions and guilt for not meeting their goals.
Before we dive into the how to set up the Hadeeth theme of the year, let’s talk about the major benefits of working with the end in mind:
The fruitful benefits of working with the end in mind
It keeps us motivated and on track because it gives our goals purpose and meaning beyond vanity.
It prevents us from getting sidetracked by random short-term goals that come up throughout the year.
It allows us to make conscious and aligned choices with our identity and it helps us feel in control of our life.
How to choose your Hadeeth Theme of the Year:
So, this method isn’t just randomly scrolling a website with Hadeeths and picking the one that speaks to us. It’s far more intentional than that.
Here is how we do it.
Choose a single area you'd like to improve in your life and set one goal for it.
Ask 7 why’s to get to the core purpose as to why you’d like to achieve this goal.
Explore Ahadeeth from the Bukhari and Muslim compilations that are related to your goal.
Pick one Hadeeth that resonates with you the most. Preferably it’s an action-based Hadeeth. Learn it and understand its meaning.
Write or print your selected Hadeeth and make it visible in your home (put it in a place where you can see it every day).
Tell family and friends about it to hold you accountable and encourage them to do the same for extra rewards, inshallah.
If you want a more details on how to use this method effectively, Sign up here for the Muslim parents reset challenge. I’ll be teaching all the details and more inside over there.
What should we do after these steps?
Once we’ve settled on our goal, we want to begin embodying the Hadeeth daily.
Every morning, read and reflect on the chosen Hadeeth. Consider how you can implement it throughout the day and in the evening, review your actions and assess how well you’ve integrated the Hadeeth into your life. If you want a more information on how to do this, join the free challenge!
Implementing this process can lead to transformative growth in various aspects of life. By focusing on a one specific Hadeeth, you'll work towards a meaningful goal with sweet rewards for reviving a Sunnah.
In my opinion, why follow a trend when you can create intentional goals that cater to your Islamic identity?
Try the Hadeeth Theme method for yourself these next couple of months and let me know how it goes. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain on your journey towards personal growth and the pursuit of Jannah.
Happy goal setting, and may your year be filled with blessings that you did not anticipate. Ameen.
2023 word of the year, According to Dictionaries
What’s brewing in our community?
1- Muslim Parents Glow UP Challenge: The parenting reset and planning challenge will take place next week. If you ready to design your personal and parenting this year, then this is your chance. Join the FREE challenge here.
2- The Good Child Academy: The membership will open up next month inshallah. Get on the waitlist here.
3- The Alternative Daily Scheduling System Workshop - It’s time to get your family to go beyond cooperation to independence and leadership. You can get it here.
FEF members get this workshop for FREE. Please do not purchase.
4- The Muslim Parenting Podcast you voted for will be airing after Ramadan inshallah. Here is your shot to secure the first episodes by adding your personal requested advice with this form. I am LOVING the discussion points you are putting in there. Keep them coming.
Until next week, inshallah.
Take care. Assalamu Alekum.