Year word
LEAP
Your 2027 word is LEAP. You have been standing at the edge of something for a while, and this is the year you stop checking the drop and jump.
Strengths
- You have already done the thinking, so the leap is better prepared than it feels.
- You are braver than your last year suggests.
- You learn fastest when you are slightly out of your depth.
- You can turn nerves into energy once you have committed.
- You inspire the people around you to try their own leaps.
Next level
- Pick one leap and give it your full weight, rather than three half-jumps.
- Tell someone the date you are jumping, so it actually happens.
- Plan where you will land, not just how you will take off.
What this word asks of you
LEAP asks you to stop rehearsing. You know the idea. The course, the move, the business, the conversation, the city. You have read about it, talked about it and imagined it in the shower more times than you would admit.
This year asks for the jump itself. Not a reckless one: you have done the research, and you are more ready than you feel. The word is about commitment. A leap is different from a step because once you are in the air, you cannot take it back, and that is the point. The fear does not go away first. You go, and the fear comes with you, and somewhere in the middle of the jump it turns into excitement.
Your first three months
January is for naming the leap. Write it down in one sentence, specific enough that you would know if you had done it. Then set a date, before the end of March, for the moment of no return: the application sent, the notice handed in, the deposit paid, the question asked.
February is for clearing the runway. Tell two people who will cheer you on. Sort the one practical thing that has been your excuse, whether it is savings, a reference or a conversation. Stop researching. By March you jump. It will feel too early. That is how you know the timing is right.
Your relationships
The people close to you have probably heard about this leap before. Some of them have stopped believing you will do it. This year, let them be surprised.
Choose your cheerleaders carefully. Lean towards the friend who says, go on then, not the one who lists the risks. A leap also changes relationships: it might mean less time, a new city or a different version of you. Talk about it openly, early. If you are single, LEAP can mean saying the thing to the person you like. If you are partnered, it can mean a shared jump, a move, a project, a new chapter. Either way, bravery is attractive. People are drawn to someone who is finally going for it.
Your work
LEAP is a strong word for work. It points at the role you have been half-applying for, the side project that wants to be the main project, the pay rise you have not asked for.
This year, go for the thing one level above where you feel comfortable. Apply for the job you think is a stretch. Pitch the idea in the meeting instead of after it. Put your name forward. If you are self-employed, raise your prices or launch the offer you have been sitting on. You will not feel fully ready, and nobody ever does. You will grow into it faster than you think, because leaping forces learning. By December, you will be doing work that would have scared you in January.
A ritual to keep it
On the first of every month, write one line in a notebook: the leap I took this month. It can be big or tiny. A message sent. A class booked. A no said. Keep the list somewhere you will see it.
When a month goes by with an empty line, do one small brave thing before the week is out. Over time the list becomes proof that you are someone who leaps, and that changes how you see yourself. At the end of the year, read all twelve lines aloud to someone you love. Notice how the early ones now look small. Then choose the next one.