My word for the year
If you’ve been following me for a few years you might recall that I don’t make New Year’s resolutions but I like to choose a word each year to set my direction.
Sometimes this takes several weeks to decide upon, as it has this year. Around the turn of the year I attempt to tap into what my needs are and / or what I want to focus on to decide upon my word, and then I use my chosen word to guide my actions throughout the year.
My word for 2026 is sanctuary, and in particular as it applies to relationships. I will apply this in my consultations with clients and as I create new products and services. I will also apply this to myself as well as my relationships with family and friends.
In a relational sense, sanctuary can be understood as:
a feeling of safety, allowing people to relax and inner truths to be spoken
a space (either physical or emotional) where wounds can heal gently through companionship and understanding
a shared commitment to build and nurture a relationship, to protect and renew a person (this is something I am particularly mindful of throughout my meetings with clients undertaking The Vivienne Project)
I intend to apply sanctuary in the following ways in 2026 and these are things you might also want to practise to bring about calm:
building an inner (personal) sanctuary through rest and small rituals that help us return to self when we are overwhelmed
cultivating home as a place we can return to for a sense of comfort and security, and as an extension of this, our wardrobe should contain clothes that offer a sense of comfort and safety and support us through difficult times
by offering micro-sanctuaries such as listening and fully focusing on others when they need us (I heard Michelle Obama say how important this is in the work she does now, promoting education and empowerment for girls)
It’s too easy to be overwhelmed by tragedies occurring far from us but that we hear about endlessly. We were not built to take in so much bad news that we can have minimal, if any, impact upon.
So it can be useful to remember that the large majority of people in the world are good; it’s just that these don’t make the news, because it is not news. Good people are the norm.
This is why I have chosen sanctuary for 2026, to bring the focus closer to home and building nurturing relationships, creating safe spaces and being supportive.
If you’d like to begin by nurturing yourself or a loved one, a Colour Analysis is a wonderful way to begin; it doesn’t require buying any new clothes but will help refine how you wear what you already have and focus future purchases to reduce waste.
Inside my little studio that feels like a sanctuary