“What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.” — Zig Ziglar
Another year gone. Another year begun. I feel much the same—aside from that typical New Year excitement, everything is the same, isn’t it?
I don’t feel older or wiser than I did yesterday. Yet, I am a different person than I was in January 2025, aren’t I?
We grow and evolve quietly, gathering experiences and lessons day after day. None of these lessons feel particularly remarkable on their own, nor do they appear very grand. Yet, they are the tools chiseling clarity and growth into a person. It happens slowly. Looking back, I can see how much I’ve changed in the way I process my thoughts and react to my circumstances.
I am growing, evolving, and becoming a better version of myself as the days pass. I find this silent shift empowering.
When I was figuring out my word for 2026, I decided to make this shift intentional. Hence, I chose the word “Become.”
Become what I have yearned to be
all this while,
without holding back.
Fear and doubt may surround me,
but I am free
to become
what I aspire to be
despite them—
and sometimes,
with their guidance.
Become,
even if it seems
impossible.
Become,
because it is time
to bloom and flourish.
There is nothing better
than finally becoming
who I am meant to be.
Void Thoughts 
Vinitha, your word of the year feels like it has been walking alongside you for a while now. It speaks of change, not the kind that announces itself, but the kind that happens quietly, through living, through learning, through letting life leave its marks.
What moves me is how your becoming feels unhurried and honest. Shaped by experiences, by moments that lingered, by lessons that didn’t demand attention but gently shifted your path. There is an easing into strength here, a clarity that only time can offer, and a grace that knows when to accept what cannot be held, while tending carefully to what can.
Your word carries more than growth, it carries wisdom, earned and lived into. That is what gives it weight.
I’ve shared a poem on becoming as well, hoping it might echo and deepen the spirit of your reflection.
Here’s it is:
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That’s a powerful WOTY, and I really like the poem you wrote around it. May 2026 be the year you fearlessly become the person you have yearned to be all this while!
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I absolutely love your WOTY. This year, I believe everyone of us are trying to “become” what we are and what we had always wanted to become. I chose a different WOTY but our end goal feels the same. In my case, I want to ALIGN with who I really am. Align with my higher self, and my true values. Happy new year and all the best for 2026
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I love the quote. What we become by the way of achieving our goals is way more important than that what we get.
It is a good practice to take stock of who we were a year ago and how have we changed over the year rather than expecting some grand event as the year changes from 31st Dec to 1st January.
My best wishes to you, as always, for becoming the person who you are working towards becoming.
I have my word of the year. It is ‘Build’. Build upon the base I created in 2025. However, as you know, presently it feels nothing like building but just sticking together to prevent collapsing.
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perfect word for the year!!
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