After Resilience: Why My 2026 Word is Sovereignty

Cary M Hamilton
19 hours ago
3 min read

Last year, I asked you to choose a word for 2025. I chose resilience.

I had no idea how much I would need it.

What Resilience Gave Me

2025 tested me in ways I didn't see coming. Clinic crises that demanded immediate attention. Family challenges that required every ounce of patience and energy I had. The constant weight of being needed by everyone, all the time.

Resilience was the right word. It kept me steady when everything felt chaotic. It reminded me I could bend without breaking. It gave me the strength to keep showing up, even when I was running on empty.

I'm grateful for that word. It carried me through.

What Resilience Cost Me

And somewhere in all that getting through, I lost something.

I lost me.

I spent the year responding instead of directing. Managing instead of leading.

Centering everyone else's needs—my staff, my clients, my students, my family—while my own wants got pushed further and further to the back.

I became an expert at crisis management and reactive problem-solving. But I forgot what it felt like to decide what I wanted, not just respond to what everyone else needed.

Resilience got me through 2025. AND I can't live in resilience mode forever.

The Question That Changed Everything

A few weeks ago, I sat down to choose my 2026 word, just as I encouraged you to do last year.

And I realized: I don't want to manage anymore. I want to lead.

I don't want to keep centering everyone else. I want to focus on what I want.

I've proven I can survive. Now I want to decide where I'm going.

That's when the word found me: SOVEREIGN.

Why Sovereign

Sovereignty means I am the authority in my own life.

It means my needs matter as much as everyone else's. My wants deserve space. My vision guides my choices, not just everyone else's demands.

It means:

Those protected work blocks I keep trying to establish? They're not selfish—they're sovereign territory.
Leading my clinic from my vision instead of from crisis to crisis.
Asking "What do I actually want?" before automatically saying yes to what others need.
Directing my energy intentionally instead of scattering it reactively.

Sovereignty isn't about ignoring others or abandoning responsibility. It's about recognizing that I can't truly lead—my work, my clinic, my life—if I keep putting myself last on my own priority list.

Finding Your 2026 Word

If you chose a word last year:

Remember your steps? Reflect on your core values, brainstorm words that capture them, and choose the one that resonates most.

This year, add one more layer of reflection:

What did your 2025 word give you?
What did it cost you?
What do you need next?

Maybe your word served you beautifully, and you're ready to go deeper with it. Maybe, like me, you're ready for a shift—honoring what that word taught you while moving toward what comes next.

If this is new for you:

Choosing an intention word is simpler than it sounds:

Identify your core values - What matters most to you? When do you feel most like yourself? What do you want to prioritize this year?
Brainstorm related words - If you value connection, your word might be "Reach" or "Bridge." If you value peace, maybe "Settle" or "Ground."
Choose your word - Pick the one that feels most alive, most true to where you are right now.
Live it daily - Keep it visible. Each morning, ask: "How can I live this word today?" Each week, celebrate moments when you did.