My One Word for 2026

I’ve been thinking about my “one word” for 2026.

I pick one every year, not as a goal but like a North Star. It needs to be something I can come back to when I feel stuck, hesitant, or tempted to overcomplicate things that don’t need it.

This year’s word surprised me a little:

Dumb.

Not careless or reckless and definitely not irresponsible. Just less clever and strategic. Less interested in winning the imaginary argument in my head before actually doing the thing.

See, being smart has worked out for me. I like planning, thinking things through, asking the right questions, and trying to make the “best” decision.

But recently I’ve noticed that I’m trading too much certainty for speed and the possibility of just seeing what happens.

So “dumb” is my permission slip for 2026.

Dumb means I don’t need a big plan before I start. It means I don’t wait for confidence to show up first. It means I act while things are still a little unclear, trusting that action will teach me more than (over)thinking.

Because when I’m willing to be a little dumb, I move faster. When I move faster, I build momentum. And when there’s momentum, things start to feel lighter and life and work starts to feel fun again.

Most of the real progress I’ve made in life didn’t come from brilliant decisions made at the perfect time. It came from making fast, simple decisions and then making little corrections as I go along.

When I’m dumb, I move faster.

When I move faster, I have more fun.

And when things are fun, I keep going.

So when I catch myself stalling out this year, I’ll ask one question: what would a dumb version of me do right now? And then I’ll probably do that.