What's Your Word of the Year?

Isn't New Year's Eve wonderful? It's the one holiday that everyone can agree on. There is no controversy here. Midnight rolls around and the calendar year has changed, like it or not. And I usually like it.

Every turning point in life--a graduation, a new job, an increased salary--offers the opportunity for introspection and reflection on where you've been, where you're going and how the heck you're going to get there. New Year festivities offer the same opportunity with a public twist--you get to share your annual battle with personal shortcomings with the world by crafting the all-important New Year's resolution. What will it be this year? Increased exercise? Eating healthier? Spending less money perhaps? I'm pretty sure there are really only seven original New Year's resolutions floating around out there and people just pick the one that seems most fitting for their current least favorite vice.

However, some of us do put a little effort into identifying a personal flaw that we want to work on and make a commitment to positive change. Like everybody else, my New Year commitments usually come with an expiration date of January 5th or so, but my resolution-making effort is always top-notch and that's got to count for something.

Before you can craft a good resolution, you must submit to a potentially dissatisfying 2007 self-examination. Who wants to play Monday Morning Quarterback on the last year of their life? That's no fun! Well, fortunately for everyone, I was recently introduced to a much less painful way of reflecting on the past 365 days. I was out to lunch with some friends and we were discussing the fact that Merriam-Webster has named "w00t" as their official Word of the Year.

Apparently that's the word all the cool kids are exclamatorily texting these days. While I had heard this word before (spelled "woot"), I had no idea that it stands for "we owned the other team." Also, I'm fervently against the idea that the Word of the Year can contain two zeros in place of o's. (Plus w00t seems to have beaten out "Facebook" for this wordly honor. That's inexcusable.)

But back to my point. After pulling out our cell phones and determining the logistical ease with which all of these Merriam-Webster-poll-swaying tweens could actually type "w00t" into a text message, my friends and I discussed a more useful question: What is your Word of the Year?

If you answered that question in less than two minutes, you probably didn't think of the right word. Your Word of the Year will take some time to come up with, but it will be worth the effort. I finally settled on troubleshooting. Not only does it aptly describe my current line of work, it also sums up my life this year, as I came to terms with the fact that I am no longer a college student or a grad student and must settle for being a (cliche alert!) student of life in the so-called Real World. So, I ask you, what's your Word of the Year?

After you've decided on your personal Word of the Year for 2007, it will be much easier to start thinking about what you want to change for 2008. And then coming up with your New Year's resolution will be a snap!

As for me, I resolve never to use the word "w00t." Ever.