What's Your One Word for 2024 with Dan Hill
Last updated: 3 Feb 2025
Meet Dan Hill
Dan Hill, the award-winning serial entrepreneur, investor, developer, speaker, and writer, joins us again on the Deal Finder’s Corner for an insightful end-of-year reflection. As the host of The Blueprint podcast and the Property Entrepreneur program, Dan has a wealth of experience helping individuals achieve success in property and in life. He's known for his keen interest in spirituality, stoic philosophy, and manifestation, which he eloquently explored in his first book, ¨Karma Credit¨. Dan's insights extend beyond the realm of property, offering valuable perspectives on personal growth, mindset, and achieving a fulfilling life.
In this special episode, Dan guides us through his "One Word" exercise, a powerful tool for reviewing the past year, consolidating our experiences, and setting intentions for the future. This introspective practice encourages us to actively design the life we want, rather than passively accepting a life by default. As we approach the end of another year, it's easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of daily life and lose sight of the bigger picture. Dan's "One Word" exercise provides a structured framework for reflection, allowing us to step back, assess our progress, and set a clear course for the year ahead.
One word for 2024: A blueprint for intentional living
This episode is a bit different. It's not just about property deals; it's about taking stock of your life, acknowledging your accomplishments, and setting a powerful intention for the year ahead. As Dan wisely states:
"If you don't live an intentional life and you don't actively put effort into making your life what you want it to be... you just live a life by default and you'll find that every year is reasonably similar to the last."
To avoid this stagnation, Dan presents a series of seven questions designed to help you consolidate your experiences and consciously create the future you desire. By engaging with these questions, we gain a deeper understanding of ourselves, our values, and our aspirations.
Seven questions for reflection and growth
24 successes:
Take a moment to list 24 successes from 2024. These could be anything you're proud of, big or small, personal or professional. Dan suggests reviewing your photo reel, calendar, and social media for inspiration. This act of acknowledging your achievements sets a positive foundation for the rest of the exercise. Often, we focus on what we haven't accomplished, overlooking the many wins we've achieved throughout the year. This exercise encourages us to celebrate our progress and acknowledge how far we've come.
One feeling:
What single feeling best encapsulates your experience of 2024? Was it a year of joy, stress, contentment, or perhaps something else entirely? Identifying this core feeling provides valuable insight into the overall tone of the year. This question encourages us to tune into our emotions and reflect on the dominant feeling that has coloured our year.
One lesson:
What was the most significant lesson you learned in 2024? What takeaway will stay with you for years to come? Distilling the year into a single, powerful lesson helps crystallise its impact on your personal growth. Every year presents us with unique challenges and opportunities for learning. By identifying the most impactful lesson, we can internalise its wisdom and apply it to our future endeavours.
One person:
Who are you most grateful for in 2024? Acknowledging this person's contribution to your life highlights the importance of connection and support. Dan encourages us to express our gratitude to this person, strengthening our relationships and fostering a sense of appreciation. Taking the time to appreciate the people who support us is essential for cultivating strong relationships and fostering a sense of gratitude.
More, less, keep:
This question helps you define your aspirations for 2025. What do you want more of in the coming year? What could you do with less of? And what aspects of your life do you want to maintain? This simple framework provides clarity and direction for the future. By identifying what we want more of, less of, and what to keep, we set clear intentions for how we want to shape the year ahead.
One word for 2024:
If you had to choose just one word to summarise the entirety of 2024, what would it be? This word should encapsulate the essence of your year, capturing its highs and lows, challenges and triumphs. This word serves as a powerful reminder of the year's overall theme and the experiences that shaped it.
One word for 2025:
Finally, looking ahead to 2025, what one word do you want to define your year? This word serves as your intention, your guiding principle for the next 12 months. Dan calls this your "Year Of..." — a powerful mantra to shape your actions and decisions. Choosing a word for the year ahead helps us set a clear intention and focus our energy on what truly matters.
Live discussion and sharing
In the live session, Dan and Guillaume shared their own reflections on these questions, prompting insightful discussions and encouraging participants to share their experiences. The chat box buzzed with comments as people listed their successes, feelings, lessons learned, and intentions for the future. This collective sharing created a sense of community and support, reminding us that we're all striving for growth and self-discovery together. Hearing others' perspectives and experiences can be incredibly valuable, offering new insights and inspiration for our own paths to success.
Closing thoughts: Embrace intentional living
Dan leaves us with a powerful message:
"Most people live their life by default... unless you choose to actively go out and live what we call a Life by Design... you will live a life by default."
He urges us to break free from the treadmill of routine and actively create a life filled with purpose, joy, and fulfilment. By setting intentions, reflecting on our experiences, and making conscious choices, we can step off the path of default and embrace a life of intentional living. This message resonates deeply, reminding us that we have the power to shape our own lives and create a future that aligns with our values and aspirations.
