IMPROV
Word of the year
I’ve always been a big fan of the cliché word of the year.
Previous words of mine have included undaunted, momentum, and connect.
While on a girls’ trip in December, I was in the weeds trying to land on a word that would symbolize the direction I wanted to grow in—or poetically embody this season. Yet as I sat with God and a thesaurus, I couldn’t help but laugh when it hit me: IMPROV.
Now let me backtrack—I took like four improv classes in 2025, and it’s basically my new personality.
I signed up for improv intentionally, looking to cultivate three skills:
To take myself less seriously
To build confidence in owning a voice
To counteract overthinking through an activity that forces you to move on fast
(And if we’re being 1000% honest, I was told I’m bad at flirting, and improv utilizes many similar skills.)
In those four improv classes, I’ve laughed harder than I have in a minute and made an absolute fool of myself with strangers. I had to pretend to be an old woman in a knitting competition, a frozen statue who talks, and an explorer in the outback. It’s been sweet to feel embraced by some of the regulars—one I particularly take favor in, a woman in her 70s named Karen.
I can’t help but feel that so many lessons from improv are applicable to real life:
The concept of “Yes, And” (accepting and building upon what’s in front of you)
Leaning on your instinct and inner voice
Trusting and collaborating with a partner
Trying out a scene and following where an idea takes you
While those are my projections, I’m eager to see what lessons come to fruition over the next 365 days in the permission to be bad at something (and so we’re clear: I’m really bad).
Therefore, here’s to IMPROV (both figuratively and literally). I’m officially signed up for 101 starting in February.
Join me in being bad at something this year.
End scene.
em