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The Wrong Word?
- Christine Curtis-Carr
- Sep 16
- 8 min read
Updated: Sep 17
With 2026 on the horizon, I find myself reflecting on the past several months and my chosen word of the year: "organized." I know what you might be thinking—it's about as exciting as plain oatmeal, right? But that was precisely the point! My goal for 2025 was to embrace the simplicity and clarity that comes with being organized.
Guess what?
Life did not go according to plan (surprise).
Let’s start at the end of 2024.
As the final days of last year unfolded, I found myself grappling with a sense of overwhelm, the reasons why varied from day to day, but as I will explain later, overwhelm is an outdated habit of mine, I find myself in from time to time, so when I get there, I try to give myself a bunch of grace and move through it.
With 2025 just around the corner, friends began to ask, "What is going to be your word for the new year?" While I don’t feel obligated to join in on this tradition, I genuinely enjoy it. After some reflection, I settled on the word "organized."
I wanted an organized mind. I wanted an organized desk. I wanted an organized home. I want an organized computer file system. I just wanted to BE organized.
So in true fashion, the universe pulled me towards something different: The word abundance, and it really threw me for a loop.
Now, not to be confused with actual abundance, I did not win the lottery; it was only the word abundance that began to appear en masse in my life, but more on that distinction later. :) From conversations to books to podcasts and blogs, the recurring theme of abundance kept coming into my life, either as a topic for discussion from a friend or a book I would discover. But nope, not a single peep from the word organized; it was all about abundance—how to both cultivate and receive it.
Huh.
Did I pick the wrong word?
Maybe…but maybe not.
As an Enneagram Seven, I often find myself caught in a whirlwind of ideas and possibilities. My enthusiasm for new ventures can sometimes lead to a chaotic environment, where my desire for organization clashes with my natural inclination to explore every opportunity.
I recall a time (let's be honest, we are friends here, right - it has been more than one time) when I took on multiple projects simultaneously, each one more exciting than the last. I was buzzing with energy, but my workspace became
a reflection of my scattered thoughts—papers piled high, unfinished tasks lingering in the air, early am work sessions (I mean like 3:30 a.m.), and then "BAM" just like Emeril, here was my trusty old friend, overwhelm, creeping in, hanging out in my pocket.
Don't get me wrong, I am organized, I have to be to serve my clients effectively, but I knew, exiting 2024, going into 2025, I would need to get even stronger in this area of my life if I wanted to reach my professional goals. Additionally, as an entrepreneur, if you want to maintain any semblance of a personal life, you must be organized and delegate tasks, or you will continually work seven days a week because there is always more to do.
So, back to my conundrum, did I pick the wrong word for 2025?
I knew in my heart I hadn’t; my word was thoughtfully chosen, and it was organized. As I navigated through the hidden areas of my life—the overstuffed storage unit (my husband did the heavy lifting on this one), the cluttered desk, the overflowing files, the ridiculous number of half-used journals, and the packed calendar, where I was squeezing in more tasks before that last-minute meeting, my word was undoubtedly organized. I needed her badly, and I wanted to welcome her in, but she wasn't there; the only one knocking at the door was this much sexier and confusing word - abundance.
Hello, okay, so it’s you again. This is getting awkward.
So I slowed down.
Then I asked myself, “What does it truly mean to be organized?”
“Could organization be a form of abundance?”
As I delved into various books, articles, and conversations, many of which are listed below, I encountered some themes that resonated with me, others that were entirely new, and some ideas that didn’t land with me at all. Instead of shutting myself off, I chose to finish each book, extracting one or two takeaways that aligned with my commitment to being organized.
Now, as we get ready to approach the last quarter of 2025, I reflect on what I’ve learned about cultivating an abundant mindset and how the word “organization” serves as part of its essential foundation.
That's right, abundance and organization are BFFs. Let’s party, baby! (I am always looking for an excuse to eat cake, y’all.)
Embracing the philosophical idea of abundance reveals it is a state of being that transcends material wealth (although the concept does not exclude material wealth), but the focus is on inner richness. Rooted in the Latin "abunda," meaning overflow, true abundance arises from within. [Don’t worry, that is as technical as I'm gonna get; hang with me.]
For instance, Cathy Heller in Abundant Ever After emphasizes that abundance is about receiving, not attracting. This idea resonates deeply with me; it’s about being open to the wealth of experiences and opportunities that life offers, rather than chasing after what I think I lack.
Traditional philosophers (from Western to Eastern) link abundance to creativity, advocating for a life filled with meaningful experiences and inner contentment rather than accumulation for its own sake. Aristotle's concept of "eudaimonia," or flourishing, aligns with this view, emphasizing virtue and purpose as pathways to fulfillment. (Don't ever ask me to pronounce the word "eudaimonia," please.) However, "flourishing" appeared frequently, so it’s essential to note its relevance and origin here. In Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill talks about the power of desire and persistence, which ties into this flourishing concept—it's about having a burning passion for something meaningful and being persistent in pursuing it.
Modern thought leaders echo these sentiments, framing abundance as a mindset that sees limitless possibilities and encourages generosity. Rachel Rodgers, in We Should All Be Millionaires, challenges limiting money mindsets and encourages women to charge their worth. This idea of valuing oneself aligns perfectly with the abundant mindset—when I recognize my worth, I create space for more abundance in my life. Many highlight that resources should serve others, reinforcing the idea that wealth can be a force for good. Gratitude is central to this discourse, asserting that abundance is defined by enjoyment rather than possession. I often think of Henry David Thoreau’s quote, “It is not what we have, but what we enjoy that constitutes our abundance.”
The distinction between abundance and scarcity in almost every book and article I read was crucial; an abundant mindset views the world as full of opportunities, while a scarcity mindset fosters fear and self-protection.
But here is the interesting part: when you blend organization and abundance, it creates an environment of harmony where scarcity struggles to see the light of day—from financial abundance to time prosperity, and everything in between. The blending of the two is the crux of the action, or the how. Being organized creates an environment where abundance can flourish. For example, in "Buy Back Your Time," Dan Martell emphasizes the importance of delegating low-value tasks to focus on high-impact work, and what these tasks are differs for each person. This principle of organization allows me to create space for abundance in my life, both personally and professionally.
Before I go on, I want to pause and acknowledge that there are complex systems of injustice and unfairness in the world. I see it firsthand in my clients' work and in the news, as well as in one-on-one interactions with the people I love, so I do not discount the harshness that can be part of the human experience. However, this is ultimately one reason why embracing abundance is essential.
Abundance invites us to cultivate gratitude, generosity, and inner richness, creating a life that reflects true abundance through appreciation and sharing our gifts with others. By embracing abundance in all its forms —material, emotional, intellectual, social, spiritual, health-related, creative, and many more —this concept has revealed itself as a mindset that harmonizes beautifully with a desire for organization.
These two words together are how practical dreamers, like myself, work to create impact that moves mountains, and will continue to do so.
This is the reason why, when the word abundance showed up in 2025, asking me to explore what it could mean in my own life, when I specifically asked for organization, I chose not to bury it or casually ask it to come back in 2026.
We cannot change others, but we can choose to change ourselves. And there is power in that thought.
My journey to understand even a fraction of why I received the word 'abundance' when I asked for ‘organization’ has illuminated a personal truth for me: True abundance transcends the endless possibilities I often chase; it is equally about the gratitude I cultivate for the present moment. In those moments, I realized that my quest to understand abundance is not solely about accumulating experiences, material things, or ideas; it is about creating a space where we can all truly thrive together. That includes allowing people and processes into my circle, learning from other people, listening, speaking up, accepting change, and intentionally and collectively building alongside others from the word “abundance,” while executing from the word “organized.” By organizing my physical and mental spaces, I could truly foster an environment that not only nurtured my abundant spirit but also allowed me to fully appreciate the richness of what I already enjoy and who is already here on this journey with me.
It is a dance between the two, where organization grounds all abundant aspirations, allowing us all to focus on what truly matters.
By confronting my tendency to avoid the mundane, using the lens of abundance, I am teaching myself how to engage with tasks that bring clarity and peace, ultimately creating a presence that reflects both abundance and organization.
So my word for 2025?
It is still organized.
But its meaning is somehow deeper to me now. Like, I got to know her better.
She was right all along, guiding me to grow in new ways I never dreamed possible—and maybe the word 'organized' can do the same for you, too? At the end of the day, if we allow it, abundance and organization are a powerhouse team, enabling us to live fully in the moment while remaining open to the richness of life’s possibilities.
But…only if we can get out of overwhelm long enough to see it.
A handful of books that found me in 2025:
Abundant Ever After by Cathy Heller; Profit First by Mike Michalowicz; Busy is a Four-Letter Word by Kishana Palmer; We Should All Be Millionaires, (this was a re-read), followed by her Audible short, Million-Dollar Habits by Rachel Rodgers; Time Anxiety by Chris Guillebeau; Buy Back Your Time by Dan Martell; The Art of Rest by Claudia Hammond; Think and Grow Rick by Napoleon Hill; Rich Relationships by Selena Soo; Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert; Think and Grow Rich for Women by Sharon Lechter; The Little Book of Gold by Erik Hanberg; I even picked up reading a couple of magazines: The Economist and Better Investing, and started following some thought leaders on Substack.
A few research/citations in this article:
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