hi everyone,

i have not blogged for at least a year, but figured i do have a few things to say or share and so here we go and what better way than to drop my word for the year, although even as i type this sentence i don’t have one yet, so this is going to be quite Improv’d. i just saw that my most recent post was my word for the year for 2024 and so thought it would be a good place to start/continue!

And 2024 was a made up word as well:

The word i have chosen – Lervice – is predominantly the word ‘Service’ but with the L of ‘Listening’ added on to the beginning. 

The idea is that Listening must come first. So i really want 2024 to be a year where i can serve those around me, but in the direction that they want to go. Not beause of what i tghink might be good, necessary, or helpful. But in terms of how they have identified their needs. Lervice – a Listening kind of Service. Or maybe a Kind Listening Service. If it goes the way it is intended at least. 

So what do we have for 2026? Hmm…

Well, i feel like it has kind of made itself obvious. Last year, in addition to the work i do with Heartlines where we have moved our focus completely on to our Fathers Matter Programme as we seek the Positive Active Presence of Men in the Lives of Children and have also embraced a deeper rather than wider approach, i started working with my friend Mike Cheney in a Business Coaching Company called Activate Leaders and also started in September as part-time youth leader with our church, Wellspring Community Church, so a few things going on.

My immediate thinking was the word BUILD which speaks to building and growing all of those various jobs i am now busy on, as well as seeing how i can grow the listenership of my podcast, Out of the Fishbowl, which generally gets greatly positive feedback, but not too many ears, and also Amanda and i are quite keen to get into Hosting and Hospitality and creating some spaces for Deep Dive Conversations where we gather different people and dive deeply into topics of importance. And so while BUILDing and GROWing are both relevant, i think the word for me for 2026 is DEPTH!

With the work i am doing on Tik Tok as @brettthefish where i am challenging whiteness and calling people towards Justice and making themselves and the world around them a little better than it was yesterday, and having relaunched Thort for the Week as Facebook status updates every Monday there is not a lot of need for new things to be added, but to take the things already in place and dive a little deeper, hopefully taking others with me.

So my word for 2026 is DEPTH and hopefully i will check back during the year and see how we are doing. How about you? do you have a word for the year? Drop it in the comments below. i find it a helpful way to help keep you focused and mindful. Have a lekker rest of year and check out the various links that clicking on names of things in this post will take you to!