Word Of The Year: “Irrational”

I don’t really do New Year’s resolutions. 

Like most people, my resolutions rarely last beyond the first quarter of the year, and these days I have habits and activities that keep my spirit, mind, body, and money aligned, which alleviates the need for resolutions. Plus, I no longer wait until the beginning of the year to make changes to continue evolving with my Authentic Life–if I need to change/start/stop something, I just do it once I realize it.

So I’ve replaced resolutions with a word for the year. 

Last year, I chose two words--“patience” and “epitome”-- and looking back on 2025, they served me well.

This year, my word is “irrational.”

At first, that may not sound like a productive word to choose. When I told my wife what I had chosen, she asked me if I was sure I wanted clients and future clients to know that my word for the year is irrational. I believe she said something like, “That doesn’t sound like responsible behavior.”

After all, according to Google’s AI, “irrational” is defined as:

“Being irrational means acting or thinking without using logic, reason, or clear judgment, often driven by strong emotions, impulses, or inflexible beliefs, leading to decisions that are senseless, self-defeating, or inconsistent with one's own goals.”

My problem with this definition is who determines what is logic, reason, or clear judgment?

Why is it bad to make decisions based on strong emotions and impulses if you know how to interpret your feelings, emotions, and impulses?

And, who determines what is rational?

Let me share the video that inspired my choice–as soon as I heard Rory Sutherland talk about where acting rationally will take you:

I don’t want to end up where my competitors are going--to be honest, I don’t view others as competition, but the sentiment is accurate. 

I don’t want to do what everyone else is doing. 

I want to do what is authentic to me, even if it doesn’t seem like a good idea, isn't possible, or isn't wanted. When you’re trying to do something new, it’s not always going to appear to be a rational decision–after all, it hasn’t been done before or only has been done by a few.

A great example of this is my AlignedLife+ relationship. When I came up with the idea, no one was asking for a financial advisor to act more like a guide or a life coach, collaboratively providing financial advice.

AlignedLife+ was not a rational idea until it became one, which it is now.

Being rational can keep you small. 

I still have the vision of hosting a major speaking event in four years. The Keep Pursuing event of 2030 is not a rational goal. I don’t have the audience to support such an event. The audience in my last Keep Pursuing talk in June of 2025 had six people–my mom, my dad, Ang, Silas, Roman, and Morgan, my videographer. I didn’t even fill the small conference room in my office building—selling out in the Fishers Event Center is an irrational belief. I almost let rational thinking talk me into giving up on the vision, but thanks to watching Chris Williamson’s vlogs about his speaking tour, the irrational vision is still alive.

When I think about irrational, the way Rory describes it, it encourages me to think outside of the box, pave my own road, and let my curiosity and creativity lead me. Doing what the world would define as rational won't take me anywhere new or allow me to make the kind of impact I want to have on my family, clients, and the world.

It’s the perfect word for me for the upcoming year.

Irrational doesn’t mean acting recklessly. 

When it comes to the work I do with my clients, rational decisions and recommendations will be made. When it comes to parenting decisions, rational decisions will be made, and behavior will be exhibited. There will be times when acting rationally is the right thing for me to do. Intuition will act as the guide to know when to be rational and when to be irrational.

Yes, "irrational" is not a traditional (or rational) choice for an inspirational word. 

But to accomplish my goals, evolve as I believe I’m supposed to, and enjoy my Self along the way, rational thinking and action are not going to work–I have to have the confidence and faith to trust my intuition when it calls for me to take the irrational route.

So this year I’ll call on irrational to remind me to keep doing what feels authentic to me, which often will not look rational to the outside world.

Keep pursuing,

JC