Try A Mindset Term
Red locomotive moving along the coast
When the pandemic started, so did my annual choice of three words to keep me focused. I did this for about three years. Then I thought for a hot second that I’d like one word. What I realized, though, was that I had to keep those words, whether it was one or three, written down somewhere for when I forgot them, usually in the moments I needed them most. What I needed was a mindset term - a feeling I wanted to have each day.
Last year, I chose the feeling of surrender - not in defeat, but in acceptance of the good and challenging that wandered into my life. I didn’t want to fight and struggle with things I had little or no control over.
I was in need of a new mindset term for 2026. I started with pace, flow, rhythm, etc., but none were quite right. So I do what I find helpful in these situations, and I looked up definitions, looking for descriptions of this feeling I wanted to capture. Then I landed on locomotion:
“The act or power of moving from one place to another, involving the application of forces necessary to overcome inertia and friction.”
And there it is.
Why Locomotion?
I spent a lot of time on the train as a kid. My father was a conductor for the Long Island Railroad, so he’d take me to work when his shift ended in Manhattan, and then he’d take me to places like the Twin Towers, the Empire State Building, Lady Liberty, the Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall, Rockefeller Center, and St Patrick’s Cathedral. The city excited me, and I was enamored by my father’s comfort in navigating the streets and the people.
But the ride there could seem boring. Monotonous. Slightly torturous. I just wanted to get there.
The life of a creative can be a rollercoaster. Days of explosive ideation mixed with other days of mental drought. Our thoughts can move as stealthily as a hummingbird or trudge along like a sloth. The struggle for balance and consistency is real and a constant work in progress.
As a rewards-driven, city-loving kid, I kept taking the ride. As an adult, I can look back and appreciate the concept of locomotion - getting from one place to another through steady movement. I can hear the wheels still, click-clacking, slower than I preferred, but regular and reliable. I had an Archie comic book, a soda, and a candy bar to get me through it.
What Are Some Examples of a Force?
Clarity around foundational messaging
Exercise and rest
Having systems and processes in place
Accountability from a group or an accountability buddy
Marketing strategy (my Achilles heel)
Meditation and journaling
A story consuming my creative brain, chanting “write me, write me!”
What Qualifies as Inertia or Friction?
Not having a plan or structure for my days
Lack of self-care
Uncertainty around your brand
Binging a new series
Procrastination and distractions
Addiction to my reliable source, TikTok
I know when I’m moving, when my “locomotion” is steady, that’s when I do my best work without getting depleted or feeling overwhelmed. It’s when I give most creatively to my clients, who need support around their voice, content, and visibility. And it’s how I move forward with my personal writing projects.
I challenge you to take a few minutes to list your forces, or your inertia and/or friction. Let me know how it goes.
If you’re looking for support around your written communications, I can help you in a number of ways:
Done-for-you copywriting - blogs, case studies, website copy
Consulting sessions - clarity, strategy, content development and editing
Messaging - find your voice and use it in your communications to attract your bullseye client
Schedule a call with me to learn more.