Embracing intention in 2025

By Justy Gortemaker 

Have you ever felt like the chaos of December leaves you too drained to embrace the fresh start January promises? I’ll be the first to admit that by the time January hits, I’m not exactly ready to jump into action.  

A dear friend told me recently, “January is for rest. February is when everything really starts.” And I leaned into that advice…hard. I spent most of January giving myself permission to rest, recuperate and reflect. The result ended up significantly shaping my favorite new year tradition – selecting my word of the year. 

If you aren’t familiar with this practice, it is a word that’s chosen to represent and positively anchor your intentions for the year ahead. There is no right or wrong way to arrive at your word of the year, but I like to focus my word on action. I ask myself questions like ‘how will I achieve my goals?’ or ‘how will I feel my best at the end of each day?’ It didn’t take long before I landed on Patience.   

As Events & Communications Manager, patience plays a huge role in everything that I do. If you’ve ever planned an event, you may recall experiencing an unexpected challenge or two. If you didn’t, I would recommend you buy a lottery ticket! 

Maybe a keynote’s flight is delayed or a PowerPoint’s formatting didn’t transfer correctly. Patience will help me to remain calm under pressure and make rational decisions. I know enough to know that I do not know it all. Patience will help me continue to foster trust with stakeholders, ensuring success from start to finish.  

I shared this tradition with my fellow Belonging Team members, a group focused on fostering a culture of intention for LCF and was fully supported to encourage staff-wide participation in this activity.  

As my coworkers submitted their words, I got more excited for the year ahead. We distributed a card with each person’s word, a dictionary definition as a baseline reminder and an affirmation to help maintain alignment and keep our intentions top of mind. 

The benefits of intentionality in the workplace are plentiful; increased focus and productivity, improved communication, stronger relationships, enhanced job satisfaction to name a few.  

When I joined LCF in August, one of the many things that stood out to me within the organization was the transparency around mission, vision and values. This told me that LCF’s important work for our community was being done with intention. The past five months have proven that to be true. 

We plan site visits. Our staff has spent time touring local nonprofits that recently received an Open Door Grant and other support from LCF to see first-hand the work they are doing within our community. 

We meet you where you are. We visited retirement and assisted-living residences to connect with donors who are no longer able to easily attend our events but care deeply for the well-being of our community.  

We welcome you in our space. We spent Wednesdays in the summer watching Lincolnites fill the LCF Barbara Bartle Garden for the Summer Performance Series while tapping along to the music from our offices or amongst the audience. Our garden is also open during the warmer months if you need a peaceful place to enjoy a break. I highly recommend this hidden oasis and lunch from our neighbor, Sweet Things by Marcy!  

We know that time spent together is time well spent. We start each week with a staff meeting – checking in, encouraging open dialogue about goals, celebrating purposeful contributions and creating space for intentional collaboration.  

I am looking forward to adding to this list as I round out my first year on the LCF team – embracing what makes me feel connected and fulfilled. It is with great joy that I share the 2025 LCF staff’s ‘Word of the Year’ submissions. Perhaps they might inspire you to find your own word of the year!