What's the word?
Photo by Mick Haupt on Unsplash
I’ll start with a confession.
A few years back, I started hearing people talk about a “word of the year” and thought: “this is dumb”.
What did these even mean? How could this work? And here’s what I kept hearing: “It’s a word (or phrase) to guide your year.” “It’s a reminder of what direction you want to go this year.” “It’s a north star.”
I kept thinking it was silly, but I also kept hearing people talk about it.
Then, last year, I decided to put my skepticism aside and give it a try.
And you know what? I’m doing it again this year.
Here’s what I learned and why I’m doing it again.
In 2019, my word of the year was “build” - as in, build my business, build connections, build relationships, etc. I decided to go all in and put this word in a central place where I’d see it often: the background of my laptop desktop and in my calendar.
And then I slowly started to see that this word WAS guiding my decisions.
I’m an introvert, and so big events don’t sound great to me at first, but every time I was invited to speak at a conference, I went. I thought to myself “I’m here to build connections”. And you know what? I met and made meaningful connections with more people in 2019 than I did in the whole decade prior. And I had a great time at those conferences.
When I could see an argument coming with my pre-teen I thought “What if today I just hold my tongue so that I can build this relationship?”. And you know what? I think our relationship is better for it.
I did things that were contrary to who I thought I was, but that did help me build my business. I was interviewed on podcasts, I started blogging regularly instead of sporadically, I spoke at conferences, I attended conferences and introduced myself to people even as I felt uncomfortable. This, in turn, enabled me to help so many more people improve their lives by doing more, and stressing less.
My word was a subtle, yet constant, reminder that what I want to do RIGHT NOW, might not fit into my larger goals. And then I’d use that word to shift my position towards those larger goals. When lots and lots of small decisions are guided by a single principle, things do start moving in that direction. (Surprise, surprise!)
So next year? I’m doing it again. And my word is “scale”. In 2020, I’m trying to reach more people, to help more people get in control of their time, their to do lists and their overwhelm. And to do that I know I’m going to have to do some big (scary and exciting) stuff! I’m going to need to hire some help. I’m launching my group coaching program again. I’m working on another online course, this time geared at working parents.
So, you want to give this “word of the year” thing a try? Here’s how to get started:
Sit down with a writing implement and brainstorm for 10 minutes words or phrases that resonate with you, that are aspirational, that you think you would do well by spending a year following and thinking about. (Side note: I recently read Adam Grant’s “Originals” and one of my takeaways is that every time I brainstorm I need to be generating at least 3 times as many ideas as I think necessary, as this is how you get past the mundane to get to the good stuff.)
Then start eliminating words/phrases until you get down to just a few OR circle the few that really resonate.
Choose one word or phrase; choice by gut feeling is A-OK.
Then plaster that word/phrase all over your life so that it’s always there, in the background. I chose a representative image, added the word, and made it the background on my computer. But you could add it as a year long “appointment” in your calendar, so that it appears at the top of every day or you could put a post-it on your bathroom mirror, or somewhere else in your house or car.
And, don’t leave me hanging! If you decide to do this, let me know what word you choose!
And if you are looking for more info on how to plan your goals for 2020, check out this post from a few weeks ago.