As we all prepare to move on past the past year and into the next, I want to share with you all something I started last year that I found extremely helpful. It’s a way of looking at your year in advance and putting the idea in place for the type of year you want to create for yourself rather than simply living the year and looking back in reflection.
I got this idea from the great marketing guy and entrepreneur Chris Brogan. I started listening to his podcast last year and also follow him on Facebook. He has a great take on business, marketing and how to put yourself out there in a very authentic way. And because I have great respect for what he has done, I want to make sure I give him credit for this idea… but I also wanted to share it with all of you.
3 Words for your year
When you look back over 2016, many people have a mixed reaction to the type of year it was for them. From celebrity deaths to political upheaval, it has been quite an eventful year. But what type of year was it for you personally? Did you face a fear, start a new job, end a job, make new friends, or was it more of the same as last year?
If I were to ask you to pick three words that best described your year, what would those words be?
Go head, take a minute and try to come up with three words that best described 2016 for you personally.
I’ll wait…
Got ‘em? Good. What do you think? Are they the words you would have picked for yourself last year? Are you happy with the words or do you wish you could have three better words because you wish you’d had a better year?
Well, here is your chance to come up with your three words for next year… only this puts the control back in your hands.
My 3 words for 2016
I did this exercise for the first time last year. My three words were:
Action. Inspire. Present.
These words caused me to:
- Take action on the things I wanted to do such as building a website, starting a YouTube channel and starting The Anxiety Dharma Facebook group and Facebook page for myself
- Be more focused on doing rather than just dreaming
- To share my story with others in the hope of inspiring them to take action in their lives
- Help spread positivity to everyone I interacted with
- Focus on the present moment more during my day
- Live in the moment
I took my phone and set a reminder to go off a few times each day, reminding me of my three words. This allowed me to stop and ask myself, “am I living up to my three words today?”
By doing this and applying my three words to each day, I have found that as I look back over at 2016, I can honestly say those three words fit in how I would describe the year for me.
My 3 words for 2017
Challenge – I am going to really push myself this year to challenge myself. I want to get out of my comfort zone more and expand what it is I can do and offer to others. For someone who deals with anxiety, getting out of my comfort zone can be a challenge. But I’ve learned over the past few years that everything you want is just on the other side of feeling comfortable. If you are comfortable, you are not growing.
Grow – This is a continuation from my first word. As I challenge myself, I want to see more growth, both personally and professionally. I have set some lofty goals for myself. In order to reach them, I’ll need to grow in many ways, not just internally but externally.
Share – I want to share my time, my knowledge, my energy and my experience with as many people as I can. We all have something we can share with the world, a talent, a gift or a story. If we keep that inside, we rob the world of experiencing our true beauty. My goal for this year is to share what I have with as many people as I can. The best way to receive is to give.
Your turn
Take a little time today and write down what three words you want to define your upcoming year. They can be personal, business related, emotionally meaningful or anything else you want them to be. This is your year. When you have a plan for what you want first, it is much easier to make it happen. One year from today, you’ll be happy you did.
Feel free to share your three words below. I’d love to hear from you and know what you plan on doing with your year.
And please share this post with as many people as you can so we can all have a great year to come!
