“Make the words such that they influence your choice of actions, encourage you to decide in favor of your goals, and guide you towards lasting results that you want to experience throughout the year.” ~ Chris Brogan

For the past five years, I’ve selected three words to guide me through the coming year. This will be my sixth year.  I started this after reading Chris Brogan’s blog. Since 2006, Brogan has encouraged people to choose three words to frame their goals and intentions for the year.

In 2018 my three words were listen, inspire, actualize.

I wanted to listen closely to what clients and partners said they needed. I wanted to inspire them with offerings specifically tailored to their needs. And I wanted to offer programs and tools so they could take specific actions to move them toward their goals.

These words guided me as I developed and offered new programs throughout the year.

Most years my three words emerge fairly quickly once I start thinking about them. Last year, they rose from a larger list that was pared down to the final three.

Three Words of Years Past

Here are some of the words I’ve used in the past:

2014: Client Collaborator Content

2015: Launch Convene Trimtab

2016: Focus Connect Launch (again)

2017: Serve Engage Partner

And for 2019…

Stewardship — Stewardship is a significant word this year. It’s also one of my two core values as determined from an exercise in Brene Brown’s Dare To Lead book (more on that in a later post). Stewardship is the careful and responsible management of actions and activities. To me, it relates to family, business, health — just about anything one is engaged in.

Pivot — Pivot reflects a shift in my thinking and actions about how I show up and work with the people I care about in my life — clients, partners, friends, and family. It’s about not being the subject matter expert with all the answers. It’s more about listening and asking questions that help them get to the answers they need.

Community — This is a reminder to be more engaged and active in my community — my geographic community, my professional community, and my personal community.

These words will frame the work I do in 2019 as I hone the tools and programs that help you achieve your goals for the year. Whether you’re a client or a collaborator, I look forward to continuing to do great work together. If you’re a friend, thanks for your support, it’s meant a lot to me. I hope to continue to build on our relationship in 2019.

And You?

Can you see the value of using three words to frame your goals for 2019? If so, what three words can you come up with?

 

Image copyright : Scott Betts