Use the One to Three Word Practice As Your Guide to Live Well in the New Year
“Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.” — Carl Jung
Since 2011, I have identified three to four words to guide me throughout the year every year. The “my three words” practice was inspired by best-selling author Chris Brogan, President of Chris Brogan Media. These three words are my compass for how I want to live that year. My three words evolve year after year depending on what I want to accomplish, what I feel is holding me back from reaching my goals, and how I want to feel during the year.
When I reflect on my words over the years, one word has remained consistent - connect. Usually, one word (such as leap, adventure, or dare) on my list has reflected my personal goal to take more risks throughout the year and not let fear hold me back. Frequently, another word (e.g., aligned, present, or centered) has reflected my desire to be more mindful and intentional about how I live my life.
Karyn and I have never discussed setting words as intentions for the upcoming year until discussing this blog post. She has a similar practice of choosing one word or a short phrase as her intention for the year. This provides clarity and narrows her intention to a specific topic of focus.
In 2019, a nonprofit organization I worked for took all the employees through an exercise and identified one word —reimagine— as the word for the year. As we spoke about projects throughout the year, we always returned to our word - reimagine - for how to design, deliver, or measure results. It was a great word to push creativity and change throughout the organization that year.
The word(s) practice helps you be intentional about the upcoming year. It can also help you break the cycle — picking a behavior to change, going all in, vowing to be successful by the end of the year, and slipping up after a week or two — of unfulfilled New Year’s resolutions. Unfortunately, over 80 percent of us fail to achieve our annual resolutions. By setting words, you become more intentional about how you want to live your life, which in turn, helps you be more successful in reaching your goals.
My 2020 words were— listen, connect, inspire, and leap. When I reflect on my accomplishments this year, I see my words reflected. I leaped and left my full-time job of eight years to go back into consulting and start Rumblings. The foundation of the work I do every day is about listening to people, looking for ways to connect deeply with them, and inspiring them to live well. My words also guide me in how I want to parent. I want to be present, listen to each of my children, understand their individual needs, connect deeply with each of them, guide them, and inspire them to live to their full potential.
Whether you pick one word or three, here are a few tips that we’ve found helpful:
Your words do not have to mean anything to anyone else — they’re your words!
Keep the same word(s) all year.
Put your word(s) somewhere — on a calendar, in a journal, as a screensaver, or on a Post-It note attached to your mirror — where you can see it/them every day.
The more you review and reflect on your word(s), the better.
Use your word(s) as your mantra.
How do you choose your word(s):
Reflect on the past year.
Visualize how you want to feel, what you want to accomplish, and how you want to live. Creating a small vision board may give you ideas if this is a struggle.
Make a list of every word you can think of that reflects what you visualized.
Review the list and narrow it down to your top one or three words.
Give yourself a few days, continue to reflect on your words, and refine your list until you feel confident you’ve nailed them!
Another reflective activity to prepare for the new year is to renew your vision. Walk through these steps to envision your future.