A word for the year is a fantastic way to help achieve your goals, get clarity in your approach, adopt new beliefs and habits. I love seeing all the words that friends, clients and contacts embrace for the year. Words like…
However, coming up with a word, is just the start or to put it another way, you need to bring it to life, by integrating into your life! Simple and small steps can help integrate your word into your life with profound impact.
Have you ever bought something from a company, or worked in one where you didn’t feel the product or culture was aligned with the sprouted values? It feels inauthentic. It can be like if you come up with your word and don’t actually live it. Embedding your word into your life helps you live it and embrace it for the whole year. It helps keep the word relevant, reminding you of it, so that you can truly get the most value from this word you’ve chosen. Just like the best organisations embed their values into the company and they’re not just wallpaper or words on their website, embedding your word for the year into your daily life will support your success.
Embedding the word into your life doesn’t take a lot of work but can have a huge impact on your goals and success. Below a list of tips to help you keep your word alive in 2017!
- Include a version of it in your passwords
- Make an image for the wallpaper on your phone, iPad, computer or all three!
- Get a chalk pen or Texta and write on your word on your mirror in the bathroom so you see the word every day. Or on your vision board or notice board or fridge or anywhere else that makes it visible!
- If you use a journal, write it randomly on pages throughout the year. Don’t just write the word, use questions! (See below.)
- Include your word or a version of it in your daily meditation and/or your weekly review.
- Develop your word for the year with family/friends/team members and support each other throughout the year to live them.
- Tell people your word! Don’t just tell them the word, tell them what it means to you and how it will help you be successful and in a state of flow over the next 12 months. You can also do this on social media and in a blog.
- Look to your goals for the year and see how are you living your word to achieve your goals. Include it in your action plans. Create a question around your word to match your goals.
- If you’re getting new business cards printed, look to have your word printed on the back of your card so that you can then discuss how that word is part of who you in 2017, when you talk to clients, suppliers and colleagues.
- Turn your word into questions! Our brain is hardwired to answer questions, so turning “Courage” into “How can I be more courageous today?”, will get your conscious attention and help you take action. Use questions to frame up your word as often as possible – in meditation, reflections, afformations, goal setting.
Question examples…
“Ease” could be “How can I achieve my goals with ease this week?”
“Commit” could be “What commitments do I need to make today?”
“Confident” could be “Where could I have been more confident in the previous week?”
“Brave” could be “What brave choices do I need to make today?”
My word for 2016 was courage and it helped me be successful personally and in business. I was more courageous in conversations with family, friends and clients. While I still love the word “Courage” and will continue to be more courageous, my word for 2017 is “Focus”. I will be asking myself regularly, what and who needs my focus today? Would love to know how you’re keeping your word alive in 2017.
Reading this later? Check out my word for 2020 here.