Which words would you like to hear most in 2017? I usually choose 3 words which describe how I want a year to be. No, not some sort of cheesy” I love You” said by someone else or even addressed to yourself. And to be honest you probably don’t want to just hear the words but see them, touch them to know they are real, even taste or smell them.
Only you know what the three words are. Only you can make this the year you really intend it to be. I don’t believe that giving yourself a to-do list will get you there. I need a feeling of inspiration and possibility, and I guess that you do too.
I originally used the three word idea to describe the values I wanted my new business to live and breathe. They gave me a multi-faceted view of my business, and helped me to be authentic in it as well as sensible. Then I found it useful as a benchmark when I wrote websites for other people. It was a useful quick-check procedure to make sure the messages were on track, and fitted both the company and the potential customers.
Since then I have applied the three word formula to add to my planning for the new year. So whether my planning starts with the big picture or with small details I think of three words to give me a flavour. Three words that will be easy to remember and help me to be the way I want to be in order to have the year I want to have.
A year or two ago I discovered that Chris Brogan (well known internet guru) does the same process and finds 3 words to define his year. After my initial “Ooh I thought of that first” response (which is probably totally inaccurate) I now am delighted to think that I had come up with the same idea.
Although I no longer write so many websites I still love alliteration – where words start with the same consonant. It helps to make the words more memorable and noticeable.
So for 2017 my words are fun, fulfilment and financial abundance.
1st Word: Fun.
I am happier and more productive when I give myself the opportunity for fun. Get better ideas, too. So I will schedule in time off and make the most of it, and also find the fun in everyday activities by choosing to view them with a lighter focus. When something definitely has to be done by me which really isn’t fun I will just face up to it and give it a deadline.
2nd Word: Fulfilment.
I know a lot of women who have not reached their potential, and find it difficult to give themselves permission to do so. So I will continue to encourage women to start a blog (http://www.attractreaders.com) and to express themselves. This is often the thing that unblocks a lot of potential. I will also remind myself to do the things that only I can do. This may feel scary at times but is always fulfilling. In fact the fear is often a sign that it is something I need to do!
3rd Word which is a phrase: Financial Abundance.
My final phrase starting with “f”. This is more than simply having money, it is about knowing that I can make the money and there is more than enough. There is a lot of evidence that money itself isn’t what people want, or the reason they gamble, or why marriages fall apart or businesses fail. I think there will continue to be massive change in 2017 and a feeling of abundance about money will be a big help to overcome and benefit from challenges.
I want to see and hear the fun, the fulfillment and the financial abundance, (yes and taste, touch or smell them too.) I want them to be real to me every day, not just at the end of the year. But before you can welcome the real thing in, you think about what you would like. You might need a defined period of time to do this, so just give yourself 10 minutes with a notebook, or go out for a walk and you will probably find ideas come to you easily. I found I was writing mine in a text to my brother. They just appeared in the message before I realised I thought of them. So I said hello to them!
How about you? What are your three words? Do let me know.