Ah, it’s my favorite thing about the new year – finding the three words that I’ll keep in the back of my mind as I move through the next 12 months. I know some folks like to choose one word, and if that works then absolutely do that. Me, I need something I can chant. Something mantra-like that I can say over and over again when I feel myself getting pulled off track.
The winners this year are: (drumroll, please)
Progress, Intention, and Arrival
Each year I am surprised not only by the words that come to me, but how they show up. They land in my mind when I’m not looking, but when I’m open and curious. And I guess that’s the point.
I love the concept of having three words. For me it creates a mantra that I can repeat in my mind when the going gets tough – those moments when you want to hide under the furniture or drown your sorrows in your own half-gallon container of ice cream.
Here are the words I’ve ended up with for 2022:
Progress
This is a continual frame of mind. I sometimes find myself chasing a finish line that I never cross because it’s actually not there. As much as I despise cliches like, “it’s a marathon, not a sprint”, or “it’s the journey”, It is the flipping journey, and it won’t “happen overnight”.
Aggravating AF, I know.
To be successful on that journey you have to remind yourself sometimes that any process is successful when you can see the progress. And progress is something we struggle to see we are achieving when we are out in the world waiting for serious stuff to happen. We need to slow down on occasion and take stock of what we are getting done.
Hint: it’s a flipping lot!
On the days you feel defeated and you’re reaching for that ice cream, it’s crucial to remind yourself of the progress you’ve made so far, and the progress you will make moving forward.
Intention
Intention will be a challenging one for me. I run at top speed during my workdays. But I often forget what I did, and can’t come up with the accomplishments of each day because I already have my foot in tomorrow.
It’s so easy to fall into patterns of doing things because:
- It served us at some point and it’s habit now
- We don’t know how to do it any other way
- It’s what other people are doing and it feels safe
- We do something because it’s easier than what we really should be doing
Doing things with intention slows us down, keeps us grounded in the moment, and reminds us that we have a plan and we are not just flopping around like a fish on a dock out of the water.
I’m hoping to be conscious of my choices and to maintain awareness of why I’m doing what I’m doing. To keep my eye on the prize I’m aiming for and the path I need to stay on to win it. Don’t get distracted by other people’s prizes. Their intentions are not yours.
Arrival
I was so excited when my mind somehow landed on this word. I want to feel like I have arrived in the spot I have been searching for and working towards. One with a balance of writing content that honors the voices of my awesome clients, and making time to write in my own voice, for me.
After many years of personal life transitions and dealing with unexpected things like say, a pandemic, I will arrive as the person I am becoming, doing the things I want to do:
Professionally – writing content for my awesome clients that honors their originality and message by using their unique voice to connect with their awesome clients.
Personally – claiming a spot for my own genuine voice by making the time to write in a way that serves me as a creative human with something important to say.
And of course, I always love a good mantra with my words:
Making progress by taking actions based in intention supports and guides my arrival.
I’d love to hear about the words you’ve chosen for the year.
If you’d like to hear more about the process of choosing words, help crafting that mantra, or anything else about content writing, I’d love to chat!
And if you’d like to learn more about this concept from the originator, check out Chris Brogan’s Blog here.