3 Words of the Year
Focus over Plan
So it’s been a minute since I’ve been here in a regular way! Like a few people I’ve read recently, November passed quickly, and I didn’t expect to be quiet for so long!
A few clients make up the bulk of my portfolio business and there’s been lots to do, so this is a quick note to you about heading into 2025! 🥳
For the past few years, as a sort of prep for the new year, I’ve chosen 3 guidance words for my upcoming year. At the end of the year, I take stock of the actions I took related to each of the words and set a new 3-word course for the upcoming year.
Borrow the Idea
It’s not an original idea. I got it from Chris Brogan and Rob Hatch (both on LinkedIn) who’ve run year-end workshops on it in the past. I’ve found that the 3 words are a great way to create direction and focus, and at the same time give myself options for staying open to new ideas. Things move so fast!
I’m still working on my 3 words for 2025 and on reviewing what I accomplished with my 2024 words. In case you’re wondering, my words for 2024 are:
CONNECT
LEARN
LEVERAGE
I’ve definitely connected with new people and new ideas for growing both my business and personally. That, for me, is a challenge since I work remotely from my clients, so I knew this year that I wanted to focus on connecting with more people.
I’m always learning, but for 2024, I wanted to focus on learning more about creating my newsletter. Still have a way to go, but learning!
As I mentioned, the bulk of my business is in client work, freelancing. And, the challenge is that you are either working or you are not. I wanted to change that even more this year, so I published (another) book. I also created some mini-products. I will keep building this leverage in 2025. It’s fun and satisfying work.
Checking in frequently
When I get to a spot during the year where I don’t feel like I’ve done ‘enough’, I pull out these 3 words and list what I’ve done under each word. It really helps me see just how far I’ve come at any given time.
I also pull them out when I’m trying to make decisions in my business. Guidance, but openness, too.