EP98: The Magic of One Word on Your Leadership and Life
FOCUS CAN BE EASY - AND IMPACTFUL!
Creating results by focusing on one word it magic. Let’s do it!
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(The notes below are only a brief summary of what is discussed in the podcast. Be sure to listen to get all of the goodness! If you would like a full transcription of the episode, please send an email request to: angie@angie-robinson.com. We’d be happy to provide that!)
This post is actually one of my very favorite concepts to talk about - it is about the magic of focusing on a one word. Doing this can really impact how you show up. It can impact who you are as a leader. It can impact all areas of your life and the results that you create.
It is something that I do on a regular basis. I choose a word or a phrase to focus on to help me get the results that I really want to get. I did a similar episode last year about this time in 2022 where I talked about my one word. So this episode might be somewhat familiar if you've been listening or reading for a while.
The Concept
Essentially, I choose a word to focus on every year. This concept works for more than just an annual focus. You can apply this concept in all different areas of life and work, but I happen to do this every single calendar year.
And so we're at the end of 2023 and gearing up for 2024. It is the time of year that I really focus on what is my word going to be for next year. I'm not one for making New Year's resolutions, so this is kind of a replacement for that. Instead of making resolutions, I choose a word to focus on to help me get the results that I want for the coming year.
What I know is that when we have a word or a phrase that is a point of focus while we're going about our everyday life and work, it can truly shape and shift what we're thinking and the decisions that we make and the lens in which we are looking at opportunities or situations or people. It can really bring clarity to what it is that you want to create in your leadership, in your life and in your business and help direct the way that you just show up every single day. It can truly be a motivator and a guiding star throughout your everyday activities.
I have seen that happen for me as I've embarked on this way of being every single year with one word. I've just made it a practice and I love it. I love the guidance it gives me. I love the impact that it can have. I actually love some of the uncomfortable things that it can uncover as well.
My History with One Word
Here is a little of my history with one word. The first time that I intentionally chose a word to focus on for an entire year was in the year 2012. I have been a long follower of Ali Edwards, who is in the world of scrapbooking and memory keeping. She has a workshop called One Little Word.
And I did that for the first time in 2012. And it is exactly that you choose a word for the year. And then through this workshop, there are different prompts every single month. And I've been doing it ever since. I think there was one year, maybe two years that I wasn't intentionally a part of the workshop or choosing a word, but other than that, I've been doing it every single year.
You don't need to join a workshop to do this. You truly can just choose a word. But the important part is keeping it alive, keeping it in focus. It could mean having a sticky note on your computer where you see it every single day. It could mean setting a reminder on your phone. It doesn't have to be anything creative or extravagant. It's just a matter of choosing and then being aware and intentional about applying it to your life as you go along in your day-to=day business. Documenting your experience is also helpful. I believe that getting things out of our head and onto paper is really helpful to for having an objective view of things and to use the information that we have to our advantage.
Here are the words that I have had:
2012: Purpose
2013: Balance
2014: Gratitude
2015: Space
2018: Jump
2019: Confidence
2020: Elevate
2021: Dare Greatly
2022: Release
2023: Amplify
I love looking at the timeline of the words that I've chosen. I can think back on my evolution around those times and see how each one of those words has impacted me in that year and the years after. I always carry the words forward with me in some way.
When it comes to choosing my word - my brain does often go to career - but know that it can (and likely will) impact all the areas of life - like relationships, home, parenting, spiritual and health.
Looking Back at 2023
When I started with the word “amplify” in 2023, as it relates to career, this was the intention that I had set in January:
“I want to bring my business to the next level. This means making offers loudly, sharing my message with confidence, going after work that creates visibility, asking for help and making lots of money.”
Throughout the year, I, I kept a little note, that I called it Amplify in Action. As I noticed where amplifying was either getting in my way, working for me or where I needed to apply it more - I documented it.
Doing that creates the evidence that I'm keeping it top of mind and that it is doing something for the results that I'm creating.
This coming month, I will spend some time reflecting on how it has impacted me, my career and life. I will examine things like: where did I not give it enough attention? How can I carry that word into 2024?
The Model and A Word
This concept of choosing one word reinforces the power of our thoughts. When we give our brain something to focus on, we're going to start to see the things and do the things to actually create the things we want. That's the whole premise and foundation for this one word concept. Let’s talk about this in relation to The Model. As a reminder - The Model is a way to to look at how our thoughts create our results. The concept is not new, but The Model in particular is taught at The Life Coach School where I am certified as a life coach. I talk about it back in Episode 9 as well.
As a reminder - The Model is CTFAR:
C = Circumstance. Circumstances are fact based and neutral - everyone would see, hear and experience the same thing.
T = Thought. We have a thought about the circumstance. Thoughts are optional. And we can all have different thoughts about the very same circumstance.
F = Feeling. Feelings are created by our thoughts.
A = Action. Our feelings then determine our actions or inactions, the things that we're going to do or not do.
R = Results. It's from our actions then that we create results.
It's very powerful to look at how our thoughts truly do create our results. And that is really what is happening here when you're thinking about focusing on one word or phrase. When I look at most of the words that I've chosen, I would probably put them in what I would say, the A line of the model, or in the Action line. So for example, my word this year is amplify. I would consider that to be and action. There are actions that I do or don't do that support amplify. Looking at The Model - what feeling would I need to feel to create the action of amplify? It might be the feeling of empowered. To feel empowered - what thought would I need to think? It might be something like: “I am capable of showing up in a big way.” Of course - we would get more specific around the actions as well (be sure to listen to the episode to hear more!).
How I Choose a Word
It can seem like a lot - maybe a little overwhelming - to choose a word. But it truly doesn't have to be. The first thing to note is that there are zero rules. No pressure. The only pressure is what you would put on yourself. Nothing is set in stone. You can change the word if it isn't working for you. There is no time frame in which someone has to do this in order to make this a thing. And don’t compare yourself to others or try to choose a word that's going to impress somebody else or to not get approval from someone else. It's all about you owning it, loving it, and living it.
I typically start to think about my word in November or December for the following year. Sometimes it comes really quickly and sometimes it doesn't. Here are some things that I typically do that might help you if you choose to do this:
Begin with the end in mind. Ask yourself a series of questions and answer them. I find it helpful to focus on one area of your life - an area that you want to see some big results in (i.e. career, leadership, etc.) You will apply the word to all areas - but focusing on one when choosing a word minimizes confusion.
These are some questions I like to ask:
What would I like the next year to bring?
What would I like to be celebrating at the end of the year?
What I’m I most excited about for the next year?
What am I most nervous/apprehensive about for the next year?
What would I like to have accomplished by the end of the next year?
What do I need more of in my life to make that happen?
What do I need less of in my life to make that happen?
What has been getting in my way this year?
Some of these questions are very future focused and can be really exciting. You also want to look at what you haven't yet brought to yourself or to your life or what hasn't gone well or what's getting in your way. That can bring up unhelpful thoughts (i.e. “I can't believe that I didn't do this.”). Don’t beat yourself for the “should haves” and “could haves”. Stay objective, don’t censor and don’t judge.
Listen and notice. The answers to the questions will bring thoughts to your brain. You then might start to notice things around you that jog an idea around a possible word. Pay attention to those nudges. I like to keep a list of possibilities as they pop up. I just put them in my Notes app on my phone.
Review the list. Remove any that no longer make sense.
Use technology for other ideas. I like to Google similar words, use the thesaurus and dictionary to help hone in and ask ChatGPT for definitions and themes.
Decide. As I was going through this process for my 2024 word - I was able to narrow down a list of about 15 words to four that had a similar theme. ChatGPT helped me see the differences. I narrowed it down to two, stepped away for awhile, and came back to see what resonated the most. It's been a process, but not a hard process.
My 2024 Word
I'm ready to tackle 2024 with a new lens.
The word I have chosen is LIMITLESS. The definition of limitless is:
without limits or bounds. Boundlessly, vast or extensive, having no restrictions.
I realize now, as I was looking back at my list that just two years ago I had the word release and they're very similar. I'm realizing that release worked really well for me a couple of years ago, but I need a little bit more of that. I'm giving it a different twist using limitless. I'm not 100 percent yet on what that's going to look like for me or how I want that to manifest itself. A the end of the day, I get to decide what limits me and I’m ready to spend time with that.
I think choosing a word will work for you in whatever capacity, whatever timeframe, whatever sort of situation you want it to.
What Do You Think?
Do you choose a word for the year? How has that worked for you? Are you choosing a word for 2024?
Links
Episode 09: The Magic of Mindset
Episode 46: One Word Can Create Results
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