For this, I need to thank Chris Brogan — one of my real life heroes — who started the meme a few years back. I loved it then, because it made so much sense. I still love it, because it’s really helped me focus all year long on the energy I want to bring into my work and my world.
So. . . here are the three words I will take with me all through 2012:
- Foundation. I have been noticing that a few of the stones in my business foundation have developed a few cracks, and I want to make sure I devote enough time and attention to them that they are solid. Foundations are critical for a business — or a life. It pays to check often to see if they need repair. Mine does, I’m getting that handled this year 🙂
- Finish. As in too many of the recent years, I am starting a new year with multiple unfinished projects and products. A few of them are even hold-overs from longer than a year! Either I ditch the old ones, or decide it’s OK to wait while others get attention. Either way, this year I will be finishing what I’ve started in earlier cycles, and get them launched/shipped/done/delivered. My goal is to work on one at a time, until each of them are done — and to see how many I can complete. I could just as easily used the word “complete” here — but knowing me, “finish” is a better word because it goes better with “what you start.” And I am excellent at starting things. This year, I will, get better at finishing what I begin. Wheeee!
- Launch. This year I am shifting gears to get more things out there — instead of staying in safe, perpetual planning mode. The inner critic is getting a well-deserved rest, while I simply release my creations faster. I will rely more on independent reviews and the marketplace to tell me where I’m on track and where I’m not. The acid test works 🙂
Keep your foundations strong. Image by hometowncd/
Last year, my keywords were:
- Focus
- Ship
- Expand
I did pretty well on the focus part — in fact, sometimes TOO well. The ship part, not so much. And as for “expand”. . . well, let’s just say that it was opportunities that expanded more than what got done. Not such a good overall picture. Opportunities don’t pay bills. Neither do they bring satisfaction. All they bring is hope — and I didn’t need more of that, thank you very much 🙂
So this year let’s see where my keywords take me. Because I had to limit it to three doesn’t mean I won’t be using other important values or applying them to my work. It just means that they have to fit. I’m pretty sure they will.
What three words will guide YOUR actions, decisions, and intent in 2012? And why is that? I’d love to hear in the comments section below!