Here we are again – the start of another year.
What do you want from 2025? How are you going to make it happen?
Let me suggest that your outcomes are going to depend on the factors you can control and that, when you get real about it, the only factor you really control is how you show up throughout each day of the year.
While I’ve yet to hit perfection (and who among us has?), here’s a process I’ve been using over the past year that has helped me be more consistent in showing up in a way that supports creating the outcomes that are most important to me. I call it, “Letting Your Words Be Your Guide.” Here’s how it works:
Choose Your Words: As I’ve written about in two books and on my blog many times, I use a framework called the Life GPS® as a personal strategic planning tool each year. It’s organized around three questions, the first of which is, “How are you at your best?”
What I suggest to my readers and clients who create their own Life GPS® is that they identify a short and memorable list of words that describe them when they’re operating in their unique version of personal peak performance.
For several years now, my words have stayed the same. At my best, I’m:
- Calm
- Clear
- Connected
- Creative
- Loving
- Fun
Visualize Your Words in Action: Most mornings, I take a few minutes in a quiet spot to reflect on each of my words in turn and what it would look like for me to show up that way in the planned and unplanned moments of the day ahead. And then I tend to ask myself questions like the ones below and give myself some time to visualize the answers that arise.
- What will it look like for me to stay calm in a potentially contentious conversation?
- What do I need to do to be clear in my communications and how I’m using my time?
- What actions do I need to take to increase connection with the people in my life?
- What do I need to stop doing to allow my creativity to flow?
- Where and when will I have opportunities today to engage in small acts of love?
- What does fun look like for me today?
Do I always come up with answers to every question? Nope. Does my mind wander to other things sometimes? Yep. Do I ever miss a day? For sure. Does the process still make a positive difference in terms of helping me create positive outcomes? Yes, I think it does.
Rinse and Repeat: Which brings me to this last point. I’ve found a lot of power in regularly reflecting on how my words can guide me throughout the day. The questions I ask myself change over time and build on what I’m learning about myself. My understanding of what the words mean to me and how acting on them influences a range of outcomes has deepened. Starting with a fresh rinse and repeat of the process every day has raised my levels of awareness and intention.
I plan to continue to let my words be my guide in 2025. I invite you to join me. If you choose to take me up on the invitation, leave me a LinkedIn comment or send me a note with any questions you have or a progress report on how your words are working for you.
Happy new year!
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