It was extremely valuable to have three words to guide me last year so I’m going to do it again. My three words for 2015 are: Simple, Focus and Give.
Simple
For me this means that I’m aiming to add more simplicity to my life. As hard as that might be, that’s the goal I’m working towards. It’s not a destination. It’s a journey. Whether it’s relationships, finances, career or just the day-to-day flow of life I know that striving to live simple mentally, physically and spiritually is certainly something I want to strive for. This means that I’m aiming to make better decisions that add simplicity not complexity to my life, and I want to work at not dwelling on frivolous details when I don’t need to. I’m aiming to learn more from my past mistakes and trying to keep more of the big picture in mind and not get caught up in the little things that don’t matter in the long run. I’m aiming to measure my progress on this by removing clutter from my life and getting rid of things I no longer need whether it be possessions, projects, relationships, toxic habits or old ways of thinking that are holding me back. I hope to learn a lot through the process of trying to be simple in all areas of my life.
Focus
Whenever I’ve accomplished something meaningful in my life it was because I was focused on it. Really focused on it. I had tunnel vision (in a good way) and nothing else mattered besides what I was focused on. I picked “focus” because at times I’ve noticed myself getting distracted last year and I needed to re-focus in a few key areas of my life in this new year. The word also worked nicely with “simple” because it’s hard to stay focused if you’re not keeping things simple. I was inspired to select focus as one of my three words after reading (and rereading) the book Necessary Endings by Henry Cloud. In the excellent business book about learning how to know when to end things so you can move on and up in life, Cloud talks about how a rose bush needs to be pruned or it will die because a rose bush produces more life than it can sustain. That “rose bush” truth has really impacted and challenged me. I’ve shared that bit of wisdom with many people after I read the book because it drove home an important lesson. It helped me to understand why it’s critical to have the mental and emotional strength to remove unnecessary things from my life so I can truly focus on what matters. Because of this I know it’s important that I develop the skill of learning how to end things so I can thrive and grow into the person I was created to be. Since Cloud is a clinical psychologist, the book’s wisdom also helped me to better understand all the emotional reasons that might keep me from ending things that are slowing killing or holding me back. The skill of identifying what needs to end, and actually following through with it, is a skill I’m always working on and that’s why I picked “focus” as one of my words for 2015.
Give
I want to give more in 2015 than I did in 2014. I had a great time running 26.2 for a worthy cause and I want to do more of the same. I want to give more of my time, money and resources to others because I’ve been the blessed beneficiary of others who have given to me. I learned a lot about the value and importance of giving by reading the book Give and Take by Adam Grant. Appropriately, the book was given to me as a gift and it’s packed full excellent research, case studies and stories on how giving gives us more energy and inspiration to create, makes us better leaders and creates broader learning and career opportunities, and I want to put what I learned about giving into action. Like my other words, “Give” is related to focus because I want to focus my time and energy on giving back to causes and relationships that are important to me and others and hopefully the world will be a better place as a result.
Looking at my three words for 2015, I didn’t necessarily plan this, but I do like how they’re are related, interwoven and interdependent. I’m excited to have them this year because, like last year, having “three words” enables and empowers me with a strong sense of purpose, freedom and clarity. It keeps me honest. And I invite you to ask me how I’m doing. And I’d love to hear if you have three words too. As the year rolls on, I’ll share with you updates on what I’m learning as I continue to work at living these out.