For years now, I enjoy a Word-for-the-Year. This year it is “Community.”
This focus word is more like a road to travel than a destination. Think of Robert Frost’s diverging road in the yellow wood. Frost chose the road less travelled; his focus word could have been “adventure” or “beyond comfort zone” or “curiosity.” Someone with an inclination towards “security,” “comfort,” or “one step at a time” may have followed the path well-trod.
You and I face a TON of decisions daily. Research reveals the debilitating impact of decision-overload. By the time 5 o‘clock rolls around, our brains are spent from making choices as varied as which of the five cereals to eat for breakfast to allocating resources to major business projects.
A focus word streamlines decisions. It’s a lens through which we view the world.
Through the perspective of my focus word, community, it does not matter which cereal I eat so long as I breakfast with my kids. In my business, I’m seeking partnerships.
Don’t you too wish to look back over the day or week or year and assert with assurance that we lived One. Great. Time.
How will we measure “great”? Through the focus word!
The Focus Word vs. Chaos
People ask me, “But, isn’t this limiting? One word for the entire year?!”
Science affirms that our natural tendency is towards chaos.
An unkept gardens grows into a mini-jungle. Without an agenda and a leader, a meeting can oh-so-quickly degenerate into a griping session or a game of office politics. No house-rules about eating invite snacking and fewer sit-down family meals.
It takes effort to keep chaos at bay. Intentionality.
You and I know that our energy is finite. Effort is good. Exhaustion isn’t helpful. The focus word helps set boundaries that are simultaneously clear and gentle.
The Focus Word & Barrier or Center-Orientation
A mentor speaks of two ways to define groups. This can be applied to behaviors as well.
- According to the barriers.
On one side people or actions are “in” and others are “out.”
- According to the center.
Those whose life is most aligned with the center enjoy the greatest sense of belonging and stability. The core is the key.
A focus word provides a center-orientation to your day, week, and year.
Examples of Focus Words
The focus words frees us from guilt at having missed our goal or “crossed the boundary.” Tomorrow we are presented with yet another opportunity to move closer to the center.
Here are some examples
Slow
“Slow” was one of my previous words. Changes abounded in personal and professional life and I felt confused and sometimes trapped. Many circumstances lay outside of my control. No matter how hard I pressed life’s accelerator, the situation did not move faster.
Slow meant
- Give people space. My concern lay foremost on my mind…not on everyone’s. Respect their priorities too.
- Grow in the waiting. Consider this period of my life as a gift to me to prepare for an upcoming action-packed rhythm. What can I learn about myself and others? Where do I need to heal/grow/give/be silent?
- Be vs. Do. Love myself. Period. And allow others to be vs. trying to change them. Sooo much easier said than done!
The “Slow” focus word impacted my daily routine (I integrated more time for thinking) and my attitude towards others (I would catch myself judging people and remember to listen and observe before jumping to conclusions).
When waiting grew frustrating, I would take long walks to review my life’s journey. Five years ago, I could not have imagined my current life!
Decisions
I worked with a woman who chose “Decisions” as her focus word.
The word seemed obvious as she faced upcoming transitions. She grew even more through the more subtle, daily decisions she learned to recognize and take
- Her attitude in face of uncertainty
- Her actions when others behaved inappropriately (according to her)
- Her time management and priorities
- The food she ate and her exercise practices
- …
Fruitfulness
One woman chose to apply this Bible verse to her life, focusing one of these fruit per year:
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” Galatians 5: 22-23
She was mature in years and experience and was going through the cycle again! Her focus word impacted her behavior so powerfully that friends recognized when it was the year for joy or tolerance (forbearance) or gentleness.
Impact
A focus word has impact. We grow both for ourselves and those with whom we work and live.
I hope that at the end of this year, friends, colleagues, and family will feel enjoyment at being together. ?
Choosing a Focus Word
How do we choose a focus word? From the heart and soul, not the head.
Psychologists assert that our beliefs, not our intellectualization, impact our behaviors. A focus word that sticks addresses our emotions and our vulnerabilities. It goes beyond the rational. We can be blind to those underlying assumptions and mindsets.
Here are two ways I have found helpful to remove our barriers and identify a focus word.
Ask
I was taught to ask in prayer. The focus word is a spiritual exercise. Do you believe in a higher being? Ask for a focus word.
Alternatively, petition trusted friends. “If you would give me one word for the year, what would it be?”
When they answer, notice your physical reaction. Does it hit you in the gut? Are you comforted in your mind? Do you feel embraced?
With that awareness, sit with the word for a week. The initial reaction, whether positive or not, is not always the last word. Some of us need a wake-up call. Others crave encouragement.
To sit with the word, I put it on my calendar as an all-day event that lasts a week. I see it everyday and let it ruminate.
You can ask me. Send me a note. It would be a delight to work together to identify a focus word for the year…it’s a way to build community with you!
Do the Pizza Plan
Another useful technique is the Pizza Plan. This four-step process brings to focus important facets of your life (pieces of pizza) and your satisfaction in each (crust and goodies). This funny-looking pizza gives insight into the challenges opportunities (!) for the upcoming year.
I created a free four video series for you. Discover it here.
Get more clarity sooner. Write me. I will walk you through the process and be a mirror for you. It sure helps to gain fresh perspective!
What is YOUR Focus Word?
Share your word in the comments below. It’s great to hear from you…that’s community too.
Knock (bang) on the door