What is Your “Word for the Year?”

Several years ago, I started picking a word or phrase as a “theme” for the year to motivate my team to focus on what was most important and work toward a mutual goal. One year, the phrase involved “discipline and decisiveness” to help people stay on task and make decisions. Another year, the word was “accountability” to remind people that we have others to answer to. We borrowed a Seahawks’ motto “Find a Way” one year to focus on breaking through roadblocks and overcoming hurdles. This year, the word is “growth”, which stands not only for our goal to grow our law firm, but also to grow our individual skills.

Along the way, I have adopted these professional words and phrases to guide me in my personal life throughout the year. I used “discipline and decisiveness” to remind me to stay on task with the personal goals I set for myself and to be decisive in the personal decisions I make, rather than just waiting for things to happen. “Accountability” reminded me that I ultimately have to answer to myself about the choices I make. “Find a Way” empowered me to overcome my fears and dare to do that which I thought I couldn’t.

This year, I’m using “growth” on a personal level to remind myself to grow beyond the pettiness and moodiness that sometimes keeps me in a funk, to grow beyond where I am physically and athletically to do things that I previously thought I could not do, and to enhance my abilities and awareness of my world.

A dear friend picked three words for himself in 2017; “joy, abundance, and health.” He picked “joy” to remind him to appreciate and embrace the joy in his world. Basically, to know it when he sees it. The word “abundance” causes him to take a pause and be grateful for the many wonderful things and people in his life. “Health” will remind him to take care of his health now, especially since good health now can pay dividends in later years.

So…what word or phrase will you pick personally and/or professionally to guide and inspire you in 2017? Pick something, declare it, and write it down somewhere that you will see it on a regular basis. Embrace your word or phrase and look forward to all the good things that this year will bring.

Deborah Nelson