For the last two years instead of setting resolutions I followed the One Word principle proposed by Jon Gordon…find the one word that will inspire me to grow and achieve my year’s goals.
Two years ago my word was blossom. It was time for me to find out who I truly was and to bloom for the world to see me. As an introvert that prefers to stay home and work behind the scenes through my computer this was a big word for me to claim. Blossom helped me say yes to opportunities that in the past I would have avoided. It helped me be bold and record myself riding a carousel and share the video with hundreds during a seminar. My one word helped me have a really great year and I feel that I definitely blossomed.
My one word for 2014 was Star. I’m still (and think I always will be) a natural introvert, but know that my life purpose is to teach and share a message with the world. Last year was a huge push for me to shine and be a star.
I’m all in on following my life purpose and have learned that the journey is more fun when you surrender to it. My life purpose is to teach others and a key subject is keeping dogs safe in off-leash play. Even though I’ve been working with Robin Bennett to do this since 2007 when we published Off-Leash Dog Play, last year was different. We took our message directly to dog owners.
To effectively reach the public we needed publicity and made commitments to coaching programs and seminars that prepared us for the national media. Star, my one word, was important to prepare me for this big change. It helped me survive three days in New York City pitching story ideas to over 50 media representatives. This was a big stretch for me, but I’ve learned to surrender to my purpose: “helping dogs by educating their families and caretakers”.
This year I’m combining Jon Gordon’s one word philosophy with Robert Holden’s spiritual compass approach. What I love about the spiritual compass is that it provides boundaries on what I’m going to say “yes” to in 2015. My spiritual compass includes three key areas of my life: business, family and friends, and me. My one word for 2015 is “success” and is the title of my compass. In creating my compass I focused on goals and projects that are important and bring me joy. These have become my priorities on how I will spend my time in the coming year.
2015 is the year I really push myself to serve more people with new programs and assertive marketing of existing offerings. I’ve hired a personal coach and joined a mastermind group to help me “push myself” to achieve bigger successes. Deep down I know there are big opportunities that I’ve not pursued and this is the year to take the leap. Once you’ve blossomed and become a star the next step is to enjoy success with my spiritual compass guiding me through the year!
Learn more about creating your One Word in Jon Gordon’s book