Many people take the first few weeks of the year to review and revise their personal and business goals for the next twelve months. Here's an alternative method suggested by Chris Brogan for achieving your 2012 goals.
Chris Brogan is The New York Times bestselling co-author of “Trust Agents” and a featured monthly columnist at Entrepreneur magazine, who has shared an idea which he calls “My Three Words.” Each year he chooses three words and then allows those words to serve as a compass for his goals and plans.
Why not give it a try? Choose three words and then allow those words to guide you throughout this year much like you use your global positioning system to direct your road trips. These words will be the starting point for any new venture or goal you set for 2012. Using these words as a guide should bring much greater clarity and focus to your business or life plan.
I have accepted this challenge and here are my “Three Words for 2012.”
1) Margin. Imagine reading a book without margins. It would be unsettling to say the least. This year I want to widen the margins in my life. One of my biggest challenges is overcommitment. I always think I can do it all. But the truth is, I can't. I want to live 2012 with my default answer being no instead of yes.
Does that mean that I will ultimately say no to everything? No. It just means that before I automatically say yes and over commit (which is my propensity), I will first evaluate the “opportunity” or the “obligation” to see if it aligns with my goals for the year. When I say yes to someone else's request, I could potentially be saying no to an important goal that I have set. The following are questions I will ask myself before obligating my time and resources:
• Will saying yes contribute to the achievement of my goals for this year?
• If I say yes to this request, to what must I say no?
• If I say yes to both requests, will I still have margin?
Of course we all have emergencies and life dramas which arise that will trump the no answer. Should one of my family or friends be in the emergency room with a life-threatening situation, margin is not a consideration.
2) Discipline. The famous business philosopher, Jim Rohn, said, “We must all suffer from one of two pains—the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. The difference is that discipline weighs ounces while regret weighs tons.”
One of the definitions of discipline is “...activity or regime that develops or improves a skill...” and “to bring to a state of order and obedience by training and control...” There are numerous areas of my life which need to be to developed and improved, but it will require discipline on my part.
There are also areas of my life which need order and control. One is physical exercise. It is at this time of year that many are thinking the same thing. We will join the gym, purchase the exercise DVD or the latest book on exercise. But it will require discipline to maintain the exercise program throughout the year, no matter how many goals you set.
3) Write. My first two words for the year are actually tied to this third word. I must make sure there is margin in my life to have the time to write. And when the time is available, I must implement the disciplines to write. Even when I am uninspired and suffering from writer's block, I must write.
This word or directive—write—is at the core of several of my goals and dreams and projects for 2012. To write a book. To write monthly for a national publication. To write for an industry blog site. To write in my personal journal. To write words of encouragement to those I mentor and lead.
Remember this—your three words are not your goals. They are the compass or GPS for your goals. These are the words which will lead, guide and inspire you for the entire year.
As an example of this, one of my personal goals is to attend at least two sports events of my grandchildren (I have 16 and most are involved in sports) each month. To do this, I will reflect on the word margin and make the necessary adjustments in other areas of my business or personal life to allow the time needed to include these activities and reach my goal. Otherwise, the pages of my life will be as chaotic as a margin-less book.
What will be the three words that take you deeper than merely setting goals or writing a business plan? How will those three words inspire your goals, dreams and plans for this next year?
