My 3 words for 2017 determinedly appeared a few days before Christmas (Dec. 22, to be exact): Pace, Pray, Pow! (Wow!)
Before expanding on my words, a brief review of the 3 Words initiative is in order. Colleague Hannah Morgan, nationally recognized author and speaker on all things job search, challenged me to participate in my first 3 words exercise in 2013. Chris Brogan, CEO of Owner Media Group’s originated the exercise; he described the how behind 3 words as follows:
Pick any three words that will guide you in the choices you intend to make for (the year). They should be words that let you challenge yourself as to motives and decisions. They should be words that help you guide your actions.
Further, he says, your words should be a “shorthand representation of your bigger story. It’s kind of like how an icon isn’t the software program. It’s just a way for you to mentally access all the work you’re doing.”
I love this! As one who tends to get waylaid by minutiae, having 3 easy-to-recall words emblazoned in my mind and on my whiteboard (and now this blog), enables at-a-glance grounding. I’ve also found that reflecting on the past year, and even the prior years to monitor and celebrate success, and to tweak (or in some cases overhaul) my word strategy for future years, is imperative to continued forward momentum.
Without further adieu, I’ll recap my 3 words for 2017, and expand a bit on what they mean to me:
1. Pace: When I think of pace, I visualize my “tempo” of acting and behaving.
Per Dictionary.com, “tempo” is the “rate, rhythm, or pattern of work or activity.”
A more calmly focused tempo intermittently amped up by the press of client and personal needs appeals to me. An occasional swell of endorphins and healthy stress is more manageable amid a generally well-paced schedule. Naturally, life surprises us from time to time, and I seek the bandwidth to handle crises and detours as they arise.
I love my clients, and have aspired to a more energized, closely collaborative and white glove approach over the past several years; maintaining this positive pace requires thinning distractions and energy depleters.
Chris Brogan wrote a pithy piece on how to stop “chewing up hours each day” on social media. This is a good starting point, describing why and how to actualize this goal, including chucking newsletter and other subscriptions that don’t make me think or help me to act.
I have a lot of work yet to do on thinning my subscription and other digital noise, but I will. Tamping down email was one of my prior years’ 3 Words, and not one of my success stories, unfortunately. I’m not giving up, though!
Moreover, I can immediately become more intentional about reducing social media noise using my Desktop Task Timer and Droid alarm to focus in on project chunks. (Note: the task timer was a tool I mentioned in an earlier 3 Words blog that has been instrumental in my focusing in on high-priority projects and goals.)
Finally, I must continue saying ‘no’ more and being increasingly present for my yeses – this applies to unnecessary or untimely requests for my energy (I’ve gotten much better at declining those in the past two years, but always have room for improvement).
I also want to keep my ‘yes’ door open to my inner circle of family and friends so when they reach out, I’m more present to their needs and tending to our relationships.
2. Pray. Simply put, I will employ a daily, repeatable prayer. I have winnowed down to a short list of options and am excited to choose one with which to open each day. I consider that initial prayer of the day spiritual traction, and hope that it spurs a deeper dive into the Word of God and other conversations, foundational to a holistic work and personal life.
3. Pow! I’m uncertain how to describe this word choice. It emanates from words one and two. By putting those two words into motion, I believe my life and relationships will be more Pow!-erful. I aspire to have a calm, energizing, inviting, centered, challenging and at times, difficult year, with an undercurrent of peace and hope. To me, this is a recipe for Pow!
John Jantsch, best selling author of of Duct Tape Marketing, published an article that I currently am digesting and acting upon. In What I Want for You Most in 2017, Jantsch speaks to our current mindset about what our business is or what we are capable of personally (and how this mindset can hold us back).
Declaratively, Jantsch drives the message theme home:
As the founder of this very important life of yours, you must decide to do less, to do your most important things.
What resonated with me so much about the article, and this line in particular, is my increasing awareness, now that I’ve reached a certain decade in my life, how really short our one life is! I want to maximize my time here on earth, in the most peaceful, harmonious, exhilarating and purposeful way possible.
The (most) important things I choose, of course, may on their own be defined by minuscule moments and actions and only impact a handful of people, the effects of which may not be widely recognized. However, I’m increasingly realizing it’s the soul-fulfilling single acts that we inhabit in our day-to-day quietude that, for me, have the most Pow!
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Jacqui,
I love your choice of 3 words and alliteration!
I also find the exercise of selecting 3 words helpful in keeping me focused and on track. You’ve mentioned other tools & tips to help keep on track too!
Happy 2017 to you and good cheer for a prosperous, productive, pow-y new year!
Thanks Hannah! This is the first year I started ‘brewing’ on the words early and as a result, they just sort of bubbled up.
I agree with you – the exercise helps keep me focused and on track, and I enjoy revisiting prior years’ to celebrate progress and/or breathe new life into areas (words) that I may have slipped up on.
I look forward to your 3 words for the new year. And, happy, prosperous, etc., 2017 to you, too!
Beautiful, Jaqqui! Not just three good words but three good directional forces. Wishing you all the best in 2017!
I love ‘directional forces!’ So energizing. Thank you, Joe!
Really appreciate your support and encouragement.
Love your words, Jacqui! I have chosen sagacity, clarity, and order. They intermingle and support each other and clearly define my goal this year of letting go, de-cluttering, and and tidying things up.
“Sagacity” is a powerful first of your three words and really sets a refined tone. I love how they intermingle and support (as you mentioned).
That you associated “letting go” with “tidying up” kind of gave me a lightbulb moment – how often we hang onto things (tangible or intangible) past their expiration, and by releasing them, we truly “de-clutter” our physical and mental environments.
Thanks, Donna! Your word selections are as thoughtful as you are.
~Jacqui
Awesome post, Jacqui! I love your three words for what each of them means to you, as well as how they seem to integrate and support each other – and a bit of alliteration, as Hannah mentioned, is a bonus!
As you know, for two years running, I’ve broken the three-word mold with one word: simplify. It’s actually worked well! Over that time, I’ve managed to let go of lots of what has tended to clutter and complicate my life – from possessions to habits to beliefs. Am I done? Not really. In fact I’ve come to recognize this as an ongoing process …
Yet, I’ve seen that the more I let go, the more space I’ve opened for creation. The question is, what am I creating?
To answer it, I’m using this year to take a design approach to life. My inspiration is “Designing Your Life: How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life,” by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans. While I’d not necessarily call it a great book, it’s fresh and helpful. As well, I’m learning that the language of design has some wonderful words for creating focus! The three I’ve picked are Wayfinding, Reframing, and Prototyping. Here are starting definitions for each:
Wayfinding. Essentially, this is figuring things out when I don’t actually have a destination. As a “no goals” type of guy, this fits perfectly, and at this stage of my life has increasing relevance. Frankly, as I enter my “third age,” I want to make sure that I’m living with meaning and fulfillment.
Reframing. While reframing is a way to look at problems and find positive alternatives, it’s also a way to arrive at the right problem – and then finding the right solution. Like others, too often I jump into things without taking off my blinders or examining my predispositions. Hopefully, this will lead to more expansive thinking … and that leads to my next word …
Prototyping. I’ve learned that in design there is a bias-to-action mind-set and that “building is thinking.” Essentially, what this means trying stuff! Actually, much of my success in life had been grounded in my willingness to try stuff. Not so much in recent years, though. So, in finding my way, it’s time to dust that off.
Anyway, those are my words as I start the adventure of a new year!!
Thanks for your pithy comment, Walter! So glad that the integrative feel of my words shone through. I feel that this year, especially, the melding of words will be crucial for specific goals I am determined to achieve 🙂
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Really like how your one-word, “simplify” has served to — through actions of letting go of habits/beliefs, etc. — open up space. Ahhh, I just felt my shoulders relax writing that.
Your ongoing process, as well as desire to take a design approach to your life as you discover ‘what to create’ with that newly opened space makes sense. The book you are referencing during this journey sounds invigorating, and the 3 words you’ve picked for creating focus: Wayfinding, Reframing + Prototyping sound like meaningful beacons; thank you for sharing the definitions (esp. understand your desire to ‘make sure that you’re living with meaning + fulfillment’).
And I love that you are ‘dusting off’ prototyping!
All the very best to you, Walter, as you move into 2017. I have no doubt with your thoughtful, creative + nimble approach to life that your adventure will be replete with meaning + joy!
Thanks for your great feedback, Jacqui!!
I do love that I’ve been able to open more space to create. It’s simultaneously liberating and alarming. It poses two thoughts: I can do whatever I want! What should I do?
Actually, I do have some great projects to pursue, plus the newfound time opens the door to more learning. At this stage I’m finding my way, but excited by the possibilities!
Oh, and yes, design is a great framework for approaching all of this!
Sounds like we both have exciting years ahead of us! I look forward to seeing how it all unfolds for each of us!!
Happy New Year, my friend!!
Dear Jacqui,
I love your 3 words: Pace, Pray and Pow – they fit perfectly with your trajectory of continued success along with greater balance in your life.
Wishing you a wonderful 2017 – may it bring you all that you are looking for!
Warmly,
Dorlee
So pleased you took time to read and comment, Dorlee, and I appreciate your supportive remarks. I love the word, ‘trajectory’ and your insights, as we have known each other for some time now, and I value your observations.
Might you be putting together 3 words this year? If so, I look very forward to reading them!
Warmly,
Jacqui
Wishing you a Happy New Year (of 3 words) Jacqui!
With typical “Jacqui clarity”, you have elucidated the motivation and inspiration for your 3 words. I particularly love the playfulness of “Pow!-erful”. It does pack a punch. (How’s that for more alliteration? 🙂 )
Your honesty in admitting that you can get caught up in the minutiae of the day is about “chunking down”. I’m sure that with your 3 words you will be able to develop the flexibility to “chunk up” in order to see the big picture., then chunk down to colour in the details.
Finally, I invite you to reconsider the term “healthy stress” from the point of view of High Energy/High Arousal from the point of view of the Stress Zone/Stress-Free Zone, which I’ve written about here: http://auntiestress.com/2013/01/31/stuck-in-stress/). It’s a perspective change (another P-word) that can open the door to so much more. When those stressful thoughts and emotions creep into my awareness I often ask myself where I am – Stress Zone/Stress-Free Zone, High or Low Energy/Arousal? – then I take steps to reset my course. This is something your 3 words can help you do. Do you have them posted?
Although I don’t visit as often as I’d like, you have a special place in my heart. Thanks for all you do to make a difference in the world.
P.S. Lovely example of chiaroscuro in your image! 😉