My 3 Words for 2016

I've done ten years of sharing My 3 Words as a way to guide you through the year ahead, and this will be my eleventh! The goal here is to replace resolutions with something a bit more useful.

How Do You Do It?

Pick any three words that will guide you in the choices you intend to make for 2016. They should be words that let you challenge yourself as to motives and decisions. They should be words that help you guide your actions.For instance, in 2006, my words were: ASK. DO. SHARE.They prompted me to:

• Ask more questions where I didn't know.
• Ask if I could help.
• Ask FOR help.
• Do more instead of plan more.
• Share what I learned.
• Share great people's work.

Not surprisingly, 2006 ended up being one of my best years ever on the path to my own growth.

Why Three Words?

The idea behind there being three words (and not five or seven or one) is that you can create a kind of "triangulation" between three words, such that they can stand alone and work together.Some people pick phrases. That's fine, but it also kind of eats the power potential of what you can do with the words. "Do the work" pretty much eats up a lot of room compared to "work," which gets the same accomplished.Some people pick one word. That's fine. It's just not the same as trying to find a way to cover all aspects of how you want to grow in the year to come. Or it might be too simplistic when all is said and done. "Thrive" is a great word. But what will you actually do to make that real?

I've Shifted To Words Tilted Towards Action and Meaning

In 2015, my words were Plan, Leverage, and Fabric.Plan - work the plan. If there's no plan, make one. See how it's a noun and a verb?Leverage - work on whatever will have the MOST impact instead of just finishing up to-do work. Leverage works in a few ways.Fabric - everything is connected. Pull here, and it will get tight there.If the words have a bit more depth, they can really be helpful. In years past, I used words like "Walt" for Walt Disney, "Ender" for the character Ender Wiggin from Ender's Game. That *kinda* worked, but I've retreated a bit more into words that are a bit more obvious. (Obvious is a bit of a theme for Rob and me at Owner Media Group).

Three Words of Years Past

Here's what I've used in the past (as idea starters for you)2006 - Ask. Do. Share2007 - Seek. Frame. Build. Bridge (yes, that was 4. It also was a less successful year.)2008 - Believe. Loops.Farm2009 - Equip. Armies. Needles2010 - Ecosystems. Owners. Kings2011 - Reinvest. Package. Flow2012 - Temple. Untangle. Practice2013 - Walt. Ender. Monchu2014 - Lifestyle. Monchu. Black.2015 - Plan. Leverage. Fabric.

And Now, My 3 Words for 2016!

My 3 words are:Home - I'm using this for a business reason (focus on my home base) as well as for personal reasons (serve my home and family). It means that I'll consider my actions and choices based on how they impact myself, my family, and my business (in that order).Shine - I'm shining a light on the people I'm so blessed to know. I'm shining a light on all the lessons I learn so that you can grow from them, too! Shine bright. That's word number two.Win - "Put more wins on your board" is our motto at Owner, and the idea is simple, elegant, and helpful. A "win" is the result of any action that moves you closer towards the goals that serve your mission. My goal is to help you (and help myself) find wins. (Win as a noun.) If I'm going to get more fit, than I'd best start swinging this kettlebell over here. Getting my 500 swings a day is a win. I need to help more people via my newsletter. More subscribers is a win. And so on.But those are my words!

Share Yours!

I've created a little Google Form where you can add your 3 words and/or share a link to any post or podcast episode related to what you created. I'd love for you to share:Can't WAIT to see what you come up with!And please feel free to share this post far and wide. I think the exercise is helpful. If you want, I have a short URL for it. It's http://cbrogan.me/3w16 (for 3 words 2016).