The end of the year is the perfect time to relax and enjoy some holiday spirit, and connect with people on a level we might otherwise not have the chance to the rest of the year.
It’s also a great time to connect with yourself, too—in the form of reflection and planning.
Because there’s no better way to map out the upcoming year for your business than to reflect on the year you’ve had. Once you do, you’ll have a much better sense of the direction you need to take for business growth.
As part of that reflection + planning process, one effective activity to do before each year starts is to pick a “word” for the upcoming year.
The word is one that represents a theme or particular focus you’d like to have in your business for the year ahead. It sums up the main goal or direction that you’re committing to take.
Here are some examples:
If you decide you need to market yourself more through various channels and show up in ways you’ve never tried, you might choose the word “VISIBLE.”
If you decide you need to fine-tune or create new systems and processes to scale your business, your word might be “STRUCTURED.”
If you decide you want to work on building deeper relationships with clients and colleagues, you might choose “CONNECTED” as your word for the year.
It all depends on what your main goal or goals are and the commitment you’re ready to make for the year ahead.
The best part about having a word to guide your year is it serves as a filter as new opportunities come your way or when you’re deciding how to prioritize the work that’s already on your plate.
Having a word to guide your year serves as a filter as new opportunities come your way or when you’re deciding how to prioritize the work that’s already on your plate. Read more: Click To TweetWith your word in mind, you can ask yourself:
Will this new opportunity help me become more [insert your word of the year]?
How can I prioritize today’s work so that I’m becoming more [insert your word of the year]?
Using your word as a filter really helps to cut through the opportunities and/or daily tasks that sometimes feel important, but ultimately aren’t getting you where you want to go—so you can zone in on the ones that DO.
So, if you’re ready to come up with your word for the new year, ask yourself three key questions:
- What do you know, or feel, it’s time for in your business next year?
- What habits do you want to create, or get better at creating?
- What kind of business owner do you want to embody in the upcoming year?
Answering these questions will help you surface the themes, goals, and focus areas that can best impact your business—and help you pick a word that will drive you to deeper levels of success.