It’s a new year, and even though I almost decided to skip participating this year in this newish tradition among bloggers, I somehow still found myself compelled enough to take part any way. Perhaps this bodes well for the prophecy of the exercise? Time will tell.
Anyway, as the Chris Brogan New Year tradition continues, I, too, share my Three Words for 2013 here, that is the 3 words that I have chosen to guide me and to reflect upon throughout the upcoming year.
This year I have chosen a three-word phrase from which each word has as much meaning to me individually as they do collectively.
I’ve always loved the phrase “slow and steady.” That is what wins the race, you know, or so it is said. To me, this fable-based phrase is more the marathon to the just-showing-up-ness of the Lottery’s “You’ve Gotta Be In It To Win It.”
Here is what the three words individually mean to me:
- Slow. Even though Slow is a word that can take on more of a negative than a positive connotation, to me, Slow is better than the No of doing nothing. Slow still has a motion to it. With Slow, you will accomplish things differently than you will with Fast, but ‘accomplish’ is still the key word here.
- And. The word “and” reminds me to be careful about how many additional things I add to my plate. No one is superhuman. Eventually everyone reaches a point where they literally can not take on more tasks and still expect to adequately honor the previous commitments they’ve made to themselves, to their activities, or to others. Knowing when to focus only on a limited set of activities, when less is enough, is the key concept here.
- Steady. Steady is about perseverance and continuous commitment. One step at a time. Getting started is the important first step, but following through is the necessary condition to success. To keep going when the going gets tough and when quitting seems justifiably easier is the key point here.
As I think about it, this year’s words are actually more similar than different from the Three Words I had chosen in each of the prior two years. In 2012 my three words were: Create, Focus, Courage. In 2011, my three words were: Focus, Awareness, Accountability. In the end, for me, success is about Doing winning out over Not Doing.
Choosing the words is turning out to be the easier part of this exercise. The harder part is to keep the words alive and fresh throughout the year and not let them fade off into the background. This year I am trusting that “Slow” “And” “Steady” will help get me there.
And, what about you? What plans can you make for putting Three Words to work in your life story?
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Photo Credit: title=”Tortoise” by wwarby, on Flickr
Though I like all 3… I really like your concept of “And…” It’s such a unique word that usually contains little value, but in the case in which you have presented means EVERYTHING!
I think I”m gonna work on my “ands” too… Good luck!
Connie Omari recently posted…What is Ladyhood?
Yes, I think “and” is the biggie here, too. It has held me back more than I like to admit. But awareness is the key to making changes, right? Good luck, too!