My 3 Words for 2021
This is officially my second year of choosing 3 Words as a guide. Kinda my third, but I can’t count 2019 because I had a bunch of words scribbled on a note pad near my desk, with three circled. Part of the point of choosing 3 Words – at least for me – is publishing and sharing them. Especially Now.
At the beginning of 2020, when I was networking in person and regularly visiting my coworking space in Minneapolis, I would talk about 3 Words with people and share the idea in person. (My 3 Words in 2020: Create. Ask. And.) Now I share the story digitally. And, yes, I’m going to capitalize Words whenever I mate it with the 3 here.
3 Words Concept
Chris Brogan introduced me to the annual 3 Words concept. You can read about his 3 Words journey. I’m a big fan of Brogan, but it took me a while to put 3 Words to work for me. I’m not one for aspirational quotes or feel good mementos. And while this is not a bumper sticker or New Year’s Resolution, I do display my 3 Words prominently in my office with the help of DotPlaid’s artistic skills. And we made a lil video.
“Choose any three words you feel will guide you forward,” advises Brogan. He says to think of your 3 Words as “lighthouses” that can direct you daily. I prefer action words for my threesome. But any word can work as long as it directs you to the right place. You can choose a noun, even a proper one. Or a number or an adjective. If it matters to you, it matters. At the end of this post, I share Brogan’s bulleted guide to choosing 3 Words.
Here are my 3 Words for 2021:
Think
I get paid for the things I create – written stories, photographs, designed items, that kind of thing. I don’t get paid to think. It’s easy to get into a habit of making things, lots of things. I need to spend more time thinking. Thinking about things. Thinking about thinking. And it needs to be quality thinking. The note-taking kind. Quiet, reflective, distraction-free time. At the end of this year, if I ask myself, “Why didn’t I think of that?” I want to know that at least I made the time for thinking.
Break
Change and I, we get along just fine. I have no problem shifting gears and trying new things. But breaking things, on purpose, that’s different. I add Break to my trio in a “kill your darlings” sort of way. Break things, even if you worked hard on them and you think they’re special. Break things if they don’t lead you in the right direction.
Go
Go; shoot the photos, even if you don’t think you have time. Go; write and post that idea even if it’s not perfect. Go; send that proposal even if the ideas are not fully defined. Go; speak up at the meeting even though you don’t know the group that well (and even though Zoom can increase the awkwardness). Go even if the going might fail.
About 3 Words, Chris Brogan says:
Don’t make it a phrase. “Publish the book” is a terrible choice. “The” is wasted.
Try to make the words actionable. “Expand” is better than “bigger.”
The more utilitarian the word can be, the better. These words have to be your compass.
Stick with the 3 words all year. Every time I’ve changed one a month or two later, the year mucks up. I can’t explain it. But I can report it.
Use plain words. Years where I’ve tried “fancy” words with layers of meaning, I lost the thread.
BUT the words don’t have to mean anything to anyone but you. Don’t worry about explaining them.
Review Them Daily. The more you review your 3 words, the better. I have mine built into my daily planning guides and action stacks. I try using them for a mantra when I can. Sometimes on walks, I just repeat them over and over. I like to reflect on them and meditate a little with those words in mind.