Looking back on the year, and my three anchor words
As a refresher, here’s what I shared on January 2, 2024 about my choice of three words to anchor my year.
“For 2024, my three words are: Want, Fun, and Simple. Here’s how I see these three words guiding me as I make decisions:
WANT: Do I want to do this? What do I want to do?
This is my work toward moving away from Should.
FUN: Will this be fun? How can I make this feel fun?
This is my focus on enjoying where, on what, and with whom I spend my time.
SIMPLE: How can I simplify what’s already in my life? How can I keep this activity simple? What’s the simplest next step?
This is me working on not over-thinking or planning.”
In my late June newsletter, I shared this update:
“Fast forward six months, and I’m still writing a statement about what each of these statements means for me in the context of the day.
Sometimes, it’s a reminder of my role in the words.
Sometimes it’s an affirmation.
WANT has evolved to mostly be focused on me creating the life I WANT.
FUN is one that I’ve struggled with, understanding what I find fun at this point in my life. I shared some key insights on this topic in an April blog post that included insights from Catherine Price that has helped me dive deeper in this space.
SIMPLE now tends to focus in a few areas: simple vs. complex, simple vs. hard, and simple vs. a lot. This gets applied in what things and experiences I have in my life, how I define the work I do, and how I look at the effort I’m going to put in.”
Looking back, I think I picked three great words for me. FUN was the one that I continued to be challenged with, and I think it’s for two reasons:
I equate fun with laughter much of the time, and some weeks just don’t have enough of that. Definitely something to work on because I do think fun is critical for our health and well-being.
My definition may have been too narrow as I realized when I was facilitating an off-site retreat. That work was fun. And, it fits part of the way in Catherine Price’s definition.
WANT has also turned into a reflective prompt - If I want this result, what will I need to do…and do I want to do that?”
SIMPLE is one I’m working on a lot right now as I think about how to simplify my weekly activities so that I feel like I have the right balance of white space to think, create and reflect while still creating maximum impact. For me to do this, some things need to give, and I’m working on what those are as we head into 2025.
If you chose a word or words for the year, did they hold up for the year?
How did you use them in your decision-making processes?
I’m finalizing my 2025 words now, but I’m confident that they will continue to push me in some similar ways. Stay tuned for the reveal early next week.
Wishing you a Happy New Year and see you in 2025!
Melissa
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