Accepting the One Word Challenge: Focus
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It’s January… that wonderful time of year when we examine our lives, pick out our worst flaws and make promises to ourselves to try to do better for the next 11 months.
Ugh.
I’ll be honest. I hate New Year’s resolutions. They always turn out to be a bunch of lofty, unrealistic promises that I will inevitably forget about before the end of January. And then I’ll feel like a failure for the rest of the year.
So this year, instead of making New Year’s resolutions, I’ve decided to try something new:
I’m participating in a One Word Challenge.
What is a One Word Challenge?
In a nutshell, a One Word Challenge is this: you choose one specific word that will guide you throughout the year as you make decisions, pursue your goals, and work to create the life that you want to live.
All of your big plans, goals, and promises are narrowed down to ONE WORD.
There are lots of “One Word Challenges” out there. In fact, if you Google “one-word challenge,” you’ll get quite a few hits.
After reading a variety of different One Word Challenges, I decided to go with #OneWord365 (Update: this site is no longer in operation). I liked their simple approach and the focus on community and connection.
Here’s what #OneWord365 is all about:
Forget New Year’s Resolutions. Scrap that long list of goals you won’t remember a few weeks from now anyway!
Choose just one word.
One word you can focus on every day, all year long… One word that sums up who you want to be or how you want to live.
It will take intentionality and commitment, but if you let it, your one word will shape not only your year but also you. It will become the compass that directs your decisions and guides your steps.
Discover the big impact one word can make.
One word. 365 days. A changed life.
Easy peasy, right?
Choosing Your Word
Your one word is going to be your guiding compass for the next year, so you want to pick a word that feels right and fits.
So how do you pick just one word? Here are a few suggestions, based on my own process:
- Think about who and where you are today and who and where you want to be at the end of 2020. What do you need to do to get from here to there?
- Write down your goals, draw a picture, create a mind map, and do a “brain dump.” Just get it all out. And don’t forget to think of ALL parts of your life, not just your genealogy.
- Make your goals achievable by setting SMART goals: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound.
I know that sounds like a lot, but try not to overthink it.
You probably already know what you need to do. You just need to do it.
My Word for 2020
I really struggled to select a word. (I overthink everything. Don’t be like me.)
I started by listing the things I wanted to accomplish this year. My list ranged from specific career goals to home improvement projects to improve relationships with family and friends.
Next, I read a few inspirational word lists online and wrote down the words that I thought were appropriate for my goals.
After reading the words over and over again, I noticed that at the top of my list was written “2020.”
2020, of course, is the year.
But for those of you who are “visually challenged” like me, 2020 means something more.
20/20 pertains to visual acuity, seeing things with clarity and sharpness. Perfect vision.
And to see with clarity, we must focus.
So… my one word for 2020 is… FOCUS.
Next Steps
Once you’ve selected your word, what should you do with it?
Here are a few suggestions:
Make your word your mantra. Say it to yourself first thing in the morning and throughout the day when you need a boost of inspiration or motivation.
Display your word. Create a vision board or post your word somewhere that you will see it on a regular basis. Don’t let your word be “out of sight, out of mind.”
Share your word. Sharing makes you accountable. If you don’t want to share on your blog or social media, tell a friend or family member. Find a One Word Buddy who will keep you accountable.
Plan and make goals that revolve around your word. For example, if your word is “brave,” then you would want to make goals that put you outside of your usual comfort zone. Maybe you’ve wanted to pursue certification or apply to be a speaker at a conference, but you haven’t thought yourself ready. Make a goal to be brave and give it a shot!
Assess yourself. Revisit your word and your goals on a monthly or quarterly basis. Are you making progress? Are you stuck? Are you moving backward? Be honest with yourself. You may need to make some changes in order to get back on track.
Wrap Up
I’ll be sharing the goals on which I plan to FOCUS in a future blog post.
What about you? Will you join the One Word Challenge?
Have you picked your word? Feel free to share it in the comments or send me a message if you’d rather keep it private.
Let’s keep each other accountable!
Focus–great choice! I may have to steal it. For real.
You are welcome to share the FOCUS for 2020! I joined the focus tribe at oneword365.com and there are quite a few of us.
I would benefit from adopting this one too – I have such a butterfly mind which is not great when you’re doing genealogy research
“Butterfly mind”… I love that visual! I think I have the same issue, lol!
Interesting concept. I’ll have to think about it.
Yeah, it’s a different way of thinking about the whole “resolutions” concept. So far, I think it’s helping me, even though I’ve already lost focus a few times. 😛
Great idea, Elizabeth! You make it sound fun and easy. I might try it, but chances are I’d also want to change my word several times as my writing evolves.
TBH, I did change my word. I started out with “commitment” because I wanted to remind myself of the things to which I’d “committed.” But that word started feeling a bit harsh, so I did a thesaurus search and finally wound up with FOCUS.
I’ve chosen a ‘word’ for the last few years, but haven’t joined any of the ‘word groups’. I do have written out goals for this year – and had a detailed plan for the first quarter (!notice that had). I don’t have a word yet but I just thought of one while reading your post. It’s not quite a word but I think it will do me nicely. Thanks for the nudge, Elizabeth!
Aww, you’re not going to share your word (or not quite a word) with us? That’s ok, as long as it works for you. And you don’t need to join any groups; I just thought I’d try joining #OneWord365 to see if there was additional support (and accountability) from the Focus “tribe.” So far, not so much, but there’s still time!
I’ve done this a few times before (past words have been “renew”, “peace”, “alignment”…) but haven’t come up with a word for this year yet. I do like your word, as I do flit from thought to thought and project to project…. will definitely think on this over the next few days!
Those are all great words, Rebekah… very relaxing. Sounds like you also suffer from what BookerTalk called the “butterfly mind!”
I like your word and I love your reading list. I’ve not read the Tracing Your Ancestors Through Letters and Writing, but i’ve read the other 3. You’ll LOVE Nathan’s new book.
So far, I DO love Nathan’s book! It’s been hard to put down, except when I read at night and fall asleep (from tiredness, not from the book). Are you already using Zotero in your research? I’ve downloaded it, but haven’t started using it yet.
This is a great idea. I need to think about my word.
When/if you think of one, let me know. I’m always looking for “accountability partners.” 🙂