This is a riff from my friend, Chris Brogan, who has been doing this exercise since 2007. You choose three words (no more) to use as themes, or frames, for the coming twelve months. I have found this exercise useful, even when I didn’t honor some of the themes as well as I might have.
My three words for 2019 are:
- Velocity: The word “velocity” is sometimes mistaken for the word “speed.” But “velocity” means speed in a certain direction, adding to speed the idea about how much ground you are actually covering. This word honors the idea of Polaris (a 2018 theme) which provided direction and adds speed of progress.
- Execution: No matter how good an idea is, your results will never be what they could be without deliberate, intentional, flawless execution. Execution is 99% of the results produced by a great idea. Sometimes you don’t need a new idea or a new strategy to improve your results. What is often missing is the relentless execution that never fails to improve your outcomes.
- Potential: I know the 40% idea Goggins refers to when he describes the point where most people quit. His belief is that once you reach the point where you want to quit, you are only at 40% of your real capacity. My own experience tells me this is true. As far as I can tell, no human being has ever reached their full potential, no matter what they have achieved. This theme is about deploying my resources to their full potential, and ensuring my projects and businesses reach their potential.
My Past Year’s Three Words
2018 Polaris (the North Star, direction), Via Negative (improvement by subtraction), and Leverage (more with less).
2017: Integrated, Impeccable, and Essential.
2016: Growth, Multiplier, and Focus
2015: Order, Depth, and Lifestyle
2014: Pivot, Frames, Margin
2013: Platform, Lean, Tribes
