Whether or not you’re happy to see 2017 go away, we are now into a whole new year. Are you ready to make 2018 the best? Me too. Let’s pick our three words and get moving!

Choose 3 Words to Guide Your Year.

It really is that simple.

Pick three words. Not four. Not phrases. Just three different words.

Then put them in your calendar, on your to-do lists, and set them as your screensaver. Tape them to your laptop or your bathroom mirror. Put them in front of your face every day.

It’s a simple concept. Just pick 3 words and use them to guide your year.

• Don’t pick 5 or 10. That’s too many. It won’t work.
• Don’t pick 1. There isn’t enough there.
• Don’t pick phrases. Cut to the chase.

3 words. Here’s how Chris Brogan describes it:

The idea behind there being three words (and not five or seven or one) is that you can create a kind of “triangulation” between three words, such that they can stand alone and work together.

A trinity. It totally makes sense. Words that dance with one another, inform one another, transform one another.

Just make them different. And not a 3-word phrase.

My Previous 3 Words

Since starting in 2016, I’ve had a couple of different experiences with it.

2016 – Enjoy. Excite. Evangelize
2017 – Gather. Lead. Play

My words in 2016 were perfect. And I used them constantly. My choices for 2017 were similar, but I didn’t prioritize them. And by May, I had pretty well forgotten them. Now I’ve got a new approach for 2018.

Or just check out what Chris Brogan has done for 13 years now.

My 3 words for 2018

After a down year with my words last year, I’m turning toward more direct ones for 2018. The funny thing is that even though I didn’t keep last year’s words present, the concepts and the need remained in my mind constantly.

I’m really excited about my choices for this year.

Decide – As an Enneagram 9, I’m pretty good at seeing more than one side of an issue. But I struggle to make the making of decisions a priority. This is something I want to focus on this year.

Minimize – I signed up for my first email account in 1995. I have accounts and profiles on countless services, each with their own unique passwords and profiles. My digital world is total chaos. This is the year I rein it all in. Instead of a livestream talk-fest digital life, I’m going for heavily-edited poetry.

Poetry – In this STEM-obsessed, fundamentalist, tech-will-save-us, alternative facts and fake news time, we have so much regard for truth and so little for creativity. Our leaders don’t just need to talk about truth, they have to help us see what it really looks like. For more about this choice, read this.

What are your 3 Words?

Don’t forget to visit Christ Brogan’s site for more ideas–chrisbrogan.com.

You can share your 3 Words with him there or share them with me, and the whole internet using the hashtag #my3words.