Focus on One Word

UPDATE 12/21/21: As I prepare for my 2022 One Word, I like to look back at the process I used to select previous One Words and also assess how that word helped me navigate the year.  Last year's word of FOCUS was a tough one for me... but the right one.  I was able to focus in on some key areas of my life but also struggled to focus in on consistent effort in other areas.  That is what makes this process so exciting - the ups and downs, the momentum and turbulence. It IS life!  Good luck on finding your One Word for the new year. 

Identify that one word that will help drive you forward throughout the year.

In the final 2020 post of Beyond Today, I introduced you to Jon Gordon’s book, One Word That Will Change Your Life. I really hope you had a chance to read the book and if not, I suggest you visit the website, https://www.onewordchallenge.com/ to find out more about the concept.

Part of the value in the One Word process is to share your one word with those you care about and who care about you. Those who are committed to your success that are comfortable to challenge and encourage you on your journey. As fellow employees and friends, I want to share with you my one word for 2021: FOCUS.

2021 Goals: I will focus on…

• Relationships - family, work, community, God
• Health - physical, mental & spiritual
• Meeting Commitments - to self and others

As I mentioned in the previous article, the journey to the word is not always straightforward. I first landed on LEGACY which really hit home for where I am at in my life with the passing of my own parents and as I prepare for a 3rd child to head to college. But soon I realized that FULFILLMENT was required before I could establish a legacy. This word was reinforced through conversation with various people and mentors and each time I heard it, it would trigger something in me. But then I realized I had been here before and found myself needing to recommit… to RENEW my previous goals. Now it was becoming clear. I couldn’t deliver a LEGACY without FULFILLMENT but I would not reach that without a RENEWED effort. As I was writing down what I needed to do it literally came into focus… I must focus on renewing this… I must renew my focus on that.. Everywhere I looked I realized my life was littered with crumbs of partially focused events - whether at work or at home. Distractions prevented me from moving down my path not because they were obstacles that I could not overcome, but because I was not focused on moving them or simply ignoring them and stepping over or around them.

I encourage you to begin the process, if you haven’t already, to find your One Word for 2021. The process as described by the author, Jon Gordon is to ask yourself 3 questions: What do I need, What is in my way, and What needs to go.  Then you begin to pray asking God what he wants to do in me and through me. That’s it.

When you find your One Word, you will know it. I am confident that I will be able to adjust my FOCUS in 2021 to what is critically important now, but not lose FOCUS on what lies Beyond Today.