ONE WORD THAT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE
My friends Dan Britton and Jimmy Page believe that one word can change our life. Dan and Jimmy are the co-authors of Wisdom Walks, and they share a powerful concept in their chapter “Just One Word.” Every year for 15 years before New Year ’s Day, they come up with their word for the year that will give meaning and focus to their life. They said they don’t randomly pick a word, but rather through reflection, prayer and listening to their heart the word comes to them.
I thought it was a brilliant idea. We live in a busy stressed-filled world with tons of distractions that cause us to forgo our resolutions and forget about our goals. But everyone can remember and focus upon one word that will represent the essence of what we hope to accomplish and who we want to be.
Since Dan and Jimmy do this with his wife and children as well I was inspired to do the same. I talked about the concept with my wife and kids and we all came up with our words.
My word was Purpose.
I’m going to be traveling a ton this year to deliver keynotes around the country and over time the airplanes, airports and schedule can wear me down. However by focusing on my purpose to make a difference I know that my purpose will fuel me, replenish me and keep me going on the road and at home. I know if my purpose is bigger than my challenges I’ll be as energized in June as I am in January. So my word was Purpose.
My wife’s word was Intention.
She realized she wanted to do more things with intention and be intentional about her life, her decisions and health.
My twelve year old daughter’s word was Drive.
I joke that I think my wife came up with the word for her because she needs to spend more time studying than texting friends. : )
My ten year old son came up with the word Focus.
As soon as I asked him his word, he said Focus without hesitation. He wants to focus more at school and on the tennis courts.
Doing this exercise with my family was a lot of fun and very meaningful. It’s something you can do with your team at work and your family at home too. Just imagine if everyone in your work place knew their word and they lived it each day to make themselves and their team better.
Once you come up with your word you can post it at your desk or you can even make a painting. Every New Year’s eve, Dan and Jimmy and their families each paint their word. Here’s the photo of Dan’s.
So what’s your word for this year? It’s not too late to come up with it. What word will give you focus and meaning to make 2011 your best year yet. You can share your word with me and others on our Facebook or Blog page.
I’ll also keep you posted on Dan and Jimmy releasing their new book by the end of the year on this power concept called ONE.
-Jon
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There is a new book out by NY Times editorial member Eduardo Porter called 
