What 3 Words Will Help You Succeed in 2025?

This is my twelfth year of using Chris Brogan's "My Three Words” planning exercise to enable my annual goals. Like most processes, the more I follow the steps, the better the results.

Chris’ approach is a simple and effective way of activating the mindsets, routines, and behaviours required to reach your goals. It also helps you avoid everyday distractions that halts progress. Here are the three steps to follow:

1.  Identify how you must think, act and behave to achieve your goals.
2.  Select three words that capture the essence of these enablers that will remind you of them.
3.  Place these words where you will see them daily (e.g., phone screen, monitor, mirror).

After years of practicing Chris’ goal-achievement process, prioritizing three goals and choosing a word for each works best for me. My words for 2024 were Mentor, Refine and Chef.

Mentor signified helping people achieve their goals or manage their challenges. Although I have been doing this casually for years, it wasn’t a goal I worked toward; I helped when asked but didn’t look for opportunities to do so. This year, my radar scanned for people in need who might benefit from my experience and skills. I helped more individuals in more ways, which demonstrated the difference that focus makes.

I realized that not everyone wants help, either because they are managing well independently or have support from others. Another learning was that commitment levels to goals are variable. I assisted someone who had finished his master’s degree and was looking for his first role in his field of study. He was interested, and I sprung into action. I created a plan, advocated on his behalf, and provided coaching through the application and interview stages. After six weeks, I realized I was working harder on his goal than he was. I stopped driving, waiting for him to take the wheel. He didn’t.

Refine was a prompt to fine-tune my daily routines. They include my diet, exercise, media consumption and nighttime wind-down. I had fun experimenting and tweaking my habits. For example, my best nighttime routine is working out at 9:30 pm, drinking herbal tea and reading before bed, and lights out at 11:30 pm. A bonus from this goal is that optimizing my life has become a habit.

Chef was about learning how to cook. I could prepare meals, but not varied or tasty ones. My goal was to create a repertoire of ten good meals. I started my quest by interviewing friends about how they learned to cook. Most said trial and error. My friend John sent me “How to Cook Everything” by Mark Bittman to kickstart my explorations. Instagram was my go-to source for recipes because videos accompanied most. I tried 32 recipes, with many passing the “Would we have it again” test judged by my wife and me. 

We also signed up for the Chef’s Plate/Hello Fresh meal kit service in July. Following the recipes was harder than I thought because it required ingredient organizing and multiple dish coordination. Now, it is fun to think of what we will eat tonight, and I get excited about kitchen-related gadgets. I am proudest of achieving this goal because I had avoided it for many years. I felt like I was getting my driver’s license decades after turning sixteen.

2025 is a big one for me. The three words I have selected to achieve my goals are Daily, Sleep and Savour.

Daily is about reaping the benefits of consistent effort. Specifically, it will support my commitment to writing ten minutes every day on my next book. I aim to complete the first draft by December 31, and I know from my first two books that writing must be my number one priority and every day counts. I will not sleep until I complete this daily task, which would compromise my second goal.

Sleep is about improving the quality and length of my rest. I track my sleep scores nightly on my Garmin watch, which are rarely good. I didn’t know there were so many ways to have a poor night’s sleep. Most mornings, I read reports informing me of my poor REM or deep sleep or that my sleep was imbalanced. In 2025, I will focus on managing my inputs to improve my outputs. Daily data will help me notch my score up from my current average of 69.

Savour is a reminder to enjoy every day to the fullest, even the challenging parts. Time is flying, and I want to live fully. Earlier in my career, there were times when I thought, “If only this difficult project could be over.” Now, I realize that the toughest times gave me the most growth (and the best stories). My goal is to live in the moment and appreciate what I am doing, no matter how difficult.

Over the holidays, I reviewed my past word selections, noting my successes, failures and learnings. It’s time to add to the lists by focusing on the present, thinking, and doing things to drive my success in 2025.

The My Three Words exercise has helped me achieve my goals by staying focused and resisting distractions. If that sounds good, what three words will help you achieve your goals in 2025?

Best wishes for a successful year!

Phil

#goalsetting #planning #personaldevelopment #change #leadership #management #business #my3words

What 3 Words Will Guide You to Success in 2024?

 

This is my eleventh year of using Chris Brogan's "My Three Words” planning exercise to enable my goals for the year. Each year, I learn as much about myself from the goals I fall short of as from the ones I meet.

Chris’s process is a simple and effective way of activating the mindsets, routines, and behaviours that will enable your desired achievements. Its power is in keeping you focused on the things that lead to your outcomes. 

Here are the three steps to follow:

1.  Identify how you must think, act and behave to achieve your goals. 

2.  Select three words that will keep your outcomes top-of-mind and trigger how to think and act.

3.  Place these words where you will see them daily (e.g., phone screen, monitor, mirror).

Prioritizing three goals and choosing a word for each works best for me. My three words for 2023 were Room, Reconnect and Begin.

Room signified holding time on my calendar to accommodate changes in my schedule. In March, I was booked for a kidney donor operation for a close friend, and this word reminded me to make room in my calendar for my recovery by reducing my consulting assignments and saying no to other activities. My planning saved me because a week before the date, I caught COVID-19, delaying our surgeries by three weeks. My lighter-than-normal schedule accommodated the change except for facilitating a virtual strategic planning session six days after the operation. Calendar flexibility has become a new habit.

Reconnect supported my goal of checking in with family members, friends, and former colleagues I hadn’t seen in years. I was conscious time was passing, and I hadn’t connected with many people I cared for. “Reconnect” was a powerful reminder to keep relationships alive. I will continue to do so.

Begin was a stimulus to move into new territory, both personally and professionally. The opposite of growth is stagnation, and I want to challenge myself to take on new experiences, build new skills and meet new people. I wanted 2023 to be a year of beginnings, and I intend to be in the right mindset to see and pursue them. This word was the least effective. I took on new clients in new industries and government agencies but was looking for more “newness.” In hindsight, “Begin” was too broad—begin what?

I am motivated to make 2024 another successful year. My goals are more personal than professional, and the three words I have selected to achieve them are Mentor, Refine, and Chef.

Last year, I dedicated time to helping people achieve their goals by providing feedback on LinkedIn profiles and HR-related advice. Some of these professionals were new to Canada. I loved the experiences and was happy to see people achieve their goals. Mentor will remind me to ramp up my support and find new ways to provide it. 

Refine is a reminder to fine-tune my routines. Early in my career, I discovered that my learning style is called “abstract conceptualization,” which means I learn by doing and create sequenced steps to achieve my goals. I am a process guy. I aim to refine the processes that keep me healthy, including learning, exercise, diet, and sleep. Experimenting like popular academics Andrew Huberman and David Sinclair will be fun. Let the experiments begin!

Chef is about starting a new hobby: cooking. The last hobbies I took on were running fifteen years ago and painting twenty years earlier.

Get-togethers over the holiday season reminded me of my culinary skill gap and desire to fill it. I realize chef is a grand term, but I want to push myself. The ability to make ten amazing meals feels like a good stretch goal. There may be some photos to share next year, and I know I will need to prioritize this personal goal or fail because there are no immediate consequences for ignoring it. Although this goal might sound easy, it is the one I am least confident in achieving. I will turn my trepidation into action.

Over the years, friends and associates have adopted the My Three Words approach after reading these annual blog posts. If it’s something you would like to try, what three words will guide you to success in 2024? I would be happy to mentor you through the process.

#goalsetting #planning #personaldevelopment #change #leadership #management #business #my3words

What 3 Words Will Guide You to Success in 2023?

It’s my tenth anniversary of using Chris Brogan’s “My Three Words” planning exercise to set myself up for success for the next year.  Like many, 2022 was a year of uncertainty, and this approach kept me focused on my priorities through most of the twists and turns I faced.

Here is how Chris’ technique works: After setting your goals for the year, select three words that will keep these aspirations top of mind and align your actions with achieving them. At the end of the year, assess their effectiveness before starting the process again, incorporating new learnings.  

2022 marked a fresh start after dedicating three years to creating my book, Change on the Run. To make good decisions about new opportunities, I chose words that would help me evaluate options.  My three words to guide me to success for the year were activate, breathe and outcomes.

Activate was about creating conditions where I could think objectively.  Being at the top of my game requires physical and mental regimens that are difficult to do consistently.  They include running, weight training, time for reflection and dedicated research.  It’s incredible what you can accomplish when you relentlessly stick to a plan.  My regimens gave me confidence through my assessments and dynamic client assignments.

Breathe refers to pausing before making commitments.  I have difficulty saying no to requests for change management support, which creates two risks: overextending my firm’s capacity and having to pass on new assignments that better align with my skills and expertise. Breathe was a reminder to pause and thoughtfully consider each opportunity before saying yes (or no).  It worked well until it didn’t.  In September, I fell into old behaviours and lost control of my calendar.  I quickly got back on track but suffered the consequences of my actions.

Outcomes prompted me to use consistent evaluation criteria for new engagements.  I was inspired by Marshall Goldsmith’s advice to “make sure that the benefits are truly worth your efforts” before doing something.  This word was a big help in defining and following a set of assessment questions for each opportunity.  I passed on a few speaking gigs and consulting assignments because they didn’t fit my parameters.

This year has been one of the best for pursuing my goals. Posting the three words on my monitor kept them top of mind except in the early fall when I let busyness distract me.  Next year I will also write them out daily, as recommended by Chris Brogan’s business partner, Rob Hatch.

I am looking forward to 2023. I have some exciting assignments, and I will be a kidney donor for a close friend.  My three words to guide me to success are room, reconnect and begin.

Room refers to holding time on my calendar to accommodate the rescheduling of commitments. I am conscious of the shifts I will make around my operation and client assignments, and I can’t inconvenience others through an overcommitted calendar. 

Reconnect reflects my desire to check in with family members, friends and former colleagues whom I haven’t seen in years. I have been thinking about Isaac Newton’s quote, “If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants,” and I don’t want to wait to say thank you. My Change on the Run podcast was an excellent vehicle for reconnecting with peers, and I intend to reach out to more people who have made a difference in my life.

Begin is a motivator to move into new territory, personally and professionally. The opposite of growth is stagnation, and I want to challenge myself to take on new experiences, build new skills and meet new people. This is a year for new beginnings, and I intend to be in the right mindset to see and pursue them.

Working through the My Three Words exercise has helped me define success for 2023. It has also given me tools to align my behaviour with achieving them. I know I will assess my accomplishments in December, and I am confident in my roadmap to accomplish my goals. 

Ten years of using the My Three Words planning exercise has helped me achieve many of my annual goals. You might want to try it to see if it works for you, and might even have a tenth anniversary, too.

#goalsetting #planning #personaldevelopment #change #leadership #management #business #my3words

What 3 words will guide you to success in 2018?

This is my fifth year of using Chris Brogan's "My Three Words" exercise to fine-tune my annual goals and define what I need to do to accomplish them.

Here is how it works: After setting your goals for the year, select three words to guide your actions and behaviours to achieve them. Keep these words visible and refer to them often, especially when making decisions on how you spend your time.

It's easy to get distracted or invest time in low priority activities; immediacy often trumps importance. "My Three Words" keeps you on track by making your goals and planned actions top-of-mind. Stating them as questions provides you with quick check-ins to ensure you are following your plan -- is my schedule flexible so I have room for unanticipated requirements or opportunities? A year-end review sharpens your ability to plan for success in the following year.

Picking effective words is harder than it seems. From experience, vague goals lead to low-power words. You need to be clear on what you want and what you need to do to achieve it. Like most things in life, the amount of effort you put in determines the benefits you receive. The first three words I think of are rarely the ones I select. 

My 2017 words were Aspire, Prioritize and Permission. 

Aspire described my desire to aim higher, to move beyond what I had accomplished before. It acknowledged that I am best when out of my comfort zone. This word was an excellent guide. Last year, I worked in new industries, presented to new groups and adopted a new approach to writing and formatting my next book.

Prioritize is a theme that spans across the last five years. I wanted to prioritize my time and activities and avoid distractions and detours. 

I struggled daily with following this guide. Every potential opportunity was explored to the fullest without assessing whether it warranted the time investment. I failed to apply selection criteria including whether the initiatives were set up for success, if my skills and experience would make a difference, and if my time could be better spent. The cost of my conduct was lost time on my priorities. In August, I wrote "no" over my list of 3 words taped to my monitor. It was a more powerful word.

Permission was about speaking the truth as I see it to provide the best value to my clients and readers. This word guided me through difficult client conversations and edits of presentation notes and articles. Speaking honestly led to better dialogues and learning for everyone, including me.

My assessment of 2017's words has been a valuable input into choosing the ones that will guide me in 2018. It has toughened up my selection process and replaced what initially seemed like good words with better ones. 

My three words for 2018 are: Courage, Discerning and Moment. 

Courage is what I will need to make big moves in 2018. It will affect the content of my next book and how I get it seen in a busy world. 2018 is the year of "going for it," and I will. 

Discerning refers to the decisions I will make. My choices will determine my ability to achieve my goals, especially preserving the time and maintaining the focus I will need. Consistently, I will ask "which option will best contribute to achieving my goals?"

Moment is about being fully present and making my time matter.  Being present and productive is the foundation of achievement, not dwelling in the past or future. It's the only way to be my best.

I have printed out my 2018 words and taped them to my monitor. Each day will begin by reviewing them. I plan to use them often on my path to success.

What three words would help you achieve your goals?

Phil

What three words will guide you to success in 2017?

This is the fourth year I am using Chris Brogan's "My Three Words" exercise to help achieve my goals for the upcoming year.

This is how it works: select three words that will guide your actions and behaviours toward achieving your goals for the year. Keep them visible, like taping them to your laptop or monitor, to ensure they are considered as you make decisions throughout the year – is this decision aligned with my three words and the goals they support?

This simple exercise has kept my goals top-of-mind and on track, increasing the odds of achieving them. They have also encouraged me to reconsider choices I have made hastily or without fully considering the consequences of them. 

Looking at the words I selected over the years provides an accurate summary of my ambitions over time including some consistent themes and new directions:

2016
Excite the people I work with to help them accomplish their goals
Create new mindsets, approaches and tools for managing change
Focus to minimize distractions, either time wasters or low-value activities

2015
Choiceful in my decisions to align with my goals
New change support offers and different ways of providing them
Flexible scheduling so I leave room for unanticipated requirements and opportunities

2014
Purposeful in everything I do to fulfil my purpose of helping people and organizations be more successful by working in new ways
Groundbreaking change support offerings and different ways of providing them that move me out of my comfort zone
Global clients and perspectives for breadth and universality 

Some words have worked better than others. Last year, "excite" led me to taking on the most speaking engagements I have done in the five years of leading Change with Confidence. It was the best format to maximize the number of people I communicated with and expanded the number of industries I have worked in. 

On the ineffective side, "focus" provided little value. It helped me realize that knowing I was unfocused wasn't enough to trigger an action to refocus me, something I have corrected for this year. 

I have been considering my 2017 words over the holidays, replacing or refining ones that don't have the power to guide me. All of them will help me write my second book, which is a big goal for this year. Here they are:

Aspire to aim higher, moving beyond what I have accomplished before (I am best out of my comfort zone)
Prioritize my time and activities to keep me on my path and avoid detours
Permission to speak the truth as I see it because that is the best value I can provide

I am ready to succeed.

The "My Three Words" exercise is an excellent way to kick-off a new year: assessing last year's words helps you evaluate your accomplishments and shortfalls; selecting your new words builds inspiration and motivation; and following them keeps you on track by heightening the implications of the choices you make. 

So what do you think? What three words will guide you to success in 2017?

Phil