Word for the Year: Magical thinking or pure motivation?

One year ago I discovered that SOAR would be my word for 2019. As this was the fourth year of using the Word for the Year process, I trusted this touchstone would be a place where I could reflect, check in with myself and connect with my true aspirations for the year.

I can honestly say that SOAR has never let me down.

When I’ve had doubts, been knocked back, felt uncertain and sometimes just a bit down, it’s helped me to remember who I am at my best. And that has inspired me to connect with the spirit of the word and start again to create a way of living and working that matters to me.

Is it a magic success button?

Let’s de-bunk a few myths around choosing a Word for the Year:

No, having a Word for the Year doesn’t replace hard work, learning, honest reflection, pushing outside your comfort zone, experiment, or building practices to ensure you can be at your best.

No, it isn’t a magic bullet that replaces consistently putting in the hours and learning from mistakes - even when the signs of success are a bit thin on the ground.

No, it won’t stop things happening beyond your control, or life’s ups, downs, fears and doubts.

No, it doesn’t substitute finding time to develop your specialist knowledge and best practice; to read, explore, become better informed and a more masterful practitioner.

Neither does it mean you abdicate business and professional responsibility to magical thinking and vain hope.

So no, this isn’t about simply choosing a word, sitting back and expecting everything good to come to you.

What you’re actually doing is priming your mind, heart and body to create a better year for yourself with this word at its heart. 

Can this word help you to finally take flight?

I’m talking from my own experience now. I can honestly say that connecting and acting from my Word for the Year (SOAR) gave me:

·     Inspiration

·     Focus

·     Authenticity

·     Optimism

·     Nourishment

·     Encouragement

·     Belief

·     Power

·     Joy

These gifts boosted my spirit and strengthened my mindset. I know I grew better, stronger and happier with its nourishment. It consistently helped anchor me to something I value.

In practical terms, SOAR has enabled me to:

·     Trust my abilities

·     Resist the flap, flap, flap busy-ness of an online modern life 

·     Choose to glide sometimes

·     Enjoy the ride

·     Be inventive, freestyle, improvisational

·     Believe that when I step off the cliff, I will fly

·     Find quiet, clear air and space to hear what I need

·     Experience new perspectives

·     Have fun

·     Be at ease and lean into my strengths, my loves and my authentic self

And this in turn has strengthened my outlook and philosophy about what makes my life good.

Where are the results?

In practical terms, this belief and confidence has allowed me to achieve many things I am proud of this year:

·     Trusting that this business will sustain me – not just financially, but also because the work I do is meaningful for me and makes a difference to other people

·     Attracting a steady stream of clients who like my message, who trust I can help them, and want to work with me to make their dreams a reality

·     Delivering a workshop on Designing Your Life to a cohort of MBA students – combining a vision for life AND work that is at the heart of my career change approach

·     Being a speaker on my first Virtual Summit – talking about values and how identifying and strengthening our personal values can make a huge difference to the career choices we make and how we engage with our work

·     Understanding that although my Quickstep Career Change Programme has enabled many professionals to confidently change direction, my bespoke coaching work also enables others to make friends with what they really want from their working life – and act upon that authentic vision

·     Creating, testing and launching my first online course: INSPIRED: Starting again with Confidence, and receiving heartwarming feedback on how participants have been able to begin their new chapter with greater clarity and belief

·     Grow an audience, share resources and ideas, and work with inspiring people – it’s always about people!

·     Look up more than back; stretch up and forwards; enjoy the unmapped freedoms that life throws my way

·     Knowing that this work really has helped people; sharing their breakthrough moments and receiving their personal notes of appreciation

SOAR has been inspiring. And like previous Words that have provided a spark of inspiration and support in earlier years, I know it will continue to be part of my life.

Yes, I’m already in the process of choosing my new word for 2020. In fact, I’m 99% certain it’s already tapped me on the shoulder and lifted my heart for the year ahead. Tune in for the announcement! 

And you?

What have you learnt from your Word for the Year?
And what will next year’s be?

I’d love to hear your experiences in the comments below.

If you need a guide to uncovering your own, try my Word for the Year Guide 2020.

You can also read about my own experience of finding SOAR in this article.

If you’re that way inclined, you can also shout about it on social media using #freestylewordfortheyear

Wishing you a wonderful 2020 - a new decade to make your mark on the world and make your heart sing!