It’s become really popular to choose a word to guide you in the coming year. Think of this as a simplified way to remind yourself of what your goals are for the upcoming period of time. Many people have embraced this is all aspects of their lives, but I’d like to focus on choosing a word to help you focus your business for the year.
Your personal goals and your business goals probably overlap someplace near your wallet, but it can also be important to realize that your personal and business lives do need some space. They may also need very different things to help them achieve the goals you have set.
So when thinking of a word to start with for your year, sit down and write out a few sentences about where your business is now and a few sentences about where you’d like your business to be at the end of the year. Then think of three or four things you’d need to make that happen.
Once you have those things contemplate each of those things. Is there one that rises to the top as what would provide you the most help in your business? Then think of words that have that meaning. You may need to turn to the dictionary or thesaurus to find just the right word.
Here are a few examples of words and the possible thoughts behind them:
Grow: This word has so many meanings behind it. Perhaps you want to grow your client list that you serve, or maybe you’re focusing on your referral base, your service area, or your actual business. It isn’t important that other people know what it means to you, it’s only important that you know.
Kangaroo: You might have seen this word in one of the social media posts I made on this topic and thought I’d lost my mind. It was meant to be a bit jarring. In thinking about what makes you pay attention, sometimes it’s the thing that is surprising because it doesn’t fit. Imagine seeing the word Kanagroo on a t-shirt or sticker where you might see a flowery word like passion or imagination. It will snap you back to where you need to be every time, maybe with a bit of a laugh. This can be any word that makes you snap out of your trance.
Hustle: Need to remind yourself to get out there and work? Sometimes the smaller tasks might feel meaningless. A newer doula told me that she’d forgotten what it was like to hustle for something she wanted and starting her business reminded her that the hustle was a good workout.
No: If you’ve been in business for a while, you might find that you wound up taking on a lot of responsibility or even hustle that no longer provides you with many benefits. And yet, you’re still doing it because it’s what you’ve done for a while. Learn to say no to this and new tasks that are disguised as “opportunities” when they are really just time wasters. Let newer people in business enjoy these instead of you – take time to reinvest your time and effort elsewhere.
What do you do with your word once you get it? That depends on what you want to do with it. Some people choose to do something to put their word in their face frequently.
- Make a Canva badge and print it out and put it where you work
- Make a t-shirt
- Make it the background on your phone
- Your computer background
- Email it to yourself the word every so often in the future
- Set a journal up for yourself
Be sure to share what you’re doing with your word or what words you’re considering!
If you’re looking for more support as you look to next year – consider the Grow Your Doula Business – Year Goal Planning! $22 for that swift kick in the pants for 2022!
