The 2012 Word Of The Year
Posted on 03. Jan, 2012 by Natalie in Entrepreneurs, Inspiration & Motivation
Twitter, Facebook and Google + are all awash with questions like `What’s your word of the year for 2012‘.
Here I was thinking I was original, as I posted the question on my Facebook page and got some excellent responses. Then I saw it almost everywhere else and read answers like:
“Motivation, Flourish, Balance, Success, Persistence, Growth, Authenticity, Believe, Confidence, Passion, Exposure, Direction, Pure, Achieve, Fresh, Discipline, Inspiration and Delegate”
I don’t know about you, but since the age of ten I’ve come up with a word to signify how I want to play out my year. I’ve gone and told everybody about it and then asked them theirs. It seems nothing’s changed, as I asked this question around the New Year’s eve table of dear friends, and most had not thought about the question at all.
If I had probed further (and I would have had the countdown to New Year’s not begun and I’d not been distracted by more champagne), I’m sure I would have found several did not have a plan of action for 2012, an idea of what they really wanted, or even an idea of what they didn’t want.
I would like to sit with them again on the eve of 2013 and see whether their year worked out better than mine, for not having an idea of what they wanted. Theory and reality on the subject matter leads me to believe that it won’t be. You need purpose to live your life fully and you need to live each day with purpose to have a full life.
Knowing what you want out of life and aiming towards it daily will ensure you get it. At the very least your life is richer for having dreamed and desired more from it.
Since I started my blog 2010 was initially the year of Zen - I’m not sure that year fully abided by my word – or more likely I didn’t as it actually became the year of hustle! But I was more cogniscent of being present and slowing down my frantic pace.
2011 was the year of freedom. I did manage to achieve a fair amount of that with many excellent results as summed up in my 2011 Annual Review- I promise you it’s not like others….
This is me on Karamea Beach setting the intention for the TSE community
My theme for 2012 came to me part way through last year. I’m determined that this year will be spectacular – I mean is there any other way to live your life?
Steve Jobs didn’t think so otherwise he wouldn’t have regularly been quoted as talking about the fact that we will all die. He wasn’t reminding himself of this fact to be morbid or depressed, he used this as the trigger to live a full life each and every single day!
2012 Is The Year of Fierce Focus
Yes I went with two words. Just to be different. Actually just to highlight the importance of focus this year. Last year, by all accounts, I achieved a lot. But I also lost out many times, I believe, due to not being focused enough. So I need to get fierce about it.
If you look at every single successful entrepreneur or creative, they are 100% unabashedly in love with what they do. They live and breathe it. It’s all they think about day and night. As a result they are consumed by it and, 99% of the time become the master of their craft or business vision.
That’s because of their laser like focus on what they do.
I can safely say I do not YET have that ability. I have had it in the past, like when I focused on becoming a body sculpting champion and getting an 8 pack of abs. That single experience blew me away for reasons I explain here in Four Business Lessons Learned As A Body Sculpting Champion.
I have used this power in several smaller successful ventures, events or activities through my life with fantastic results. So why oh why do I not apply this daily?
Because it’s hard work dammit. It takes guts, sacrifices, fortitude, persistence and dogged determination. Do I sound like Winston Churchill here?
My Mission In 2012: I am focusing on living my true values of creating freedom in business and adventure in life.
I am doing this because then I can truly ensure I’m inspiring you to do the same. So this requires me to cut out some of the activities in 2011 that took up a lot of my time and energy and didn’t propel me or my business forward (but did teach me a lot).
I am not superwoman. I cannot do everything and do it extraordinarily well. If I focus on a few very important goals and desires I want to achieve this year then I will be far likelier to achieve them.
I would like to ask you to do the same – particularly if, year after year, you make the same old promises to yourself at New Year and continue to break your promise.
“Any goal worthy of forming a life around will likely involve a determined focus. To keep the focus, turn the goal into a series of manageable actions as you go along, with stepping stones of accomplishment you can enjoy along the way.” ~ Chris Guillebeau
In order to adapt to fierce focus and implement it immediately I’ve dramatically reduced my goals for 2012. I used to focus on 8 areas of my life and create 1-2 goals for each including health, giving, financial, relationships, business and personal.
I’ve decided this is the path to overwhelm and failure.
The Suitcase Entrepreneur Word Cloud for 2012
My 2012 Legacy Objectives
Rather than focus on just setting goals and achieving them, I think it’s far more important to focus on living a fulfilling life that impacts others, and on leaving a legacy to impact 10,000 entrepreneurs by 2014 to create their own freedom based business and adventure-filled life.
So here are my fiercely focused Legacy Objectives (aka goals) for 2012 that will help me to step closer to my legacy:
- Write my Suitcase Entrepreneur book proposal before March 1st and get a book contract
- Bike 6,445km in Africa from March 12th and raise $10K for Women Win
- Move to Europe for summer and become fluent in German
- Achieve a 6 figure launch of WE Mastermind, creating more women-owned businesses
- Grow my business and social media coaching client base by 30%
So what’s your word in 2012?
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25 Responses to “The 2012 Word Of The Year”
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January 5, 2012
[...] Kirsten Lodge Everyone seems to have a theme at the moment. Words like ‘building’ and ‘fierce focus’ are rattling around on blogs. As I wrote my bucket list for 2012, I thought about why I put it [...]
Matt Gartland
04. Jan, 2012
“Separate” is my word for 2012. That may sound a little funny. Let me explain…
Growth, motivation, passion, confidence and the like are all well and good. But to achieve the level of success that I feel many of us strive for, we must separate ourselves from the pack. But “separate” goes well beyond that.
We must…
* separate ourselves from misguided norms.
* separate ourselves from the masses.
* separate ourselves from our doubts and disbeliefs.
* separate ourselves from sameness.
* separate ourselves from predictability.
My mission is to separate myself and my business(es) in 2012. I hope you’ll all join me!
Happy 2012 to all.
Matt
Nicole McCullum
04. Jan, 2012
Great article. Very insightful. My word or words of the year rather is FEARLESSNESS, TRANSPARENCY, FAITH.
Natalie
04. Jan, 2012
Oh Matt hallelujah to you my friend. This is something I’ve been thinking a lot on in the last few days especially as we get bombarded with top 10 and top 20 lists of these people to watch and those people to watch and all these amazing things people are doing. And while they are, comparing yourself to them will not bring you closer to achieving your success in your own way that works for your own unique you. I look forward to you achieving separation in 2012!
Abbie Allen
04. Jan, 2012
Thank you Natalie! You say that you have had a word of the year since you were very young, and that people all over the web are doing it too. Well, it’s new to me so thank you! I am excited to start thinking about my word for 2012. I am also excited by the idea of Legacy Objectives. This is such a great perspective. Members of my mastermind group were having a discussion about setting goals in a different way to help us acheive them. I think setting Legacy Objectives might be my thing! I am looking forward to getting started.
Natalie
04. Jan, 2012
Nicole those are three fantastic words. Power to you girl!
Natalie
04. Jan, 2012
Thanks Abbie. I am glad it’s a new found thing or you – exciting. I guess where i was looking people were talking about it everywhere so suddenly it seemed less unique to me – not soul destroying though
I was pretty excited about my term Legacy Objectives. I found that in the dictionary goal is also called an objective and I like this better as a term. So together these two words make me want to take positive inspiring action.
Caroline Ceniza-Levine
04. Jan, 2012
Wow, I’d love to have fierce focus too — great choice! The word I picked for 2012 is JOY. I get so distracted by nature but when I’m doing something FUN or JOYOUS I am able to focus. So I promised myself that in 2012 I would gravitate towards fun stuff, and it would probably be directionally where I need to go.
Terri
04. Jan, 2012
Natalie!
So great to hear about your word(s) and hear how you’re doing! Great goals for 2012. You go girl! I have some crazy dreams of my own that I’m trying to achieve. After watching my words of 2011 manifest in my life: inspired, healthy, and loved, I came up with the word CONNECTION for 2012. To read more about why, feel free to check out my latest post: http://www.afreshchapter.com/resolutions-schmesolutions.html I would love to somehow see you in Africa on my way around the world. Big hugs and I know that one day we’ll meet in person. xo
Natalie
04. Jan, 2012
Caroline Joy is a great word. And one a dear friend of mine has too. I think that there is nothing better than receiving more joy in your life and giving more joy to others. Terri so lovely to see you on here again – I missed you and think that your 2012 word will definitely allow you to expand your influence, perspective and energy onto a whole new community that you can also learn from. There’s something about 2012 that seems very uplifting after a tough 2011 politically, economically and environmentally.
Jen Brown ~ Sparta PT
04. Jan, 2012
My word would have to be THRIVE which applies equally personally & professionally. It’s about time I put myself first (rather than my business – which I did last year). And for my business – both online & IRL – to be not only financially viable but an enjoyable place to visit.
I loved your idea of legacy objectives too!
Trudy
04. Jan, 2012
I love this post Natalie. I have been using a one word theme for the last 5 years now. The simplicity of using a theme makes it stick … goals and paths can change as the year progresses but the theme can always be maintained.
My theme for 2012 is PASSION.
I am committed to only allowing things in my life that I am (or can be) truly passionate about. People, activities, things. This includes eliminating anything that currently exists that does not fit, reintroducing things that have been neglected for less worthy causes, and is also the criteria for which I base the decision to allow or disallow new prospects & opportunities into my life.
I love the idea of “Legacy Objectives”. I will be writing mine today!
Steve Roy
05. Jan, 2012
Natalie,
Only one word I can say and that’s “ACTION”.
It’s now or never, my friend…
Natalie
05. Jan, 2012
Great to hear Trudy. I personally still love the word passion and do aim to live by it. It got a bad wrap in 2011 as I think it was overused by many online marketers. That said it incites action and heart and therefore I think it’s a perfect word for your 2012. Go get em!
Anna Pollock
06. Jan, 2012
Natalie – you have been a consistent source of inspiration over the past year. Thank YOU!
My word for 2012 is “blossom” as in flourish, and as in open up and express my own voice with conviction. I am of an older generation wanting to liberate myself from years of limiting conditioning.
The future IS ours to create and you exemplify what that means and how to do it!
Zsa Zsa
10. Jan, 2012
What an inspiring post, Natalie! Got me thinking about my own word of the year. I usually think about it a few months before the year ends. haha I think it’s great to start the year with a word, and right now I think I have two: gratitude and focus.
Kylah
11. Jan, 2012
My word is MINDFULNESS.
I like to focus on one thing each year rather than multiple resolutions, but was inspired by your one word challenge… So I used that in my blog post last week
http://www.zestebiz.com/blog/2012/1/2/2012-mindfulness-in-business.html
Elena Verlee
12. Jan, 2012
Natalie, awesome as ever – I’m thinking my word this year is EXCLUSIVE. I know that’s going to turn off some people, but I failed to set some boundaries last year and life got a bit crazy. So this year is about consciously choosing to work with only our dream clients and surrounding myself with only the very best team members!!!
Natalie
13. Jan, 2012
Thank you Kylah I”m honoured. Mindfulness is wondrous
jennifer peterson
26. Jan, 2012
http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/4731453/The_Suitcase_Entrepeneur
i just woke up from a dream and felt inspired. then i read your newsletter. i created a wordle = word cloud for you from your list of words. maybe you can print it out to hang somewhere for inspiration. above is the link. =) hope you like it. thanks for all you do, jennifer peterson
jennifer peterson
26. Jan, 2012
By the way I set it up to help you and to help promote you, so you can reach your goals. The terms of use say you can reuse it, and it is viewable by everyone on the gallery. It has a randomize button for different fonts and colors. I’d like to see it in some other forms actually. =) I read about Wordles when I was researchng new year’s resolutions. I read last night how users of LinkedIn are using word clouds to find keywords for resumes. I’ve heard of companies using them to promote synergy. I played around with my facebook page to see what seemed to be of highest importance to me from my posts. words with higher counts will appear larger. Best wishes, Jenniifer Peterson
Natalie
26. Jan, 2012
Wow Jennifer I absolutely love this and that you did this for me. Thank you so much. This is going up on my desktop, Facebook page and in this blog post. Thank you!
K.C.
27. Jan, 2012
Hi Natalie,
This is the first time I’ve had more than one word as well. My words for the year are Generosity, Wealth, and yes, Focus. I love the idea of fierce focus! I am so guilty of getting sidetracked from my goals and when I do I find I don’t feel very generous or wealthy. In fact, losing focus leaves me feeling out of control and stingy with my self and my resources. So, thank you for the concept of fierce focus and of legacy objectives! They will come in handy this year
Natalie
27. Jan, 2012
Hi KC. I sooo hear you on this one. When I’m not applying fierce focus I feel like I’m really letting myself down on several fronts too. The trick is to each day improve just a little more and make it a habit that you can be proud of. Also recognise there will be days which are less than wonderful and you need to focus on all the great outcomes you’ve achieved and red feedback from all the people you’ve helped to inspire you again. Here’s to your 2012!
Damien
26. Mar, 2012
Hey Natalie,
I enjoyed reading about your word of the year. It is a bit of a favourite of mine (although it is two words
). I did want to clarify something from the Sport Psychology world however. There are three types of focus, Soft, Hard and Fierce, depending on where you are at in your performance. A soft focus is a state of awareness during performance where the athlete is aware they are in an event however they are in between performing skills (e.g., in between pitches). As the athletes moves towards performing a skill, the focus gets narrower, or as me might say begins to get harder (e.g., the pitcher stands on the mound and takes the signal from the catcher and is about to pitch). Then just as the athlete is about to perform the skill, they go into a state of fierce focus (e.g., As a pitcher I focus in on the spot I want to hit with my pitch). Research has shown that we can only hold this fierce focus for about 2 seconds before peripheral objects again come into focus as our attention wanes.
You can try it by picking a sport on the wall. Apply a soft focus taking in all your surroundings, then shift your focus to the spot without honing right in on it. Then focus on it as hard as you can to the exclusion of everything else. This is fierce focus. See how long it takes for other items to begin to come into focus
Best of luck for all your goals for the year
Damien