My Three Words

<aside> <img src="https://prod-files-secure.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/1fc960ce-e2e0-4562-990d-fce19e9ab7d4/4bf123bc-f960-4f2f-b6c7-044f8d6d400e/info-light.svg" alt="https://prod-files-secure.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/1fc960ce-e2e0-4562-990d-fce19e9ab7d4/4bf123bc-f960-4f2f-b6c7-044f8d6d400e/info-light.svg" width="40px" /> What My Three Words is About to Me

Since 2013, I’ve been writing a blog post for the New Year called My Three Words.

Unlike New Year’s Resolutions, which most people abandon by mid-February, the Three Words are themes that goes through the entire year.

It’s less about a tangible goal to achieve and more about thinking about how I want to grow.

I encourage everyone to go through this exercise. It has been immensely helpful for me in remembering what I want to take on and accomplish in each year of my life.

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<aside> <img src="https://prod-files-secure.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/1fc960ce-e2e0-4562-990d-fce19e9ab7d4/fadca6e5-2d60-481d-8d80-f3591958657c/caret-circle-double-left-light.svg" alt="https://prod-files-secure.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/1fc960ce-e2e0-4562-990d-fce19e9ab7d4/fadca6e5-2d60-481d-8d80-f3591958657c/caret-circle-double-left-light.svg" width="40px" /> The Origin of My Three Words

I was introduced to this exercise via Chris Brogan. Chris has been writing My Three Words since 2006.

So, what is My Three Words?

Naturally, I think Chris Brogan is the best person to define how to go about writing My Three Words.

How Chris Brogan Explains The Three Words Concept

Think of three words that sum up what you want to work actionably on changing/improving in the coming year. It works best when the words are positive in spirit and not negative.

For instance: “Fat” isn’t exactly a great word, but “Fit” would be better. Think of words that give you more than just a simple goal. For instance, instead of “fit,” I’d look to go with “athlete” or “marathon runner” or some person that connects you to those goals. The idea is to look deeper than a single goal and try to give you an entire mindset to contemplate.

The Heath Brothers in their book, Switch, talked about needing three elements to bring about change: a rider (your plans and intents), the elephant (what your mood will do no matter what your plans say), and the path (the environment within which you intend to implement those changes). The concept of the three words is like the path. Think of a word that gives you the HUGE picture, not the small picture.

From Chris Brogan’s My Three Words for 2013

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