January brings out the desire to reset and adjust the path we’re on. Whether it’s personal or professional, it’s a natural time to take a look at where you’ve been, where you want to go and set the intention for how you want to get there.

There are as many ways to set yourself up for success as there are coaches and mentors and experts to help you!  😀 

For years I’ve known and followed Chris Brogan. Every January since 2006 he has shared the three words he’s selected to guide his actions for the coming year (you can read about his three words for 2018 here). This process has never completely resonated with me, but when I read Chris’s recent blog post, it seemed right to stop and contemplate what my three words might be for 2018. It felt like the right time to do this exercise.

Here’s what Chris says about the My 3 Words process:

Every year, at the beginning of the year, choose 3 words that have personal meaning to you that you will use as guideposts for your chosen path forward in the coming year. Make the words such that they influence your choice of actions, encourage you to decide in favor of your goals, and guide you towards lasting results that you want to experience throughout the year.

So I picked my three words and recorded this short video on January 1. (transcript below)

[ssp-video]

My Three Words

Here’s a quick rundown of my three words for 2018 and what they mean for me…

Consolidate

The word could also be “simplify.” With more than 20 years of online business under my virtual belt, I have a lot of content, programs, and lead magnets. This is the year for me to bring most of it into a few core programs that I offer throughout the year. Rather than constantly creating something new, I’m focusing on what has been working well in my business for the last several years: one on one intensive mentoring for authors and online professionals; my exclusive Visibility Mastery Lab mastermind and mentoring group program; and free marketing challenges 4 to 6 times per year.

Personally, it’s time for me to clear the clutter in my home. I own hundreds of books and plan on culling many out of my collection to donate to libraries. And, I have boxes in closets and cupboards that I haven’t opened since I moved back to Los Angeles from Ottawa in 2002! It’s time to review the contents and consolidate!

Affiliation

This word taps into my desire for connection with clients, colleagues, and students. It’s about partnership and co-creating success and new adventures, as well as developing deeper relationships with the people I serve.  Affiliation also has a literal meaning: to create alliances with colleagues that are win-win-win by promoting content and programs that benefit everyone involved.

Action

An obvious prompt for me. Rather than mulling and thinking too much about my ideas… take action. Take the leap, experiment, “just do it.” You don’t know if it will work or be successful unless you give it a try. Sometimes I wait too long and discover someone else has done something I’ve been thinking about implementing and then it feels too late. Take action!

☑️Consolidate
☑️Affiliation
☑️Action#my3words ✍️
Inspired by @chrisbrogan

— Denise Wakeman 🌎 (@DeniseWakeman) January 1, 2018

What’s Next?

After you’ve claimed your three words, or set your intentions for the year, or identified the goals you want to achieve, what’s next?

What I’m doing, is creating a list of habits I want to develop that supports my direction for the year. I’m mapping out my calendar and identifying when and with whom I want to work. I’m itemizing the action steps required to realize the consolidated program schedule (and the promotion) I want to offer and then getting those steps on the calendar. I anticipate this will help keep me on track a bit better than usual.  😉 

How do you set yourself up for success? What are your rituals or the steps you take? Share in the comments or on my Facebook post if you wish. If you need some help developing your plan, I’d be happy to speak with you.

 ➡ Video Transcript  

Hello, and happy new year, it is 2018. Hard to believe. Anyway, I thought I’d just jump on and wish you a wonderful new year, a wonderful year ahead, lots of happiness, joy, prosperity. I was inspired by my friend Lou Bortone, who is doing a video a day. He’s committing to a video, one video per day throughout 2018. I doubt I’ll do that, but I thought, what the heck, why don’t I just jump on.

It’s a beautiful day here in Los Angeles. I have already met up with a friend. We did a four-mile walk, then we found the one place open for coffee, grabbed some breakfast and coffee, and it’s a great way to start the day, connecting with a friend, and talking about what we’re going to do in the new year.

Then I was reading a blog post from Chris Brogan, and he does something very interesting in that every year he picks three words to focus on or to guide his year, and I thought, well, I wonder what my three words would be. So, I started thinking about it as I was sitting here, and I came up with three words that represent what I want to accomplish, and how I want to be in this coming year.

So, I decided to share my three words with you, and then I invite you if this is something that you’re interested in doing to think about the words that would be your touchstone or guide for you in the coming year to guide your business, your personal life, your adventure, whatever it would be. So, if you’d like to also share the words that will guide you in 2018, please feel free to do that. I’d love to hear what they are.

But first, here’s mine that I came up with. I’ve been circling around a lot of ideas over the last couple of weeks like many people do at this time of year. You know, we’re thinking about goals and plans, and what we want to accomplish in the new year. It’s very natural way to be thinking at this time. So when I read Chris Brogan’s blog post, I thought, okay, there are these ideas that I’ve been having about what I want to accomplish in 2018, and what words would describe those for me.

So, the words I came up with, and these may make no sense to you, but they’re my words, just like I wouldn’t be able to figure out what they [your words] mean to you, but for mine consolidate is a word that kept coming to me.

My second word is affiliation, and the third is action, which you know, probably makes sense.

The word affiliation for me seems to encompass a lot of things, ’cause initially, I was thinking community and but there’s more to it than that. Affiliation is about creating a bond. It’s about community, but it’s also about partnership and connection and having an alliance with people who are like minded. So, that’s why affiliation speaks to me right now.

And for consolidate, I’ve been thinking I have a lot of different ways that I work with people. I have lots of ideas about things, and in my personal life, I’ve got a lot of stuff that I want to consolidate. I’m going to consolidate my space. I want to consolidate the offers that I’m making. I want the consolidate the type of ways that I work with people. I want to bring it all together so it’s more powerful and much more focused and … I don’t have this all thought out perfectly.

Anyway, those are my three words, consolidate, affiliation, and action. And if you’ve thought about this at all or this sparks you to think about how you look at the new year, the excitement of a fresh start, new beginnings, all that, I’d love to hear what your three words would be to guide you throughout the year, and with that, I wish you all the best for this coming year. I look forward to affiliating with you in some way around the web or in a challenge or in a group, reading blog posts, whatever it may be. And I hope it’s the best ever for you, lots of love and joy. Take care. Happy new year.

== END ==

Blog feature image: Amador Loureiro

The post 3 Words to Guide My Business and Actions in 2018 – Video appeared first on Adventures in Visibility.

Last year I read an article somewhere (forgot to keep a link) by a woman who tracked all the books she read during the year. If I recall correctly, she had read 165 books in 2015! That’s astounding. And, it inspired me to start a spreadsheet to track the books I read in 2016.

I’ve come nowhere close to 165 books… more like 52. My reading list is eclectic. From police thrillers to memoirs. From literary fiction to non-fiction. My tastes are diverse. 

When I was a kid, I read all the time. That was my favorite thing to do and the neighbor kids teased me a lot, calling me a bookworm. At age 6 and 7, I didn’t like that nickname, though it was spot on.

Then, as I spent more and more time working online, I found I read fewer and fewer books. I read all day long on a monitor so I didn’t have the desire to read at the end of the day.

I changed that this year. I watched fewer escapist shows on Netflix and read more. And, I loved returning to my long-time reading habit. 

Reviewing my reading spreadsheet a few days ago, I was reminded of a few business-oriented books that I read and loved. That got me wondering about the best business books others in my networks had read this past year. I asked on Facebook and LinkedIn. I created a survey and sent it to a few people on my email list. [You’re invited to add your fave biz book to the survey at the end of the post.]

And now, I present the list of best business books recommended by your peers, for your consideration… which ones intrigue you… which ones would make good gifts for the entrepreneurs in your life? 

Best Business Books I Recommend

The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right by Atul Gawande

I loved this book for the story of a simple tool — the checklist — that Gawande relates. Through research and case studies, Gawande reveals how important checklists are applied to diverse businesses in an attempt to deconstruct complexity, save lives and avoid errors. 

Non Obvious 2017: How to Think Different, Curate Ideas & Predict the Future by Rohit Bhargava

This brand new book quickly became one of my favorites of the year. I’ve known and followed Bhargava’s work for years. His annual Non Obvious trend reports are a fascinating look at what we can expect in the coming years. This year’s book takes his work a step further because Bhargava pulls back the curtain to show us exactly how he discovers and curates the trends most forecasters don’t see. This book is one to read over the holidays so you’re ready to take advantage of deep insights that can impact your business.

Best Business Books Recommended by Biz Owners

In no particular order of importance, the following are business books read and recommended by colleagues and clients. You’ll note that not all the books were published in 2016. That was not the question I asked. Many books offer timeless wisdom and I was curious to know what my colleagues and clients had read in 2016 that they considered the best.

I offer no opinions on these books since there’s only one that I’ve read… Getting Things Done by David Allen … and that was quite awhile ago. However, you’re welcome to share your opinion in the comments, on any of the books you’ve read. 

Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown – recommended by 5 people! I put a hold on this one at the library and there’s a long wait.

Sacred Success: A Course in Financial Miracles by Barbara Stanny

Beyond Satisfaction: The Secret to Crafting a Profitable Online Course That Will Change Lives by Breanne Dyck

Pitch Anything: An Innovative Method for Presenting, Persuading, and Winning the Deal by Oren Klaff

Born For This: How to Find the Work You Were Meant to Do by Chris Guillebeau

The Power of Broke: How Empty Pockets, a Tight Budget, and a Hunger for Success Can Become Your Greatest Competitive Advantage by Daymond John

Get It Done: From Procrastination to Creative Genius in 15 Minutes a Day by Sam Bennett

The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy

The Big Leap: Conquer Your Hidden Fear and Take Life to the Next Level by Gay Hendricks

Conscious Capitalism, With a New Preface by the Authors: Liberating the Heroic Spirit of Business by John Mackey

Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport

Scaling Lean: Mastering the Key Metrics for Startup Growth by Ash Maurya

The Miracle Morning for Network Marketers: Grow Yourself FIRST to Grow Your Business Fast by Hal Elrod

The Secret of the Ages by Robert Collier

Unleash Possible: A Marketing Playbook That Drives B2B Sales by Samantha Stone

Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products by Nir Eyal

Hustle: The Power to Charge Your Life with Money, Meaning, and Momentum by Neil Patel

Change by Design: How Design Thinking Transforms Organizations and Inspires Innovation by Tim Brown

Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen

To Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others by Daniel Pink

The 5 Levels of Leadership: Proven Steps to Maximize Your Potential by John C. Maxwell

The Slight Edge: Turning Simple Disciplines into Massive Success and Happiness by Jeff Olson

Corporate Sponsorship in 3 Easy Steps: Get Funding from Sponsors Even if You’re Just Getting Started by Linda Hollander

Add Your Favorite Business Book

Want to add your favorite business book to the list? Use the form below.  Periodically I’ll check and add new titles to the list.

Many thanks to the following folks for their contributions to the list: Liana George, Lou Bortone, Lorenda Phillips, Paula Gregorowitcz, Kim Ravida, Jo Guerra, Lisa Douthit, Doug Peterson, Linda Dessau, Yvonne DeVita, Terry Loving, Jeremie Miller, Robin Forster, Bill Irwin, Stephan Hovnanian, Kay Newton, Kay Ross, Shawn Shepard, Judy Rodman, Trudy Von Buskirk, Chris Mattison, Michelle Goodhew, and Dale Susan Edwards. A few others contributed as well but did so anonymously.

Note: All titles are linked to Amazon.com with my affiliate link. The few pennies I earn on a book sale help me sustain my bookworm habit!

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