Pick One Word for 2015 at he start of a New Year, 2015.

Last year was a year of building. Building health, building our new home, building relationships, building focus. By focusing on One Word: Building.

one-word-for-2015 One of the reasons I was able to focus and see a pattern to the past year was by going through One Word that will change your life, by Jon Gordon, Dan Britton, and Jimmy Page. The book throws down a simple premise: pick a focus for the year by zeroing in on a single word.

A single word for an entire year.

When I first heard about the concept I was more than a little hesitant. I mean after all I would call myself multi-passionate.

I thought there would be no way that I could find a way to focus multiple areas and interests in life.

But I was wrong and the year was better for it.

Lessons From One Word

Looking back I see a few lessons that have emerged from my first foray into the One Word way of thinking.

Lesson One: Take Time To Pick

I’m a check the box kind of guy. I like drawing the line through items on a paper to do list. I enjoy seeing that progress.

Doubling my enjoyment is simple if I get to add a deadline to things.

So … checking off picking my word in the first week of the year was pressing. I had to get it done. I almost felt like I was missing part of the year if I didn’t have the focus set starting on January 1.

Forget it.

Take time. Ponder. Journal. Dream. Consider.

I took a little bit of time, but looking back I almost wonder what would have emerged with a little less push; and a little more lingering.

Let time help set the course.

So as I start out 2015, I do see some exciting things ahead. I see them in several different areas and interests in life.

But I don’t see the pattern, yet.

I don’t see the pattern that could be captured in the One Word for 2015.

So join me in following my first lesson of picking One Word for 2015 and take time to pick.

Lesson Two: Imagery Matters

As human beings it has been said that we are visual creatures.

Those who have studied gender differences say that us men are even more visual.

Through the years, I’ve found that I am extremely visual.

Ask me to remember something from the past and you’ll most likely hear me utter phrases such as:

  • let me see if I can picture it
  • I can see it clearly
  • that was picturesque
  • I don’t see it
  • can you help me see it; what was it like that day

Visual queues are huge.

The past year has led me on several adventures into understanding neurology and neuroscience; the operation of the brain.

The way the brain processes visual information places an enormous load on our system. Our conscience and unconscious thoughts sift through visual information constantly.

When we pick One Word for 2015 it is important to think of visual queues that represent that focus.

That could be a single image, or it could be a vision board that includes a collage of images that come together to represent the One Word for 2015.

But take time to develop visual queues for your word, because Imagery Matters.

Lesson Three: Take Notes

Memory is powerful, but also easily sits idle.

I know this is a huge … area of potential growth for myself.

Psychologically it is much more likely that we remember the negative things that happen to us and around us.

It is important to build the memories of positive things, of little successes, and the good things in life.

Take notes of the ways you see your One Word for 2015 being played out each day, each week, and each month of the year.

By taking time to recall, and write out that information it gets burned deeper into our memories.

How to take notes?

Take notes in the method that you will do.

It is very likely that I have a form of obsessive compulsive disorder. I don’t think so, but ask those around me. I hear it from them. They see it in me as I see something and become manically focused on it.

I may be focused on several things during the same period, but there is a crazy level of immersion that happens.

When it comes to taking notes I’ve been there.

I even made it onto the Moleskine Journal Blog. During that period I churned through Moleskine notebooks. I used one small journal for my spiritual journal, one for my own musing, and large lined journal for business notes.

That same season brought with an obsession with pens. I tried different styles, different vendors, and continually kept searching. I finally became enamored with the Cross Ion pen.

I had several of them. They were attached to my keychains. They were everywhere. I loved the smallness and the fit - but more importantly I loved how well they wrote on the Moleskine paper.

The combination just let the thoughts flow from brain cells to ink on paper.

But … my love didn’t last. I found the Moleskines didn’t last as long as my first ones. The bindings started blowing apart before I was done filling the journal. Then the Cross Ion ink refills started to quit working when there was still quite a bit of ink left.

Both fell apart. My obsession crumbled and in turn so did my habit of taking notes.

Years went by.

Then I ran across Penzu and have been using online journals for notes since. I like it better than using Evernote, or any of the other myriad of text tools on a computer.

I have a separate journal for capturing good things; my thankfulness journal.

Honesty time - I wish I could say that journal was flooded with entries. It is not.

That’s the lesson to be learned. Find a system for taking notes that you will use, and use it.

Take notes of how you see your One Word for 2015 in action.

What’s Your One Word for 2015? {#what’syouronewordfor2015}

I’ll be considering, pondering, dreaming, and watching for my One Word to come into focus. I’m excited to see what this year has in store and what happens in my life and the lives of those around me.

To the best of 2015! Let’s make it happen.

To help make it happen with more focus and energy, take time to pick your One Word for 2015.

Image source: one from andrechinn