Do you hate me for asking?   

We start the year with fantastic intentions to accomplish great things and improve ourselves in awesome ways. 

However, by this late in the year, many of us have completely forgotten the goals and resolutions we embraced so passionately just a few short months ago. 

So, despite how you might hate me for it, I’ll ask, “How are you doing on your goals and resolutions this year?“

What I did this year to improve my mindfulness and commitment

Back in January, I confessed that I had abandoned the idea of setting New Year’s resolutions a while ago because I wanted to avoid the feelings of failure they produce.

However, this year I found a technique used by Chris Brogan and decided to give it a try because I like the idea of establishing some overall focus and direction for the year.

Basically, Chris’ technique is to pick three words that “frame your challenges and opportunities” for the year.  These words should be easy to remember and should, in broad terms, embody your goals.

I chose the words experiment, brand and live.

In my earlier article, I explained what these words mean to me and even a little about how I envisioned using them.

I love this technique because it is flexible and broad.  This makes it easier to stay committed to your ultimate intention.

Often, we abandon our New Year’s resolutions and goals because as the year progresses things change.  Our desires and ambitions evolve.

However, specific resolutions set at the beginning of the year are fixed.  They do not allow us to make modifications without feeling like we are changing the rules midstream.

Three simple words are easy to keep at the forefront of our minds and they offer great flexibility so they can be adapted as life unfolds.

In addition, they can be used anytime.  You don’t have to wait until New Year’s to choose your three words and to start create some focus in your life.

So, how has this technique worked for me?  Let’s explore that!

A progress report on my three words for this year

At first, I planned to write a separate paragraph reflecting on what I have accomplished relative to each of my three words.  However, as I began to think about it I realized my actions relative to my three words are too intertwined for me to separate like that.

That’s an interesting point in and of itself.  By using just three broad words, my goals became more integrated.  They felt more natural and flowed better with my life.  They didn’t feel forced or unnatural like traditional resolutions do.

As I reflect right now, I am realizing another thing.  I have done way too much so far this year relative to experiment, brand and live to write about all of it here.  Have you ever had that problem with New Year’s resolutions?  Me neither!

I guess a few examples are in order.  Here is just some of what I’ve accomplished:

• I experimented with evangelizing my site and brand this year on Twitter and Facebook.  I hadn’t really done much with either of these two sites previously.
• I’ve also been thinking about how I can experiment with establishing a presence on YouTube for my brand and site.  I have some plans for getting my feet wet, but I’m not ready to reveal them yet.
• I bought a used Macbook off craigslist and tried using it.  As a longtime Windows guy, this was a real experiment for me.  I liked it, but in the end I couldn’t give up Windows Live Writer.
• I wrote my Smart Living series to document how I attempt to live life to the fullest and practice what I preach.  Also, my wife and I are trying to apply some of this right now to move our marriage from really good to great.
• I lived my dream of scuba diving!  I grew up watching Jacques Cousteau on television and finally got to experience the underwater world for myself.

This is really just the tip of the iceberg!  I can’t say that I thought about my three words every day, but I definitely see how they helped me to focus and make progress on things that were very important to me.

Of course, it isn’t all rosy and perfect.  Reflecting now I also realize that I haven’t made the progress I hoped in terms of eating healthier which was a big part of what I wanted the word live to help me to do.

So, although I feel like my three words served me well, I still haven’t accomplished everything I hoped to do.  Of course, there are still a few months left and I have a lot more I want to do relative to all three of my words!

I’m happy with how the three words guided my progress!

I’ll have to say that reflecting on how the three words have proven useful is a lot more enjoyable than trying to recall resolutions and experiencing the feelings they produce.

I like this technique so much that I think I’ll use it again next year.  Of course, as I’ve already said, this year is not over yet!  I’ve got more exciting things planned so please stay tuned.

If you have felt frustrated in the past by traditional resolutions, then I’d highly recommend giving Chris’ technique a try.  It has worked well for me and it might do the same for you!

What three words would you choose?

Photo by somegeekintn

A useful technique to keep mindful and committed to your resolutions

I ran across this idea on Chris Brogan’s site. He suggests choosing one word that embodies the intention of your goal. If you set three goals or resolutions, then you would have three words, one for each. Here’s how Chris describes it:

If you want to try the process, it works something like this: think of how you want to be successful in 2009. Then, try to think in even broader terms. Extrapolate on the broader terms, and find one word to hang the idea on.
~ Chris Brogan

I really like this technique! As the year progresses, you just focus on your three or so words. I think this will help me remember my resolutions and remain mindful of them.

Also, because the words are broad, they are flexible. As the year progresses, the words can bend and mold to circumstances better than something more specific. This way my original intention doesn’t get lost just because my first idea doesn’t work out.

The three words that embody my goals for 2009

I’m going to stick to using just three words. Three is enough, but not too many. I think I can remember and keep mindful of three. Here are my three words for 2009:

Experiment. Brand. Live.

Let me explain a little what my words mean:

1. Experiment – 2009 is going to be a year of trying new things for me. I like the word experiment because it implies that failure is an option. Experimentation by definition is about testing hypotheses. I want to give myself permission to explore.

I’ve already started experimenting by buying a used MacBook. I intend to continue my experimentation with various uses for video, social media and maybe some programming. Who knows where this word might lead me?!?

2. Brand – I’ve been reading some about establishing a brand. I came up with the idea for starting MySuperChargedLife.com sitting under a tree. It was like a coconut fell and hit me on the head. I didn’t know a thing about blogging, but I was eager to begin.

I’ve learned a lot in the past year, but I still have a ways to go. I don’t think that I’ve done justice to creating and evangelizing the brand I want. Therefore, I’ve chosen this word to help me stay mindful of my brand.

This word also has value with things happening in my full-time employment, so it has implications for me that reach far beyond this site.

3. Live – This word is rich for me in so many ways. It will keep me mindful of my obligation to live out the things I write about. There is nothing worse than a hypocrite!

In addition, I’m going to use it to remind me of my commitment to improve my fitness and health. People live longer nowadays and I want to be sure that my quality of life doesn’t deteriorate as I grow older. I plan to make a real effort in this realm throughout the year.

What are you focusing on in 2009?

I recently posed this question on Twitter, “Do you design your life or do you simply let the chips fall where they may?” What’s your answer? All you have to do is choose three words to define a plan for where you want to be a year from now. Aren’t you worth it?

For more ideas and examples of how to use this technique, please read Chris Brogan’s article that inspired me to write this.

What are your three words?

Photo by vana_gwen