Have you noticed all the posts about the "word for the year" for 2023?
It has become the
new New Year's Resolution.
Maybe because it feels a little more....
possible...than the resolution?
Maybe it's because we know that so many people struggle with New Year's Resolutions. But why?
Want to know why change is so hard? Listen this
Dare to Lead podcast with Lisa Lehey on our Immunity to Change. It's soooo good!
As an alternative to resolutions, people have started doing words of intention for the year. A word of intention is a guiding principle - something to focus on throughout the year.
It's lovely!
My take on word of the year is to have a
learning THEME.
I choose a word and save quotes on that topic, read books about it all year, and use it as the touchstone for all of my learning that year.
But... I keep that word a secret from almost everyone!
(I do have a friend that I call the GOAT of accountability partners who knows what my theme for the year is)
WHY do I keep it a secret?
There was some research that showed that announcing your goals made you less likely to achieve them! Wait, what?
Yep, it's called the
“premature sense of completeness” and this happens when you get lots of positive feedback for announcing a goal without actually doing any of the work.
"That's awesome! Way to go!" people will say. And then you actually try LESS HARD on that goal.
Here's the catch!
Sharing this goal with a person that you look up to can help make it more likely that you will achieve it. It turns out that you DO need accountability, it's just that it needs to come from someone that you really respect.
As we transition into 2023, I encourage you to choose a theme for the year but maybe instead of announcing it to the whole world, just tell one or two special people and see if that makes the difference for you.
PS. I have a word for 2023, but obviously I can't tell you what it is.
I can tell you that previous years have been things like
health, curiosity, flow, habits...
What are you going to spend 2023 learning about?
*shhh... don't tell me (yet).
