3 Words

As a Coach I suggest to my Clients they think of 3 words that they would like to be the direction of their year.  They can connect with habits, and rituals they wish to develop or a mindset they want to switch and all ultimately leading to different behaviours.  My own for 2025 are:-

• Joyful
• Stimulating
• Relaxing

Finding joy has been something I was keen to draw on from last year.  Actively recognising when I feel joy and actively creating environments and moments of joy.  Each month I look at the word joy as a verb what am i doing to push it forward, how many friends have I reached out to and set up lovely meet ups.  I also have to ensure I catch myself in everyday life recognising when I experience joy.  I write a journal everyday and this helps to capture when that moment was.  The simplest things can give you that micro moment, a coffee in the sun, walking with your eyes wide open, listening to music while driving and a glass of very good red wine.

Stimulating is when I take on new challenges for work and find that I am having to think differently or challenge myself to learn new material.  This month I am working with a new company and they are using a lot of online tech and I am going to embrace this new form of interaction.  Seeking stimulation through  meeting different people is also something I am developing again.  After Covid I think we retreated into are known social groups and did not instigate new connections. I  am now gradually reaching out and finding new faces which are an instant source of stimuli.  Last year one of my words was knowledge, I found this quite limiting as it did not seem to encompass anything and everything that I found I was learning, it lent itself to sounding too structured.  Stimulating can be the new exhibition at the V&A, going to the theatre or a new podcast (of which there are many!!!)

Relaxing ironically is the hardest word to consciously keep tabs on!! I have to make a concerted effort to look at the week and know what relaxing means and is.  There are blurred lines with joyful for example, Is being with friends relaxing and joyful?? I have decided that relaxing must be something peaceful.   It is  about finding  that feeling of being at peace with myself.  This may well be time in my home by myself, which I used to fear when my daughter and son first left home, now I am calm and don't feel lonely.  I own the time and find the time to relax with my own agenda.

The key to 3 words is to have them on display in your working area so that you reference them and they are a constant visual.  Each month set goals against them and daily journal to see if you have touched one or all. 

Find your 3 words and your compass.