My Word of the Year

Recently I was at a group meeting, and we were talking about our “word for the year”.? What I came up with is flow, F L O W. Where did FLOW come from?? I was thinking about my word for last year, which was Let Go (Yes, I know “let go” is two words.). And “flow” just naturally came out of it. However,? I really hadn't put the meat on the bones of my word when it first came to me.

Did I Mean Hockey Flow Hair?

No, that’s not where the word came from.? But if you know anything about hockey culture, you know about hockey hair and how it’s called your “flow.” I'm a hockey mom, so I think about “flow” being the hair.? If you haven’t heard about hockey flow, then check out this blog: :https://blog.hockeyplayersclub.com/top-10-hockey-hair-of-all-time/

Go-Giver Flow

The very next day, I started reading the book The Go-Giver, A Little Story about a Powerful Business Idea by Bob Burg and John David Mann. As I was reading it, I realized what that flow really meant to me. Keep reading to learn more. Thank you to Ryan Koral at Tell Studios in Orion, MI, for giving me the book. It’s well worth reading. Ryan tells me he typically reads it at least once a year.?

Keeping Score?

One of the central themes of this Go Giver book is to not keep score when it comes to giving. The idea is that we should give things, and that’s something I totally love doing. I’m a big connector so I love to put people in touch with others who may be able to help them with their business or job search.?

But the key to giving is NOT expecting something in return. I really had to ask myself some tough questions around that - do I expect something in return? I know I’m a competitive person.? I do like to keep score of everything else. I would keep score at hockey games when my son was little, when we didn’t keep an official score. So I needed to take a step back and remind myself that when it comes to giving, I don’t need to keep score AT ALL. When you give something, don't expect things in return. That's the idea of giving.?

Give AND Receive

So how did I get my word “FLOW” and how does it relate to the Go Giver book? The big Ah Ha for me was that we not only need to give to people, but we need to be open to receiving as well. Don’t get me wrong, we don't want to expect something in return when we give. But we need to accept what others give - not blocking the flow of giving or receiving. For example, when somebody gives you a compliment, don't say, “oh, no, no, no.” Not accepting the complement would be blocking the flow. The idea is to 1) accept the gift graciously, and 2) keep giving to others with no expectation, thus increasing the flow.?

FLOW! That is my word for the year. Let it Flow in 2023!? I challenge you to think about your word for the year. Type it in the comments below.

?If you want to learn more about me, go to my YouTube channel.? https://www.youtube.com/@ownyourpathforward On my channel, I talk about how to own your future, Own Your Path Forward.?