What’s your one word for 2021?

More often than not, we overthink.

We complexify, we twist things and get them so convoluted, it hurts. So what’s the point? We have a limited ability to forecast, to get rid of the unknown. 

You might remember a time where you went to bed, turning off the lights but unable to shut down your brain. You were still trying to figure out something. A work-related problem, a personal issue, an anxious feeling. 

And, instead of bringing you peace, the calm of the night was just intensifying your thoughts.

Your mind was racing in every direction, like a lion raging in its cage.

Did this sleepless night help? In the morning, were you feeling better after trading your hours of rest for some pointless and looping thinking?

You might also recall when you had an “eureka” moment. You know, as you were relaxing under a warm shower, or walking among the forest trees.

So, the point is that instead of overthinking, you could decide to make life easier for yourself (and your mind). 

“How?” you asked. 

Let’s take a simple example. New Year’s resolutions. Most of us do some and yet, according to a study done by Richard Wiseman, 88% of us fail to keep them. 

And what if instead of making these big promises to ourselves, we were picking a word. A single word. Sounds simple enough, right?

And what about this one word? 

Well, it would become the theme for this year to come. The backbone. The umbrella under which all your plans and decisions should fall under.

Unconsciously, kids do it. They pick for themselves the word “FUN” and this is driving their choices at all times.

And what about you? What would align the big steps to come and the tiny decisions to make? 

You are probably thinking, what if I can't put everything under the same umbrella? And I can tell you already, it might be impossible to tie everything together and this is precisely the point. 

It forces you to think about what is the most important to you. What should you really be focusing on?

Is it aligned with your North star, giving you at all times the direction to aim for?

If, in the beginning, you struggle to find a single word to resonate with you, ease it a bit and pick up 2 more words. As you do and make choices, you will naturally see that they tend to fall under one unique word.

Don’t overthink, pick 1 to 3 words you like, and get started. There is no right or wrong, just take action and you will see for yourself if these words work.

You can write the words on an A4 piece of paper and stick them on the wall of your bedroom (or anywhere visible) as a daily reminder of the core values that should be driving your choices.

You can even go one step further and make a background picture for your desktop and mobile phone, displaying these power words. It will unconsciously rewire your brain.

And finally, when you catch yourself rumbling for yourself, rehearsing continuously the same thoughts, ask yourself, is it consistent with my “one” word? How should I deal with this to be aligned with my “one” word?

In Australia, and more specifically in a region of Sydney (the Northern Beaches), the government had to reinstate a lockdown for a few weeks - just during the Christmas period.

During this time, things were slower and I took the opportunity to deeply reflect on the past year.

I noticed an intense feeling of Gratitude. I was really thankful for what I have and the people surrounding me.

I realize I wanted to know more about this emotion, to talk about it and share it with others. I wanted to give back.

And to do so, I made a 5-Day Challenge on Gratitude. You can access it for free on my e-learning platform. 

And you may ask, what is it? Truly, it’s quite simple. I created a model to develop your sense of gratitude. So each day, for 5 days, we will see together how you can foster gratitude and how this will benefit you, with a video and a little exercise. 

The model is backed by scientific studies and explained with engaging stories. And, as always, when the theory part is done, you get simple actions to apply your new knowledge. This way, anyone can learn with ease!

Here to start: https://lisonmage.com/5-day-gratitude-challenge/

And I will end this article with my 2021 word: Growth.

I aim for growing my gratitude, growing my relationship, growing my business, growing my feeling of adventure.

I wish you a fantastic 2021 year!   

With gratitude,

Lison