So, you have your word for the year. Yay, you!
After much searching, praying, and asking for input you’ve finally settled on your one word.
Maybe your word came easy. In November you already knew what it was.
Or perhaps you struggled to find your word, wondering how one word could sum up all the changes the upcoming year promises.
No matter what category you find yourself in, there’s a question that many of us face: what now?
Now that you have your word, what should you do next?
How can this little word follow you throughout the year?
How can you get it to fit the unexpected twists and turns of life?
How do you stick with it?
Essentially, how do you give this word legs?
Here’s some encouragement to bring your word alive and a few resources that will help you do just that. Some are free resources, some are affiliate links to paid products, all are tips based on my experience as a strategic planner, coach and a one-word girl.
By the way, if you still haven’t found your word yet, you’re sure to find lots of ideas here or check out these tips on how to choose your word.
Once you have your word, let’s jump right in, shall we?
Got your word, now what?
Now that you have your word, here are three things you need to get.
1. Get wisdom
As much as I pray about my word, I admit that I seldom know how it will play out throughout the year. This is where God’s wisdom comes in.
A man’s heart plans his way,
But the Lord directs his steps.
Proverbs 16:9 NKJV
Sure, we pray for guidance in finding our word but we will do well to keep up the prayer habit all year long. Ask God to open your eyes to see the new thing He is doing in your life in the upcoming year. And perhaps more importantly, seek His guidance to give you the strength and perseverance to pursue His will for your life.
I encourage you to find Scriptures that either include your word or incorporate the meaning behind your word to inspire you along the way. Online Bibles such as biblegateway.com is a great place to start. Just put your word in the search box and go from there.
2. Get clear
I’ve seen it often in my life and others where we forget about our word half way through the year. After all, life gets crazy sometimes and it’s hard for this one little word to compete with all the twists and turns. But if we get clear about our word and allow it to inspire our vision for the year, imagine how powerful that would be.
One way to do this is to craft a vision that incorporates your word. This could be done using a vision statement or a vision board, or both.
I personally love vision boards and find them to be highly effective. I include cutouts of my word as well as my favorite Scripture reference related to my one word. I focus on my roles and relationships and use magazine cuttings to depict my envisioned future. Where do I want to be in the next year? What do I want to accomplish? What goals do I want to achieve?
3. Get smart
Speaking of goals, this next step is where the rubber really hits the road. This is where I create SMART goals based on my word and my vision for the year. To increase the chances of accomplishing these goals they had better be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound (SMART). But even more so, I want my goals to be mixed with grace. Throughout the process of setting and pursuing my goals, I pray for God’s guidance along the way.
I’m confident that you’ll see a big difference in your year when you:
And now, for some resources to help you on your 2019 one-word journey. Check out the links below and a few fun surprises.
Favorite Resources to Bring your Word to Life
Grace Goals
Through a series of five workshops (plus bonuses) Grace Goals will show you how to work in conjunction with the Spirit of God to fulfill the desires He’s placed in you. That’s a recipe for total life transformation!
Get Grace Goals here.
Special offer for OneWord365 readers:
If you purchase Grace Goals using the link provided in this post, I will send you a 2019 Spark Success Goals Planner absolutely free.
The Spark Success Goals Planner is more than just a one-year planner, it’s your personal manual for setting goals for an amazing Spirit-filled year. Think of this as your accountability partner helping you keep your goals (and your word) in powerful view throughout the year.
You can purchase the 40-page planner separately or get it free with Grace Goals. Simply, email your Grace Goals receipt to me (marva {at} sunsparkleshine.com) and I’ll send it right over.
Surprise Give-away
I’m a big fan of the One Word 365 community and I love seeing you succeed. That’s why, especially at this time of year, we also like to do a giveaway for our OneWord365 friends.
This year, Grace Goals purchasers will be entered to win a 45-min one-on-one Spark Success goal planning session valued at $150. Just comment below to let us know that you made the investment in Grace Goals and you’ll be entered to win.
One winner will be announced on January 4!
So, tell me…are you ready to get wisdom, get clear and get smart about your word this year? Leave a comment to let me know what your next step will be so we can encourage each other along the way.
Marva Smith is a Caribbean-based management consultant, leadership trainer, work and life strategist, and writer. Yet, she finds most joy in her roles as wife to her husband of 17 years, and mom to two teens. As a Certified Life Breakthrough Coach she is passionate about equipping, inspiring and empowering women to thrive beyond the nine to five, and does this through her courses, coaching and online community. Her ideal day starts while it’s still dark with her Bible in one hand and coffee in the other.
Connect with Marva on her website MarvaSmith.com and on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.