I was invited to speak at a conference last January where the hosts encouraged the attendees to “Name their year.” I’d never thought of doing this before and was interested in how people would go about picking the name of the year.
As I sat around a table and listened to the conversation, I was amazed by the depth and thought people were putting into this process.
The purpose was to give the year a name that would inspire and motivate them for 52 weeks. When they were finished, people were encouraged to go to the stage and tell the others what name they had given for their year.
As I considered what the others were doing, I was inspired. I decided to name my year as well. But what could I name it?
Maybe it should be the Year I Got In Shape or the 20-Pound Year, where I lost 20 pounds (the more I thought about this, the more I gave into the fact that focusing on 20 pounds would encourage me to eat more).
Perhaps I should name it the Year of the Dates: I would have more dates with my wife Margaret. But would I then eat more dates?
I considered the Year of Travelling but with four kids, that might be a tad expensive.
The Year of Focus? The Year of Minimalism? Focus might mean that I would have to get a new pair of glasses and attempt to sit still. And minimalism would be a battle against the stream and considering I had retail stores selling stuff, I would probably feel like a hypocrite.
Finally it struck me.I thought that a good name for my year would be the Year of Awe and Wonder. As I wrote my words down I knew that I was on to something. I contemplated the words awe and wonder. I turned them over in my mind. I thought of all the possibilities that a Year of Awe and Wonder would entail.
I wanted to be awestruck and revisit that sense of wonder that children have. I also wanted to be an awesome and wonderful father, friend, son, husband, boss, partner and business coach. I wanted to appreciate all that would be awesome during the year.
People flocked to the stage and announced the Year of Love, or Healing, Prosperity, Laughter, Happiness, Family, Positivity, Mental Health and even the Year of Indulgence! Their intention was to live their word each and every day of the year.
The session was really well done and inspirational. I went home and taped my words Awe and Wonder to my computer screen so I could see it each and every day of the year.
Now the year has gone by and as I sit here writing this column, I wonder how the year turned out for all those conference attendees. I hope that they found what they were looking for in the naming of the year.
My year was filled with Awe and Wonder! I was awestruck with how fortunate I am. My year had some wonderful twists and turns. I sold my business, I had new opportunities.I had awesome clients to work with. I travelled with my family and was left in wonder at the beauty of a sunset or sunrise. I met some awesome people and realized how wonderful my friends and family are.
It was incredible how each turn of events, each new phone call, client or activity left me filled with awe and wonder throughout the year. It filled me with gratitude for the many blessings I have been given.
I realize now that naming your year can make a huge difference in how we look at things. I wish that had started this practice years ago.
It’s not that life would have turned out differently but perhaps I would have looked at things with a new focus. We only have a limited number of years in our lives and breaking them down into time frames of intention could make all the difference, not only to your business but more importantly, to your life.
I’m going to try it again this year and I encourage you to do the same.
What will you name your year? What words will you use in that name that will inspire and motivate you for the next 52 weeks?
Tell me because I would love to hear!
Dave Fuller, MBA, is an award winning business coach and a partner in the firm Pivotleader Inc. Comments on business at this time? Email [email protected]
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