3 Words for 2016

3 Words for 2016I decided to focus on three words for 2016. They are not resolutions, as the drive for all that we hope to accomplish tends to fizzle out by the middle of January, but I’m hoping that three words will be easier to sustain over the course of the year.

I came up with these words by spending a little time thinking about my weaknesses compared to my strengths. Like everyone, I do certain things well and other things are a struggle for me. I decided to focus on three areas I find personally challenging. That way, when I’m under stress or have a decision to make, I can factor in all three of these words and offer myself a chance to practice living them out.

These are my three words for 2016:

Strong.

I often ask myself, “WWAFD?” for “What Would Alicia Florrick Do?” Those who watch The Good Wife (and if you’re not watching The Good Wife, please rectify that immediately) will get the reference, but Julianna Margulies plays a lawyer, the title character of the show, and she consistently kicks ass and takes names while remaining kind and generous at her core. She takes no shit from anyone and doesn’t give any of her precious time and energy to worrying about what other people think about her. I adore this fictional character and aspire to her strength and courage. This year, I’m going to do all I can to keep the word strong front and centre in my life.

Clear.

I’ve wasted far too much time feeling muddled when I have to make a decision. It’s easy for me to factor in what I think everyone else needs and lose my own vote in the process. I’m planning to work on clarity this coming year, which pairs well with strength, for communicating exactly what I mean requires bravery. Generosity is part of my natural skill set and I wouldn’t ever want to lose it, but getting clear on what I need at any given time, and then speaking this in a direct manner, is a priority for 2016.

Optimistic.

In 2015, I saw on several occasions that my go-to mechanism is to assume the worst. About myself, about others, about situations. At times, I felt like Eeyore, trudging around with a gloomy black cloud over my head, terrified to open an email or run into a person at the store in case it meant bad news or a confrontation. I’m weary of this faulty assumption. Instead of visualizing the potential pitfalls of any group, work project or circumstance, I’m going to project an air of hopeful expectation instead. Maybe something wonderful is in that piece of mail, phone call or Facebook message. Anticipating joy instead of pain may take a lot of effort from me, but it has to be better for my soul than bracing for disaster. Most of the problems I dreaded in 2015 never came to pass, so I’m beginning this new year with the idea that adventure awaits and I have just as much of a chance for success as I do failure.

Those are my three words for 2016: strong, clear, optimistic. What are yours?