We’ve all heard of the saying, “A picture is worth a thousand words,” but what is one word worth? This year, rather than take the time to create a list of New Year’s resolutions, which on average last 14 days, we have decided to select one word to focus on for the entire year at Eye-To-Eye. Each team member and the company as a whole has come up with “one word” to proclaim as a mission for 2014. We even developed our own word for each of our clients.
Why one word? Over the course of the first week of January, four people hit me up with this one-word notion: my chiropractor, my best friend, my mom’s group and one of my clients. On all four occasions, as I pondered this idea, it was clear that the word, HOPE would be my mantra for 2014. Here’s an example of what other team members have declared:
– John: STILL
– Rachel: SIMPLIFY
– Meghan: APPRECIATE
– Stephanie: ATTRACT
– Clarissa: OPEN
– Paulette: FOCUS
– Mary Lee: FRESH
One way to select your word would be to think about something you want to change and pick a word that represents the opposite. Examples: overwhelmed to SIMPLIFY, idleness to ACTION, conflict to PEACE, control to TRUST, negative to POSITIVE or selfish to HUMBLE.
It has been proven that once you create a goal or declare a mantra and share it, you are more likely to realize your goal or put your mantra into action. We challenge you to take the plunge and declare your word for 2014.
What I love about this exercise is that it translates beautifully into business. Not only is this a great team-building activity, but it also helps a team be focused on a common vision. While writing this blog post, I came across an article by WSJ Small Business Reporter Rhonda Abrams called “Find 1 Word to Focus Your Annual Plan.” She states, “If you don’t know where you’re going, you won’t know when you’re lost.” She encourages small businesses to do a SWOT analysis by looking at company strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. From there, you will be able to identify your one-word. For her business, the word is DIGITAL.
Eye-To-Eye’s word for 2014 is INSPIRE. As the world of media changes around us, we HOPE to INSPIRE our clients, partners, team members and members of the media each day this year in some small way.
By keeping our focus simple, we believe we will increase our impact for our clients.
Here’s to a Hopeful and Inspiring New Year!
