How to Use Focus Words for Goal Setting

The last six months have been a whirlwind…to say the least. Personally, I’ve battled extremely low iron, which I had to get infusions for. And I got diagnosed with Psoriasis & Psoriatic Arthritis (PsA). It wasn’t surprising, but since both low iron and PsA come with chronic fatigue, I’d pretty much get up every day feeling like I never went to bed.

Now that I’ve started treatment, I’m feeling better slowly but surely. Throughout the struggle, I clung to my business dream like it was going out of style. I knew I didn’t want to do quite the same thing - content writing for clients - but it didn’t become clear to me what to do for a while. After all, writing pays the bills and security is important!

I remember the day everything changed. I was driving home from the library (one of my favorite local workplaces) after a particularly tough content-writing session.

This can’t be it. There has to be something better.

I thought about how I missed teaching and being around real-life people. Wondering how I could impact more people than a few clients at a time, even though I enjoyed the people I worked with.

WORKSHOPS

It was one word that appeared in my mind - around June I think. Nothing has ever been more clear in my life. One of my colleagues hopped on a strategy call with me and the ideas just kept coming and coming. We were both so excited (and still are). I finally got it about business owners saying it was “easy.” And just plain fun to think about.

So I went about my business (literally), changing pretty much everything. Don’t worry - I’ll be sharing more soon. ;)

When the new year rolled around, I didn’t have trouble choosing how I want to spend the year.

Goal Setting with Focus Words

I’m going to guess you’ve heard of the word of the year trend. It’s pretty popular, and it’s always interesting to see what others are focusing on for the year. Last year, I couldn’t narrow it down so I chose 3: Steady, Ease, and Accept.

It was difficult to narrow down because I didn’t have a clear focus. I was on the fence about my services and pricing. I knew I had to pick one or the other direction and stick with it before I could expand, but I just didn’t want to. I also knew I was burned the heck out and needed something to give. I needed to be able to let it evolve on its own and see where it went without worrying about it every single moment of the day (you’ve had those thoughts, right? I know I’m not the only one).

So, because I love lists with a passion, I made a huge list of choices.

Like, a whole page of options.

How the hell does someone pick ONE word out of a whole page to focus on for the year??

Obviously, I missed the “word” of the year mark since I picked 3. But I felt good about it. It felt like something I could look at when everything seemed overwhelming and be comforted: all I had to do was stick to those three things and it would be okay.

2023 came easier for me, and I’m okay with having two focuses that go hand-in-hand. But if you’re in the space where you’re trying to figure out if the word of the year thing is even worth your time, it might help to think about it in a different way.

Here’s what I’ve learned about having a word of the year:

  1. The term word of the year freaks me out because it feels too significant for one word

  2. Goals are always top of mind and it’s okay to have a way to reign them in when they seem to be taking over your life (making it so you don’t actually achieve any of them)

  3. My words of the year help me focus and drown out some of the distractions that come with running a business

  4. The term focus is critical because it means something different than goals - it’s a bit less constricting but still productive

  5. I can use other people’s examples and ideas and adapt them to what I need

So here’s what I’m going to suggest, if you, like me, find yourself in a place where you want direction, but can’t pick a single word.

  1. Think about what you love about your business right now. If you’re looking for a change, what does that look like?

  2. Think about what you’d love to do next. (Even if it doesn’t necessarily “match” what you do right now).

  3. Think about how you want your business to feel for other people.

  4. Think about how you want to feel as you run your business.

  5. If you had one opportunity this year that would put a huge smile on your face and some dance in your pants, what would it be? How do you get closer to that?

  6. Write down said thoughts on paper with a pen. Or type it out, your choice. ;) Don’t lose the thoughts, though! You never know when they might come in handy.

  7. Breathe in, breathe out, and listen to what your heart and instincts are saying about how to move forward. Trust said instinct and run with it.

Is this scientific? Nope. Is it woo-woo? Yep.

The question you’re wondering now, especially if you’re a skeptic of the woo-woo world: Does it work? Absolutely.

My Focus Words for 2023

Sometimes an example is just the thing to make an idea easier to understand. So I thought I’d share my focus words for 2023. They’re “fun” and “easy.”

More specifically, the phrases I’m focusing on are:

Let it be fun.

Let it be easy.

Let it be fun is about how I want to feel in my business. I love writing more than most things and I want to share that passion more widely rather than simply doing it. I also love teaching, but I don’t miss grading. How do I put those two things together in my business? Writing workshops. It’s fun, it’s meaningful, and it gets me into the community where I wanted to be the whole time.

Let it be easy is about how I approach my business. I have a tendency to overthink, overanalyze, and pick things to death. It’s stressful, and I’m sure it’s part of an anxiety reaction; however, it doesn’t have to be a thing at all. Not really. So letting it be easy, for me, is about trusting my instincts, taking opportunities that come along, and letting myself just do it already. Ironically, letting it be easy is often the challenge, not the business part.

Some of the other focus words I’ve heard about from my network this year are: growth, confidence, balance, purpose, intent, and present.

What about you? Did you set focus words? Or do you like having a word of the year? Comment below or find me on socials - let’s talk about it!

TL;DR

Try choosing a couple of focus words rather than restricting yourself to a single word of the year. Let it be fun, let it be easy, and don’t forget that you get to do what you love in your business. No matter what words/phrases you choose, always keep your passion and joy top of mind.