Name It

As we rock into 2016 I’d firstly like to thank everyone for their lovely feedback, comments, well wishes and contributions to The Espresso in 2015. It’s still overwhelming to hear the impact that our newspaper has on people around the world. If you’ve sent us a note, commented to us, posted something or even forwarded an idea from The Espresso onto someone else, we thank you. In fact, if you’ve ever opened The Espresso, we thank you! This year we promise to bring you more cool ideas that you can adapt and use in your world. Feel free to let us know your thoughts, any ideas that you’ve got, anything we can add or subtract, as we genuinely try to make a difference in your world and help you unlock your great ideas.

At this time of year most people have made their resolutions. And generally these promises we make to ourselves tend to fall by the wayside as we get into the grind of the new year. One tool that I’ve found to be powerful and useful to have longevity for the year ahead is to choose a word that will be your theme for the year. I recently heard someone say their word was ‘contribution’. This would be their year of contributing to themselves, to the planet, to their family and friends, and to the community. For me, last year was about agility. Not only training for the Tour De Cure but also focusing on stretching, mobility and all round strength, wellness, endurance and balance.
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By focusing on a word, you can then work out the pieces that need to be pulled together in order to achieve that word. It’s yours, it doesn’t need to be broadcast, but it gives you a focus. Gary Keller wrote in one of my favourite books of last year, The One Thing, “What’s the one thing I can do, such that by doing it everything else is easier or unnecessary?”
Choose your one word and put it front of mind. Write it on the mirror of your bathroom, use it as a desktop screensaver, in the front of your journal or the dashboard of your car. Put it somewhere you’ll see it regularly, break it down into smaller pieces and do one thing each day to move you towards your theme, motto or word for the year ahead.