My Three Words for 2019

For the last few years I’ve followed the example set forth by Chris Brogan and my friend Anthony Iannarino and selected three words to help guide my decision making and actions through the coming year. I started posting my three words publicly in 2017 and 2018, and thought I would continue the tradition by posting my new words for 2019 as we begin the new year.

The idea is to choose three words that act as a compass for your annual trip around the sun. They aren’t resolutions, they are keywords to reference when faced with any important decisions you’ll encounter. Keep the words written down in a place you can view them consistently on a daily basis (I stick mine to my computer monitor) and check your choices against the words to help keep you from taking too many detours and wrong turns.

If one of your goals in the new year is to lose weight, you might choose the word “Healthy”. When faced with the option to eat a piece of cheesecake or an apple, the word Healthy is there to help nudge you in the direction that will help you achieve your goal.

I enjoy alliteration, so I always choose three words with the same first letter. When I started publishing my words in 2017 my three words began with the letter Q because I liked the originality of such an uncommon letter. My words that year were Quest, Quantity, Quarterback. When I chose my 2018 words I went R simply because it was the next letter of the alphabet. My words last year were Record, Recruit, Reduce.

I decided to keep with my pattern this year and chose words that begin with the letter S…

My three words for 2019 are Speak, Ship, and Simplify

Speak – I enjoy sharing ideas with large groups by delivering keynote presentations, and had the opportunity to speak in front of two live groups last year. I thoroughly enjoyed it and plan to direct more effort to do more live in-person events in 2019. I also love being a guest on podcasts and had fun appearing on three or four different shows in 2018. I will be appearing on my shows whenever possible. The word Speak will help to remind me to seek out more opportunities to share more ideas to more people.

Ship – Being the quintessential “What If?” guy, I am prone to distracting myself from completing and shipping a project even when I am only a few feet from the final destination. A project so close to completion can be delayed or put into limbo if I start thinking about ways to make it better or more creative or just a little bit more fun instead simply crossing the finish line and calling it done. I can always go back and make minor tweaks after it’s up and running (if it even really needs it)! This word also serves the purpose of reminding me to publish more content. From emails to blogs to podcasts to videos — expect more consistent content from me in 2019. This year the word Ship will help me launch more projects and make more waves by putting more ideas out into the world.

Simplify – Complexity is the enemy of accomplishment. We all have a tendency to over-complicate projects and systems to the point of making it so burdensome that we (and others) find it so exhausting to think about that we never even come close to getting the project into motion. The word Simplify will be in front of me as a daily reminder to review my projects and think about ways to make them easier to put into action.

There you have it — those are my words for 2019.

What are yours?