I can celebrate 5 years of choosing three words to guide me through the year.

I can say every year it becomes a lot easier for me to follow through with these words.

Over time I have been more satisfied with the results of the three words. But I am especially proud of how I applied my 3 words for 2014.

Why 3 words?

Every end of year, everyone says, “New Year, New Me.” I even saw a meme or two the other day making fun of the “New Year, New Me” phenomenon.

My friend and colleague Chris Brogan introduced me to this exercise years ago. Chris publishes a blog post sharing what his three words for the new year.

Applying the 3 Words Every Day

It’s hard to choose three words but even harder to stay on track throughout the year. I usually create a daily software reminder in my task management software that runs throughout the year daily.

“Remember that your day is your week is your month is your year. Your success comes from each choice you make along the path. And it’s always your choice.” ~ Chris Brogan

Choosing three images that reminds me of what I need to do around my work area also helps.

My 3 Words Over the Years

2011 – Renew, Focus, and Complete

2012 – Sharing, Purpose, and Organic

2013 – Brief, Fluid, and Control

2014 – Observe, Release, and Subtract

My 3 Words for 2015

Selfish

Let me put this one up front since it will make a few of you cringe. By nature I am a selfless person with those I see have common values and are seeking to make the world a better place. Being selfless in the past 7 years has cost me a series of setbacks from building a job board where we helped thousands land a job. To going into partnerships where I clearly had a lot more to lose and nothing to win.

I will continue to help out and guide those that I feel need my help but the most important part is identifying how it fits into my 6 month life plan. As I watched when they interviewed one of my favorite Actors Ivonne Coll , I learned how being selfish can be positive. Ivonne explains that the best advice she got from Comedian and Actress Lucille Ball was the art of selfishness. You can watch the complete interview of the Jane the Virgin cast; Ivonne’s short interview starts at a minute and 25 seconds.

For the past few weeks I have been looking at how I need to make sure I start practicing the art of selfishness. This way everything fits into my well being and I can help many more that share common goals and values. I will be asking, “What is good for Raúl?”, in every situation.

Sharpen

Last year I needed to make sure I released things I had under my control. This meant some things probably were not put under the rigorous quality checks I work under. As I got feedback on my newsletter yesterday from a friend who lives in Israel, I realized I need to be more precise.

That means I will make sure I sharpen my tools and even tweak what I produce a bit more than what I did in the past. Running a Digital Marketing Agency and wanting to give more than agreed to has gotten me into trouble in the past. I can only blame myself. So I will have to sharpen my contracts and agreements to make sure they are clear on both ends. I also need to make sure I stay disciplined enough and sharp to deliver the best of what was agreed.

This word ties into the previous word; if I am a bit more selfish it will be easier to use my sharpened tools to succeed. With sharpened tools I will be able to create a better quality product. I hope this also improves our service offering even more.

Publish

In 2014 I wrote less than other years but I published even less than what I wrote. I need to start getting into the process of publishing more. I need to create systems that help me publish the content I create without making it overwhelming.

From the photographs I want to sell to you, to the tips I want to share via my newsletter and here on my blog.

By hitting publish, I can create the momentum needed to find new opportunities. It will also weed out those who might not agree with the way I do business.

Goals or Guidance?

As Jacqueline Carly states “Willpower, Shmillpower” in “There’s Not Always Enough Will For the Way.

We start the year with the best of intentions to stay with our goals. The reality is that the complexities of life start standing in the way of our goals. Would you try to do like many others and fail every year by holding on to resolutions?

Or would you rather choose your three words for the year?

Feel free to share your three words and your approach at starting a new year.

In the same tone C.C. Chapman ended his 3 words post I have to say that in a short time I will be looking back at this post and creating my next 3 words of the next year.