How to Make 2011 Your Best Year Ever by Janet Callaway | The Natural Networker

2010 is drawing to a close and the promise of 2011 is drawing near. This is the time of year when people think about how next year will be different. Unfortunately, just thinking about how it will be different, will not make it so. If you want it to be different, you have to think about it, plan it and then action--consistently!

On December 20^th, Mari Smith, dubbed the “Pied Piper of Facebook” by FAST Company and a “go to” lady for most all things social media or social networking, wrote a terrific article on what she does to plan for each year. Below are a few excerpts from her post which I particularly like. For your convenience, I have included the link to that blog post because from there you will be able to connect to Chris Brogan's similar post. He chooses 3 words each year; in his blog post, he explains the how and why of them.

Both of these people are enormously successful in their chosen fields and in balancing their lives. Read their posts and choose your 1-3+ words for the year. It does not matter if you have a home business, a network marketing business, work for someone or are unemployed, by circumstances or on purpose, deciding your focus and sticking to your priorities for the year will make a huge difference this time, next year.

“Each year, I choose a one-word theme that becomes my guide throughout the entire year. Something magical happens in choosing just one word: the word helps guide my decisions and also activates the “law of attraction.” It’s as if all that resonates with my intent with the word comes to me effortlessly.

In 2008, I chose “FOCUS” as my one-word theme, and I mainly focused on establishing myself as a trusted go-to source for Facebook marketing and a leader in social media. I attracted a vast range of opportunities, interviews and joint ventures. (My favorite acronym for “focus” is, “Follow One Course Until Successful!“)

In 2009, my theme was “INFLUENCE“ and, whew, was that ever a landmark year!! My mantra was, “Who and what am I allowing to influence me?” Early in the year, I made a difficult personal decision that had been troubling me for several years prior; my primary relationship was no longer influencing me in a manner that supported my highest good.

2010 – The impact of Team! This year, my word has been “TEAM.” I’d gotten to the point where I had as many as seven VAs (Virtual Assistants) and a local intern. But, I discovered that I’m not that great at managing more than a few people, and spent much of my time doing just that: managing my team vs. focusing on my strengths and passions.

2011 – Bring it on!

For the past several years, my one-word theme has come to me easily. As early as mid-November, I begin to meditate and ruminate on what would serve my highest good for the following year. This year has been very challenging to settle on my next word. I kept circling back to the word “COMMITMENT” but was concerned that it would be misconstrued or taken out of context. (Ha, as if I could control that aspect!).

How ironic I struggled to commit to “Commitment” – would I lose face if I publicly committed to something and later dropped the ball? Could I completely trust myself to follow through on all commitments? In any case, because I had such difficulty choosing “Commitment” as my word, I knew I had to.

I’m committed to making 2011 the absolute best year of my life so far, in all ways and to teaching and touching the lives of as many people as I possibly can. (And, this may resonate with some – 2011 is the final year before the big shift in vibration in 2012 that has been talked about for so many years. Because of this, I feel that 2011 is a very symbolic year).”

Mari's post goes into more detail on her past years as well as what her commitment is this year. When you read it, you will understand that she did not simply “pick a word” that sounded good rather she decided how that word would work in her life.

Mari inspired me. Over the next week I will be selecting my word for the year. Did she inspire you to do the same?   Janet