#my3words – Moment

Yesterday I wrote about #my3words. I’ve chosen these words to guide me for the year ahead and beyond. New Year’s resolutions are made with great intentions, then often discarded by the end of Jan because they are too complex, fail to engage or are too vague (be fitter, healthier, get a better job etc…).

So when Chris Brogan’s email landed in my inbox in the new year and he talked about his approach of using three words to guide the year, it made good sense to me. I figure if it’s worked for him for the past 11 years, it’s got to be worth trying it out for myself…

 

My three words are: Voice, Moment and Human. Each has a multi-faceted meaning across my personal and professional life. Yesterday I explained my rationale for Voice – which is a big one for me.

Today I’ll explain Moment.

Why did I choose moment as one of #my3words?

Take time

When you work for yourself you can find yourself lost in time. Like many, many people I juggle a busy personal and family life with my professional life. At times, I lose sight of myself and time. Weeks rush by.

Moment reminds me to stop and take time for me, and enjoy the moment (an over-used phrase in these days of always on tech / social life, but it’s true).

Enjoy the moment

From a professional perspective, when you work independently you can become absorbed in your clients’ businesses or projects. It’s absorbing, challenging, exciting and rewarding. Then the project finishes and you move on to the next project and continue your business development. I often neglect to give myself the time in between, a moment, to reward and recognise the work I’ve done.

One of the best things about working for yourself is the freedom it gives you. I go to the events and do the training that I want to do, I can pick my kids up from school, and walk the dogs when I need to. Remembering these benefits and the value they bring to my life are important to remind me why I choose to work the way that I do. This is especially important during the challenging times.

Moments pass

Everything passes. A moment is just that. I care about my work and that’s a good thing. But I also need to remind myself that what I was worried about today won’t always matter tomorrow. So putting the moment into perspective and creating balance so that the moments that matter count is important for me.

JFDI

Sometimes I get stuck. Tricky projects, complex assignments, boring tasks can all slow my progress while my natural reflector works it all through in my mind. This can sometimes get in the way of just getting stuff done. Moment reminds me that all these things take just a moment or sequence of moments to get done. Just making a start, makes a difference and stops procrastination creeping in.

Moment – a simple and often over-used word but it’s that which makes it relevant to me in my personal and professional life. Its simplicity should keep me on track for the future.

I’ll cover my third and final word ‘Human’ later this week.