New Year Strategy: Your 3-Word Mantra
This is the time of year when people set big goals and resolutions. And yet, research shows that only 8% of people actually meet those resolutions. I’d like to offer you a different kind of strategy for approaching the new year: the three-word mantra.
What is a three-word mantra and why is it helpful? Let me tell you how it helped me:
Seven years ago I was faced with a critical juncture in my career. Should I take on a new, big role that was being offered to me even though we were about to go through a major and stressful organizational change that I’d be charged with leading? I was conflicted, because even though I wasn’t fully on board with the direction of the change, I felt deep loyalty to the team. Though my brain was yelling at me to run the other direction, my heart, gut and spirit sent another message, calling me to step up to lead my team through the potentionally stormy waters ahead.
Agonizing over the decision, I went on a walk in my neighborhood on a surprisingly cool August night to clear my head and hopefully gain clarity. About twenty minutes into the walk, as I looked up at the stars, three words popped into my head: Trust. Openness. Gratitude. Yes.
Suddenly, I could feel a sense of calm. I felt centered and grounded as I pondered what these words meant to me. They ended up leading me to say yes to the role, and I’m so grateful I did. The words became my three-word mantra. Not only did they guide me through leading the next two years in the role (where the waters, as suspected, were indeed stormy), but they also guided me as I took the leap to start and grow my own coaching and consulting practice.
How did they guide me? I kept my three-word mantra front and center (and physically present as well through a bracelet my boss gave me with the words inscribed on them). Whenever I would find myself stressed, worried, or filled with self-doubt (which was often!), I would take a few deep breaths, and reflect on each word as I slowly inhaled.
Trust: I’ve got this. Trust in the higher power/universe that I am exactly where I need to be. Trust in myself that I have the skills and capacity to make the right decisions.
Openness: I don’t have to have all the answers. I am open to learning and growing and to the input and ideas from others to inform my own.
Gratitude: I am grateful for the opportunity to lead in this high impact way. To serve my team. To learn all I am learning.
The meaning behind the words would often vary given the context, but the intention of the words stayed consistent, and caused a shift in my overall presence and way of being.
After seven years of being guided by my three-word mantra, I am now finding my words evolving. As I move into a new chapter in my business in 2020, Abundance is finding its way at the forefront on my three-word mantra. Gratitude remains, and now Presence resonates as the important anchor of my mantra, given where I am in my life.
Would you like to explore creating a three-word mantra for 2020 and beyond?
Here’s how to start:
Get quiet. Take a few slow, deep breaths. And/or, go on a walk, journal, meditate. Repeat as needed.
As you do, ask yourself:
What are the biggest challenges I’m grappling with now, and what major challenges do I expect in the future?
What do I want to be true on the other end of these challenges?
What are my intentions for how I want to BE through all this? What words feel centering for me right now?
As you reflect on what comes up for you as you ask these questions, and notice if there are certain words or themes emerging. If there are, try them on for a few days. Say them out loud and see if they resonate in various situations. If no themes or words emerge, consider enlisting a trusted friend or loved one to listen to what you came up as you answered the questions, and to reflect back what they heard.
Give yourself time and space to ponder this. It’s perfectly OKAY to not have this figured out by January 1! In fact, timing is arbitrary and contextual, though the new year offers a wonderful collective moment that can foster a reflective spirit.
I am eager to see what comes up for you as you find your three-word mantra. Share below in the comments or join the conversation on Instagram or LinkedIn. If you uncover something you’d like to explore in-depth through our facilitated, signature Tide Risers curriculum, be sure to apply by January 2!
Marion Biglan is a coach, collaborator, and community-builder, and she is a Tide Risers Lead Facilitator serving Philadelphia.
