My Three Words for 2022

Several years ago I started choosing an annual trio of words to help me stay on track with my goals, focus my actions, and guide my decision making. I copied the practice from Chris Brogan and you can click on that link in his name to visit Chris’ page to read about how he chooses his words (and recommendations for choosing your own).

I’ve typically followed the example Chris set and posted my three words publicly every year, but unfortunately I broke my streak 2021 because I caught COVID in January and it knocked me off my game (it felt like I spent the rest of the year trying to catch up!)

Normally I’d post my three words on January 1st to kick off the new year, and even though I had chosen my three words well before New Years Day, I just didn’t get a chance to share them before now. I figure “better late then never” and I’d share them with you now. Here are my three words for 2022!

Awaken. Broadcast. Campaigns.

Let me share some thoughts behind why I chose these specific words, and why they are important to helping guide me this year.

Awaken
I’ve always been a night owl and worked into the wee hours of the morning, but that usually resulted in me me getting a late start the next day. That hasn’t always been a problem, but I’ve recently returned to an active role in Sales and Marketing and I don’t want to burn any daylight (and miss out on an opportunity to a competitor who didn’t hit the snooze button five times!) I mentioned that I’ve return to the profession of Sales, and the word Awaken also fits in terms of the creativity and energy I feel again in my daily efforts to help clients solve problems and build their business with the ideas and execution I can contribute. It’s awakened my mind and engaged my spirit in a way I’ve been missing.

Broadcast
The sales role I’ve returned to is in the Radio industry, so Broadcast is a literal reminder that part of my job is to help clients attract new customers and increase their profits through Radio advertising and promotion. But Broadcast also serves as a verb to push me toward being more vocal about what I do and how I help people in order to attract my clients that I can serve. I want to Broadcast my intentions, my need for leads and referrals, and the benefits of working with me. The word Broadcast reminds me that I’m always “on the air” and working with a live mic. It makes me more conscious of the words and actions and attitude I’m broadcasting to the world.

Campaigns
I tell my clients that they shouldn’t just place any ad on any media — they should think in terms of strategic conversations and interactions, and implement tactics designed to help them achieve their business goals. In short, to think in Campaigns instead of individual spots. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts, and that applies to leading a fulfilling life as well as activating an effective marketing campaign. The word Campaign also serves to remind me that the sales process is more than trying to get a quick Yes or No (individual spots) — it’s about building a long term relationship over time (a campaign). Campaign is also used to describe ongoing missions by the armed forces to achieve strategic goals, as well as by people who play role-playing games like Dungeons and Dragons to set the expectation that everyone is working together to achieve a particular outcome. This helps me focus on long term outcomes and not dwell on short term setbacks, and reminds me that I’m working with a team toward common goals we all want to achieve together.

Those are my three words for the year.
Drop me a line and let me know what your three words are for 2022!