Three Questions You Need to Ask Yourself as You Head into 2019
It’s that time of year again! I am probably about 6 days late to the party, but I’m excited to share this with you nonetheless. Last year, I shared a blog post about my “One Word” for 2018… Intentional. 2018 was a busy year for the Croys, but overall, I think I was much better about being intentional in the seven areas that I highlighted in that blog post. If I am being honest, I have to admit that my level of intentionality was definitely seasonal. When I was on my game, I was really on it, but there were seasons where I completely fell off the wagon. I think that happens to all of us.
As we approached the end of 2018, like many of you, I started reflecting on the year, and I started thinking about what I wanted my One Word to be for 2019. I feel like this word actually came to me last spring…
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Last spring I realized there were students in our school that were capable of being successful, but for various reasons, they just wouldn’t ask for help. As I spoke to teachers, counselors, and other administrators, it became very clear that these students needed someone to PURSUE them. They needed someone to pull them aside and say, “I’m not going to let you fail. Here’s the plan. Let’s do this together.” At that point, we started using the word PURSUE a lot more often in our office, and for whatever reason, that word just kept resurfacing for me all summer and all fall.
When I started thinking about my One Word for 2019, PURSUE was the only word that made sense, but I needed to catch a vision for what exactly it was that I was supposed to be pursuing. I started thinking about what I wanted 2019 to look like, and it didn’t take me long to realize there were plenty of things that needed to be pursued in my life…
- My Family
- My Students
- My Staff
- My Education
- My Friendships
- My Relationship With Jesus
- Personal Development
- Health & Well-being
- Growth Opportunities
My goal for the year is to filter everything through the lens of PURSUING those 9 things.
How about you? Do you have One Word for 2019? If you’re unfamiliar with what I am talking about, the idea is based on the book, One Word That Will Change Your Life. It’s a quick, easy read that someone shared with me six or seven years ago. Ever since then, I have been coming up with a new word each year. It has been greatly beneficial to me. I highly recommend reading the book and going through the process.
Where Do You Start?
Start by answering these three questions as you head into 2019…
- What do I need?
- What’s in my way?
- What needs to go?
These are questions straight out of the book, and I think they can be very powerful (and revealing) if you take the time to dig deep and think through them.
I had a conversation about this last week with my buddy Joe Ferraro and my newfound friend Anne Torrez (I love the internet and its power to connect), and one of the things that came up was the importance of the third question. As I am focusing on PURSUING this year, it would be easy to take on way too much. There’s always another book to read or another podcast to listen to or another responsibility to take on at work. One of the challenges for me this year will be making sure that I am PURSUING the right things. More importantly, I have to make sure that I recognize when my bucket is getting too full. If it’s going to overflow, something has to go (you like that rhyme?).
Now I’d love to hear from you.
What’s your One Word for 2019? If you don’t have a word, how about… What do you need in 2019? What’s standing in your way? What needs to go? Share in the comments or on social media.
As always, thank you so much for taking the time to read my blog. I am so grateful.
Make 2019 your best year yet!