Don’t just pick a word for the New Year — Listen to Derek Sivers and find a problem to solve

I went on Facebook today, and there are several threads where people asked, “What is your word for the New Year? What is the one word that symbolizes your focus and your dream on how you want to live for the next 365 days?”

These are the some of the words that people chose for this year: open, better, heal, believe, act, simplify, hope, creative, better, flourish, breathe, write, focus, harmony, give , faith, inspiration, trust, brace, deliberate, play, dance, wisdom and prolific.

What problem do you want to solve?

The past few days I tried to think of one word. What would my one word be to symbolize my goals in the new year?

While I was thinking, I read Derek Sivers 2011 book, Anything You Want — 40 Lessons for a New Kind of Entrepreneur, and I watched a video of  his talk from the 2015  World Domination Summit. In Derek’s book and in his talk, he suggests something bolder that one word a year for the rest of your life.

Don’t commit to one idea of the future but instead, commit to a problem you want to solve. Then you can stay committed to the problem and continually try to find the ongoing and ever-changing answer to that problem.

Derek suggests we commit our future to a problem we want to solve.

Does your one word solve a problem?

Last year I had two words, because I couldn’t make up my mind. Focus, and finish, were the words I used last year. But, focus on what? Finish what?  I did clean out my closet, and clean the seven litter boxes every day. And I did finish a book. Did my two words help me last year? I am not sure. I don’t think so. I didn’t have a problem to solve, so I didn’t really focus on anything.

One problem at a time.

This year I want to take Derek Sivers advice and not just commit to one idea of the future. I want to solve a problem. The problem I choose might take the rest of my life. Or it might take a month. When the problem is solved then I will move onto the next problem. Living my life not on a yearly calendar but on a calendar based on the problem I am trying to solve.

I am not sure what problem I want to solve for the rest of my life. But, I know what problem I have to solve today. I took everything out of my half of the closet and dumped in all over the floor in my bedroom. The problem I am working on right now it to live with less. I will let you know how it goes. 

Did you pick a word for this year?

What problem are you trying to solve?

What do you think? Is a word enough, or do you need a problem to solve?

[share-quote] Live your life not on a yearly calendar, but on the problem you want to solve. [/share-quote]

If you chose a word for this year, please tell me what it is, and why you chose it. I would love to know what you are working on. And if you have a problem to solve, please tell me.

xo
Pamela