My Word for 2025

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As we wind down another whirlwind year, many of us are considering how to approach a fresh start. The end-of-year traditions bring out everything from New Year’s resolutions to vision boards. But Shannon has adopted a seemingly simpler yet deeply impactful tradition: selecting a single word to serve as the guiding theme for the entire year.

Choosing a guiding word might seem trivial but Shannon’s experience tells a different story. The first year she tried it, she chose "prosperity" and saw her business blossom into a self-sustaining venture, enabling her to step away from her day job. Another year, she selected "ownership," which resonated deeply as she started taking responsibility for all aspects of her business and personal actions. She even simplified her operations to increase efficacy within her business, propelled by the word "simplify" she had chosen.

Shannon's word for 2025 is "respect." This choice reflects a multifaceted endeavor to embody respect in various areas of life and business. It’s not just about gaining respect from others, but fundamentally about self-respect. As she puts it, respect includes honoring one's boundaries and maintaining discipline. For example, Shannon emphasized the importance of respecting time, both hers and others. It's easy to let meetings and calls stretch beyond their intended time slots. To combat this, Shannon plans to shrink call times to 25 and 50 minutes, adding five-minute buffers for breathing room and respecting everyone’s schedule. She even works with her executive assistant to create reminders to keep her on track.

Reliability is a core value in Shannon’s firm, and it dovetails perfectly with her word of the year. Being reliable means keeping promises, not just to others but also to oneself. Often, the promises we make to ourselves are the ones we break first, leading to a spiral of decreased self-respect and motivation. Shannon drives home the point that reliability is crucial for building trust. Whether you’re promising to have something done by a certain date or sticking to the time allocated for a meeting, breaking that promise erodes trust.

Shannon encourages her listeners to identify areas in their lives or businesses where they are less disciplined. These could be the areas most in need of a guiding word like respect. Creating a support system can help, and Shannon finds great value in her team for keeping her accountable. Leaders often need someone to keep them in check, to tell them what they need to hear, not what they want to hear.

Shannon’s approach can serve as an example for entrepreneurs looking to bring more intentionality into their lives. Reflect on the person you aspire to be and the type of business you want to operate. What word describes that vision? It's important to choose a word that holds personal meaning and can serve as a touchstone throughout the year. As she explains, don’t look for a word tied to financial or material goals. Instead, find something that speaks to the essence of who you want to become and how you want your business to evolve.

For Shannon, "respect" is about more than punctuality or reliability—it's a holistic approach to life and work. It's about setting boundaries, honoring commitments, and fostering a culture of mutual respect within her team and client relationships. This profound focus on respect aims to guide her through 2025, helping her build a more mature, intentional, and balanced business and personal life. She believes that by embodying respect, she will not just maintain but improve the quality and integrity of her work life, setting a strong example for her team and clients.

Adopting a single word to guide your year is more than a trend; it's a meaningful practice that can profoundly impact your life and business. As you prepare for the new year, take a cue from Shannon: reflect, choose your guiding word thoughtfully, and let it steer your actions and decisions to create a year imbued with purpose and intentionality.

So, what's your word going to be?

What you'll hear in this episode:

05:07 Choosing "respect" as a guiding word.
08:12 Word of the year: Respect and discipline enforcement.
10:52 Accountability from team fosters self-awareness and respect.

If you like this episode, check out:

Essential Phases in Selling Your Business 

Become the Director, Not the Lead Actor 

The Best Way to Get Out of a Business Funk

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