Ep 163: The Life-Changing Magic of a Chosen Word

It's about having the clarity , self-confidence and unstoppable belief to go after and get everything you want . If you'll come with me , I'll show you how Well . Hello , friends . I hope you had an amazing week . Today . I want to talk about something that I think is really interesting .

It kind of relates to the episode two episodes ago where we were talking about your word of the year and before we dive into today's episode , I just want to say , if you haven't picked a word of the year , I really invite you to do that Because , like I said in that episode , and if you haven't listened to it yet , I invite you to go back not last week's

episode , but episode before that and give it a listen , because I describe how I used to think about the word of the year and I really thought it was just like this little self-help gimmick . You know , and it's everywhere on Instagram .

You know , in December and January and in years gone by , I would just be like I'm so tired of hearing about the word of the year , but it was just this past year that I really thought about it and I thought , wait a minute .

This is exactly the principle that I use in my corporate life around the brands that I work for , because when you're a brand strategist or you're leading a brand , a corporate brand , there's , you know , a whole platform , a whole strategic platform that informs the brand .

But more than that , it's like the best brands have a very powerful filter that they put everything they do through , whether that's creative that they're developing and bringing to market , or whether that's a retail environment they're creating , or whether it's a website design or whether it's , you know , messaging , marketing experiences . They create products .

They introduce all of it for the best brands is really true to a filter , and that's because they're really trying to create a powerful association in the mind of their target customer as to what to expect from that brand or who that brand is , and that becomes a promise that they've made to their target customers .

And when you're that corporate brand , you're trying to live up to that consistency every day , because that is what the client or the customer expects from you , and so you want to make sure that you're delivering on that consistently . As soon as I got that and I remembered that and I was like , oh well then why wouldn't that apply to me ?

I totally changed my perspective on it . I thought , oh , it's not just a gimmick , it's actually a great idea , you know , to have a word that embodies who you intend to be or become even over the course of the year . Because I think you can use a word of the year in two ways .

You can use it to just say , well , this is who I intend to be , and I feel like this best describes the best of me today . You could choose a word like that and then use that as a filter so that you're showing up as that consistently . Or you could use a word that leads you to the next level version of yourself .

There's no right or wrong , you can do it either way . I chose to use a word that leans into reinvention , because this is going to be a year where a lot of things shift for me and , I hope , a very intentional way .

So my word of the year is elevated , and I thought that was a beautiful word , because I am looking to do this in many , many ways In my business in my personal style , even in the activities that I do in my free time and the way that I do them in my surroundings .

I mean , I'm happy with my house and all of that , but I want a next level everything , and so I chose elevated , because I thought it was a great way to express it . And so I want to talk to you today about you and where you're at , and how happy are you with that Like . Do you feel like you show up as the best version of yourself every day ?

I don't know that . I think that's easy and I definitely don't think it's easy if you don't have a filter you're putting on your life . So that's why I wanted to come back to the word of the year is if you haven't selected it .

I know now we're at when this episode airs it's January 21st and most people think statistics show , give up on their New Year's resolutions and the things that they wanted to go do their goals . All of that by middle of January . It's all done .

And I just want to say , if that's you like , if you started the year with a bang and a lot of hope and excitement , and just life has gotten in the way already , which it tends to do for a lot of us . I want to say it's not all over . The year has just begun .

So if you haven't picked a word of the year , or if you did and then you haven't done anything with it , that's okay , dust it off . It's only three weeks in to the new year , so it's all in front of you , my friend , and I want to invite you to pick a word if you haven't done it .

So , like I said , my word is elevated and I just want to give you a few examples of how I've used it already this year several times . So one of the ways that I'm trying to bring this word to life for myself is through my personal style . So I don't know about you , but I just don't always put it all together .

I always do my hair and my makeup and all of that , but I don't always put the thought into the total outfit . I'll have a set of go-tos and that's what I'll default into , and the rest of the time , especially in my personal life , I'm just very casual , and nothing wrong with that .

I like being casual and comfy , but I want to be elevated even when I'm casual this year , and so that requires thought , because I just it's not a place where I've put a ton of time and I'm changing all of that .

So what I did that first week of the year is I went into my closet and I think I mentioned this on last week's podcast I totally cleaned out my closet and all of my drawers and I got rid of things that I hadn't touched in six months . It's pretty . I cut pretty deep . So there's a lot of room now in my closet and there wasn't .

There was stuff in there from several years ago . Nothing wrong with it , but definitely isn't what I want to be wearing now for whatever reason .

So I have a very thin wardrobe right now , and that's intentional , and so I'm not focused on filling that quickly , and what I'm trying to do is to get really clear about what my next level style looks like , and I don't know yet .

So as I figure that out , I'll be adding a small selection , a curated selection of items into my closet , and that is one way that I'm going to be elevating my style this year . Another way is my jewelry , and I started this actually late last year .

I just went through a long period of time when I was very minimalist with jewelry , and what I've decided is that for me , jewelry helps to finish off a look .

When I think about other people and I admire their style , it's usually partly that , and so I found a couple of small boutique , little jewelry brands that I like on Instagram and I started buying some pieces from them and I'm going to be continuing that .

So I'm being again very curated , not doing it in mass , but I'm putting a lot of thought into it and these are pieces that I can use to elevate my outfit that I'm using for that day . The other way that I'm using that word is I'm using it on experiences . So next weekend I'm taking a long weekend and I'm going to Houston .

There's a midlife women's event there at a five star hotel the Houstonian and I decided that I wanted to go to that and I'm excited about that . And typically , what I would do if I wasn't trying to be elevated , I would just have bought the plane ticket , because it's a super short flight , very efficient , I could fly in and out .

I probably would have worked on Friday or most of the day at in my corporate job . I probably would have hightailed it to the airport , hopped on a plane , been there in probably only a 40 minute flight right and gone to the hotel , got up in the morning , gone to the event , and I probably would have flown back on Saturday .

That doesn't sound very elevated though , does it , you know ? But that's typically what I would have done , because it really I'm so busy in my corporate life and in my personal life and in my business that I typically am all about efficiency , and I started to do that . I could feel myself like .

I bought the ticket , I thought okay , and I went over to American Airlines in Southwest and I was looking at flights and I was like , wait a minute , wait a minute . Like if I was going to make this an elevated experience , what would it look like ? And so I thought , no , I don't want this to be like yet another thing that I check off the list .

I want this to be a moment for me , and I'm going to meet new people , I'm going to be interacting with some interesting thought leaders , and I just thought I just kind of want to make it a special experience , and so I decided I'm just going to drive .

It's only three and a half hours , it's not that long , and even though I'm not usually a driver on my vacations , I thought that's a nice , pleasant drive it's not that long and on the way I'm going to stop in Waco and go to Magnolia because I love Chip and Joanna and I can go check out that thing I haven't been there in a couple years and just see if

there's any great things that I can add to elevate my surroundings in my office or in my home , right . So that's a little fun element I'm adding , and I am staying at the hotel .

So it's in a beautiful five star hotel there , the Houstonian and I'm going to stay on Friday and Saturday night and then I'll leave on Sunday and drive back home Totally relaxed , totally elevated , lots of room service and plenty of time to just do whatever I want to do , even maybe poking around Houston a little bit before I come home .

So that to me is a really important way that I'm putting my word of the year into action , right . Another way is I'm going to be doing some up leveling and changes in my business . I am considering renaming it . So more on that to come .

I'm not sure I'm going to be thinking about that , but it is one thing I'm considering for a variety of reasons , but at a minimum I'm going to be upleveling aspects of my website and my membership experience . I'm going to be two-dadoing that , so there's lots of changes happening . Another way that I did it is in my surroundings .

I'm going to try to have fresh flowers in my office every week . I love them , and my favorite flower is a Stargazer Lily because it smells so glorious . And that's another way that I'm using my word of the year , and there's lots of other ways .

So that is how I'm thinking about my word of the year and what I'm doing to be very intentional about bringing it to life . So I want to talk to you about why you need a word of the year , and I've already talked a little bit about it . But I want to talk about it as it relates to you and your persona , because you are a personal brand .

It's the easiest way for me to talk to you guys about it , because this is what I do every day in my corporate life .

But each of us is a brand and we just don't manage ourselves most of us and as intentional a way as a best-in-class brand would manage itself , and so I really encourage you to select a word that either embodies the best of you today , so that you show up as that . That's your filter and you show up as that consistently every day .

Or if you're like me and you're looking to make some changes in your life this year , pick a word that embodies that , so that you start to live up to that every day . Because what happens when you do that ?

Gradually , your life and you and your persona and your image and even how you see yourself will start to align with that word and you'll get really good at embodying that word and pretty soon that translates into a new set of habits and a new way of thinking about yourself , about the world , about you in the world , about how you interact with people , about how

you think about yourself , about how you present yourself , about how you care for yourself , about how you fill your time . It changes who you are in the world and I think that's a really powerful reason to select a word . It's kind of like you're putting on a new persona when you do that , because it's like an actor trying to portray a character .

If you think about it , that is what self-development or even a personal brand like .

If you're just trying to kind of represent the best of yourself as you currently are today , every day , that requires a real clear idea of who you think you are , so that you're intentionally showing up with that consistency every day , no matter what happens in your life , no matter what bad news you get , no matter what the kids do that are your spouse that

makes you irritated , no matter what disappointment you face , no matter what setback it is . That you're just clear about who you are , despite all the things that are going on . That's how I look at it . I wouldn't look at it like when I talk about it , like an actor portraying a part .

It's very true , but I think to some folks it can sound like artificial , like it's not true , and I would invite you to say no , that's not the right way to look at it , because the truth of the matter is that when you know who you are or what you intend to be , and you're focused on showing up with an intention every day , that's not artifice , that's

discipline , and the thing about it is that if it's a word that you're choosing , that isn't really something that you feel like is true to you today . That's , I think , when it can feel awkward to try to portray that persona . It can feel awkward , it can feel not true , it can feel artificial and all of that .

But I want to say that that is what transformation is . It's saying well , here's where I am today and here's where I want to be whenever , at the end of the year six months and six years whatever period of time depends on how big the transformation is and then just focus on putting on that persona with consistency every day . Here's what happens with that .

That is how you create transformation in your life , because when you start showing up in a new way every day , in ways big and small , in all facets of your life , here's what happens Gradually , as you embody that word or that idea every day with consistency , you start to think of yourself that way , because you will start doing new things , things that you

haven't done before .

You'll start dressing in new ways . You'll start doing new activities , like maybe you'll start working out . Maybe you'll start doing your makeup in a certain way . Maybe you'll make a change to your hairstyle . Maybe you'll up level your wardrobe . Maybe you'll up level your home surroundings . Maybe you'll up level the car you drive .

Maybe you'll I mean , it just depends on what you're working on Maybe you'll take care of your money in a different way . All of these things that you're doing now , that are new , that embody that word . Those become habits , little actions that you do with consistency every day . And guess what ?

Gradually , not only will you be living up to that word or that idea that you picked , that you want to embody , you'll be doing that every day with consistency . But now you're actually seeing yourself as that thing because you've been working on putting on that persona . It's almost like putting on a new $5,000 outfit . It probably won't feel comfortable at first .

It's going to feel like it's not you . Or if you make massive changes to your hairstyle or in some way , you look in the mirror and you think this isn't me , I would say add a word to that . This isn't me yet .

But as soon as you start to show up with that consistency in ways big and small every day , those habits and those new actions start to become ingrained and they just become your new way of being and gradually you'll shift how you see yourself . You'll start to feel like that word or that idea feels like you .

It feels like the next level version of you and people who interact with you will see those changes .

They'll see the consistency , they'll see the new effort , the new care , the new you over time , the new confidence , the new way that you're starting to embody all of that word in your life it just starts to feel true and I think it's one of the best ways to drive transformation is that it's a persona and a filter that you can use to embody what you want

your life to look like a year from now , and I think , like if we're sitting here at this time in January of 2025 , think about a word that you might pick today . Just let your mind .

Think about all the different carries of your life that that could penetrate and change and transform or at least bring consistency to where you might be showing up , hit or miss today with that thing . Think about if you do that day in , day out , because you're getting , you have that clear filter on your life , on you , on how you want to show up every day .

Think about where you're going to be a year from now . Think about how changed and elevated to use my word your life will be versus where it is today , even if this isn't a year of transformation , even if you just want to embody the very best of how you sometimes show up , but you want to do that with consistency . You don't want big change .

Maybe find , pick a word that embodies that and then live up to that in every way , every day . That will change and transform every part of your life , your relationships , people's perceptions of you , what's possible for you , who you think you are . And then next year , at the same time , we're going to be talking about how to even next level from there .

That is how we create the very best life for ourselves is by being intentional . And , like I said , I think it's good to have a set of goals , a set of things that you want to do , but I think if you just stop there , I don't think it's enough , because there's usually we have too many of them .

You know , I have many myself and I don't think it's a bad thing . I'm not all about just picking one goal , I like having several . But I will say like , really , if you get to the essence of what your goals are and let the word be about that , that is the best way to stay with it .

Because they think sometimes we can look at our goals and we can think they just feel too hard or they feel impossible , or they feel you know too far from where we are , or it just feels like too big of a departure .

We feel like we could never live up to that , like there's a lot of things that we tell ourselves about the things that we want to go do in our life .

But I think if you put on top of those goals a word , that if you lived up to that with consistency related to those goals , that I think will lead you to the accomplishment of most of those goals .

Because , like I said , that word , if you use it as a filter , becomes this new persona or this new way of looking at everything that you do and who you're being every day , in every interaction , in every way . All of a sudden it's like you develop all of these little new habits and it's the habits that create the achievement of the goals .

The habit , all it is , is a set of actions that you take with consistency , almost by default , every day , and unfortunately , a lot of our habits don't serve us . And if you look at your word and then you look at how you're showing up every day , those are all habits , those are all actions . In many of them will not be aligned with your word .

I just wanted to say a little bit more about the word of the year and how you could use that to elevate or next level your own life , because I think it's the key to the achievement of the goals that you have for your life . It's the final piece , really .

It's the filter you want to put on you for this year and that's going to inspire how you think , how you present yourself to the world , how you care for yourself , how you fill your time , how you interact with people , how you dress , how you do .

Everything should come back to that word , and I'm challenging myself with that every single day and it's been fun . First of all , I love my word , but I have other friends like .

One of my friends has chosen wealthy because financial stuff is front and center for her and she's trying to challenge herself with how would a wealthy woman approach her life , how would she care for her money , how would she make decisions about purchases , things like that .

Another friend has chosen powerhouse because she feels like she's been I don't know not showing up as her most powerful , most compelling self and she wants to next level her career and her business .

She's like me , she's doing a side hustle , she's doing both , and so she chose powerhouse , and so that is a word that she's putting on everything that she's doing and especially using it in how she shows up in her interactions with people .

And then the last one I'll share is from another friend who feels like she's happy with a lot of where her life is , but she feels like her romantic life is not where it should be and she's just sort of given up on it several years ago and just hasn't been a focus .

She hasn't been dating , she's not involved with anyone , and she decided to choose the word captivating , because that's how she wants to think about herself as she starts to put herself out into the world that she would be putting her most compelling , most charming , most beautiful inside and out self out into the world with consistency , and by doing that she believes

she will stand the best chance of attracting a captivating partner . So those are just some examples for myself and a few of the folks that I know who are doing this exercise . I really want to encourage you to do it .

It's not too late , it's only January 21st and I'm telling you , when you do this exercise and you pick that word , it's a word that really resonates with you , and then that becomes the filter on all of the goals that you have for yourself this year Weight loss , wardrobe , business , career , relationships , money .

You will see your life slowly start to take shape with consistency as the year rolls on . First is just losing your way because you don't really have a clear idea of how you're trying to show up with consistency and you have too many goals right . So if you put the word on top of those goals , I think you stand the best chance of making them happen .

So that is what I wanted to talk about today . Please go choose your word of the year . I promise you it's fun , and isn't it fun to think of yourself as a brand , you know , and to not just walk in your closet and get dressed by default or not , just to you know .

Plan the average vacation that you would typically plan , like me , you know , flying in and flying out , kind of helter-skelter , it's like what are you trying to do with your days this year ? There's still 11 months and one week left . Make it everything that you want it to be .

Turn it into a word that encapsulates your hopes and dreams and then challenge yourself to show up as that every single day and watch If you're really doing that and you're really having that conversation with yourself .

Watch the changes , big and small in the habits that that inspires or kind of forces , because , like for me , well , it's like I can't have an elevated weekend in Houston if I'm like spending half of the time in the airport at the whim of the airlines you know if they're on time or not and I get no time to really relax or whatever .

But now , now , what does my weekend look like ? I am so excited for next Friday to get in the car and go . I get to go to Magnolia one of my favorite things in Waco .

I get to go to stay at this beautiful hotel that I've never been at before I love hotels and this is a five star one and it's like and then I get to spend a whole day with amazing thought leaders , and then I get lots of room service and maybe even a little bit of downtown exploring in Houston .

I've only spent a little bit of time there , but they have a really cool downtown and lots of things to do . So I think I will make great use of the time and I am really looking forward to it .

So please choose your word of the year and focus on how that can help to guide you as you head through the year in the achievement of your goals , because that is what you deserve and I think it will be an amazing fun filter to have on your life . I know I'm already really enjoying mine and I wish that for you as well .

Until next time , make it a great week , my friends . Do you have a life coach ? If not , I'd be so honored to be your coach . I've created a virtual coaching program and monthly membership called Next Level . Inside . We take the material you hear on this podcast , study it and then apply it . Join me at thepurposefulcareercom backslash next level .

Don't forget the purposefulcareercom backslash next level . Join me and together we'll make your career and life everything you dream of . We'll see you there .