Every year, I pick out a focus word. A word that governs various aspects of my life that year in lieu of resolutions. My previous words have been focus (2009), discipline (2010), growth (2011), nurture (2012), surrender (2013), challenge (2014), and connect (2015).
2015 was my year of connection.
When I chose the word, I had clear goals I wanted to achieve. In terms of my career in 2015, I fully realized that I was born to consult. Meaning, a natural connector and advisor, connecting people to contacts and resources that will help them  solve practical problems and counseling to get them closer to their own goals and purposes. I did this for over a decade as a system architect in an engineering consulting company.
I was also able to connect a lot of professional dots in my own life too – linking with and growing my network as well as making new friends too.
In terms of creativity, I wanted to keep challenging myself by connecting with workshops and  resources for continued learning. I only took one workshop in 2015 and hope to take a ton more in 2016.
2015 was also a year of reconnecting with friends and connecting with new people who I now call friends. I felt that focus word truly permeated my year.
[fullscreen]
[/fullscreen]
Where there is no struggle, there is no strength…Oprah Winfrey
So my focus word for 2016 is…Strength
Career-wise – On paper, many might think I already have a strong career but considering I am my own toughest and most honest critic, 2016 is the year of strength for me.
One of the virtues that has helped me so far is that I know what my five (5) professional strengths are. Yes, there are other skills I bring to the table but here are the core five and I am grateful I realized them a long time ago:
- Problem-solver
- Creative
- Team player
- Versatile
- Quick study
Having these core strengths has help me seamlessly switch between different industries over the course of my life and be highly productive within them.
I also know my weaknesses.
I’m terrible at delegating. I often take on too much work trying to fix other people’s problems, and I still need to say “no” more often even though my inner problem-solver has a hard time saying no to fixing problems.
Creativity – Keep growing from strength to strength and the only way to do this is to keep practicing, practicing, trying new things, and practicing. That simple.
Physically – It was very difficult to hear those words from my chiropractor as I was lying on my back in her office. My back was weak. My hip was also weak after two very difficult pregnancies. Considering I used to be able to do over 20 squats carrying my 6ft 3-4in husband on my back and I used to play competitive rugby, one thing I was always proud of was my physical strength.
So in 2016, I plan on getting my physical strength back.
How about you guys? What have you got planned for 2016? Any focus words?