My Word for 2017, An Embarrassing Story, & 3 Stages We Go Through

Happy New Year! Do you come up with a “word of the year” to help focus you?

My 2017 word is Intention.

To me, Intention means reflecting and determining on a course of action with focus and purpose.

Intention about the services I offer, the clients I attract to work with me, the projects I create (including a podcast that’s coming soon!), the speaking engagements I pursue, and the activities I say “yes” to.

But, it’s not just about which services to offer, which projects to create, or which speaking engagements to pursue.

There’s a second – and deeper – reason why I chose Intention as my word for 2017.

On a recent episode I did with Jodi Flynn on her highly-regarded Women Taking the Lead podcast, I share a story of a stark and sudden realization I had during a TV interview. Check out the episode on her site or directly on Apple Podcasts.

I had written a blog post about the incident after it happened, but I never published it because, frankly, I was embarrassed. I know that we learn from our stumbles as much as (probably more than) our successes, so here’s the post.

Now, back to the first reason for selecting Intention.

I see that there are three stages we go through as entrepreneurs and as speakers: Experimentation, Intention, and Growth.

2016 was my year of Experimentation, 2017 is my year of Intention, and I foresee 2018 as my year of Growth.

What do these stages look like? Click here to read about the 3 stages we go through as entrepreneurs and speakers.

Then let me know in our private Facebook group: Do you feel like you’re in the Experimentation, Intention, or Growth phase? What challenges are you facing in that phase?

Haven’t joined the free Facebook community yet? Click here to get access.

Stand-Out Speakers Spotlight

I was so impressed with the women who were in my Stand-Out Speakers online group program this past fall that I’m sharing a couple of them with you in each of my upcoming newsletters so you can follow them too.

Jan Bowen is an author, keynote speaker, catalyst and thought leader. As founder and principal of Strategic Solutions Services, LLC, Jan works with leaders and visionary organizations wanting to align their values and behaviors personally, professionally, and beyond. Jan has a very impressive background and track record of working with high-performing leaders and executives. She always brought a level of excellence and thoughtfulness, combined with strategic intuition, to our group discussions. Her presentation topics include “Lead Yourself First: A Values-Based Model to Grow Your Business” and “Seven Levels of Leadership Consciousness.”

Erin Cooney is the founder of Rince Nua (Rin-kah New-ah), Irish for “New Dance”, a dance studio in Maple Grove, Minnesota (which seems like a very cold place right now!). Erin received her Irish dance teacher diploma (ODCRN) in 2009 through Cumann Rince Naisiunta (CRN) in Dublin, Ireland. In 2015, Rince Nua’s Rince Ceol team won the World Championships in Castlebar, Ireland, becoming the first USA team to ever receive first place in the category. Erin is warm and fun and has a quick mind – always looking for something new to learn and master. 

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