Second One Word

Why One Why Word

Last year, I asked myself why. Inspired by Evan Carmichael’s book, Your One Word, I started thinking about the real why of my life. Why do I do the things I do? It's a good question for all of us to ask. We all have our own why, and we all have our own story. A unique, complex, difficult to communicate story that deserves to be heard. The trick is to simplify and clarify our why so we can better understand and express ourselves, our purpose, and our best next step. Having a personal mission statement is a great way to help keep us focused each of our unique lives of purpose, direction, and intention, but Evan recommends finding one single word. Our why word. Finding one why word gives us clarity and motivation. One why word is easy to remember and build on. One why word can inspire you and keep you on track and moving forward

"There is one word that defines who you are, connects all the things in your life that make you come alive, and will help you escape the chains of mediocrity." – Evan Carmichael

First One Word, Eight Words In

Before I came up with my first one word, I already had developed my personal mission. "To love, enjoy, inspire, encourage, and positively impact those within my circle of influence." So I went through the exercise of asking myself why and decided that I ultimately want to make a positive IMPACT in my circle of influence. So that became my one word. I still love it, but recently, I decided to go through the exercise again.

Second One Word, Four Words Back

Looking at my personal mission, I found my second word four words before from my first word. As I reflected on the constants in my life that really make me happy. I still see IMPACT as a driving force, but I started to think and see if I could find another word that resonated with me. I still like my personal mission statement, and this is where I found it. "To love, enjoy, inspire, encourage, and positively impact those within my circle of influence." Four words before my first one word is the word, INSPIRE. I love that word! As a teacher, coach, and parent, it’s what I do. I can’t make decisions for anyone else, and I can’t force anyone to see things as I do. But I do dream to see those around me experience successes. I love seeing the tiny gains and celebrations. I can teach and coach and parent, but really my job is to inspire.

Confidence and Tools, Practice and Time

One of my heroes, Anders Ericsson, said “The most important gifts we can give our children are confidence in their ability to remake themselves again and again and the tools with which to do that job.” That is a beautiful statement! And it applies to all of us. Deliberate practice over time has powerful results. I’m practicing the craft of inspiring. I want to make a positive impact, and my current path is to inspire others to have confidence in their abilities and share tools that can help them. These are truly “important gifts” that we can give. It just takes practice and time. And a little inspiration from time to time. I think that's one wise why for my one why word.

Enjoy the day!