Choosing a Word of the Year- Liz Shares

Happy 2024! I hope that this will be a great year for you personally and professionally. For the last few years instead of a resolution, I have tried to pick a word to focus on like a theme for the year. That has had limited success, but like eating black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day, it is one of those traditions I am  trying to keep. I struggled with my word for 2024, because I knew what it needed to be and I didn’t want it!

Discipline- A Word and More

My word for this year is discipline. This is so anti-me.  I liked it better when the word for the year was joy. I have an easygoing personality and certainly do not flourish in an environment of strict rules and discipline, but here is what I have discovered from my own observation of people. As human beings, the individuals that are the most successful and are living their best life long-term are those that are the most disciplined. They have discipline in their health, discipline in how they spend their money, and discipline in their relationships. This is a bitter pill for those of us that are living in the go with the flow perceiving personality type.

Now my evidence on the benefits of discipline was antidotal so I did a google search and I found a quote from Illinois' most famous citizen, Abraham Lincoln, who said, “Discipline is choosing between what you want now, and what you want most."  Once again, a bitter pill to swallow. I tend to want everything NOW and hate delayed gratification. 

Observations on Discipline

• Disciplined people live below their means.
• Disciplined people know that every calorie matters.
• Disciplined people think through and research decisions before acting.
• Disciplined people know that every dollar counts.
• Disciplined people can delay gratification for the long-term.

So what does this have to do with leadership? John Manning, author of Disciplined Leadership, says “A disciplined leader is one who identifies and focuses on the 20 percent of activities that will drive 80 percent of the results.” Are you that leader? If not think about how discipline can help.

Here are the three areas I am choosing to focus my discipline on in 2024.

Leading yourself: Make a personal commitment to change; use values to improve decision-making; improve productivity through better planning and time management. Make it a priority to make better decisions for my health every single day. 

Leading at work:  Making sure I have clear accountability for the projects I am working on. Create new opportunities by making discipline part of the planning process. Communicate along the way including successes and failures so that my co-workers understand where I am struggling and can celebrate when I am successful.

Leading at Home: Committed to creating an environment where I stop sacrificing long-term results for short-term pleasure.

Stay tuned for how I do in 2024. You are never too old to learn and apply new skills. I still hate the sound of the word discipline but I am determined to embrace it even though if feels a bit like hugging a porcupine. Liz

Do you have a word of the year? Share it with us and why you choose the word. We may feature your thoughts in our next blog.