Book aims to change your life with ‘One Word’

Illustration: ©iStock.com/Orla

Rarely am I accused of oversimplifying things. My brain works in overdrive, which can be a blessing … and a curse. Unlike my previous New Year’s resolutions, my singular focus in 2017 centers on one simple word: balance.

Striving to achieve a better balance at work and at home did not stem from within. My hard-wired brain couldn’t imagine such beautiful simplicity.

Typically, my New Year’s resolutions comprise a laundry list of goals — often too many to keep top of mind, never mind to work on daily. Not this year, though. I’ve done an about-face thanks to Bill Roddy, publisher of Landscape Management (LM), a sister brand of Pest Management Professional (PMP).

Roddy recently gave me a book — One Word that Will Change Your Life — that calls us to focus the coming year with one overarching goal, embodied by One Word.

The concept of One Word was completely foreign to this complex writer, who used to get paid by the word. But after reading the book (written by Jon Gordon, Dan Britton and Jimmy Page), I’m sold on such singular focus.

Plenty of words popped into my head while, and after, reading One Word. Love, family and faith were the first words to resonate with me. But after a bit of contemplation, I was gifted another word to help focus my thoughts, words and actions in 2017.

That word is balance, something that increasingly eludes me as I eagerly and gratefully take on more responsibilities. I know I’m not alone on this journey.

My addiction to the “smartphone” is but a symptom of my need to strike better balance. In addition to work-family balance, I also need to find a better balance with food and exercise, listening and talking, and a laundry list (sorry, I told you I’m hard-wired) of other life skills.

If you’re as intrigued as I am, visit GetOneWord.com. You can also join the journey on Twitter and Facebook.

The authors suggest we “accept” One Word for each new year — a different one each year. They also suggest our teammates at work and home do likewise for themselves, and then work together to find that singular focus, that One Word, that will drive our family at work or at home.

The book is chock-full of examples of how “it works when we work it.” I’m committed to working it. I plan to ask those closest to me to let me know how I’m really doing on balance. I’ll let you know how it’s going throughout the year.

For now, I need to sign off and spend time with the family. (See? It’s already working.)