My 3 Words for 2023 And My Year In Review

At the beginning of every year, I choose My 3 Words to help guide my direction and goals in the year ahead.

If you’re unfamiliar with the My 3 Words concept, it was created by Chris Brogan, who, since 2006, has chosen three words to serve as a guide for the year ahead.

I have found the My 3 Words concept to be a simple yet powerful subconscious motivator for ensuring you’re heading in the right direction through your actions and decisions.

For instance, let’s take a look at My 3 Words for 2022 and see how they affected last year for me.

The Results of My 3 Words for 2022

For the first time since 2018, I published My Three Words for 2022 publicly.

Of course, you don’t have to share your 3 words, but I find that by putting my intentions out there, they help others understand my motivations and intentions for the year ahead.

My 3 Words for 2022 were:-

• Subtract – To give me more margin and to add to the quality of my life, I will subtract the tasks, obligations, people and items that no longer bring me joy
• Forgiveness – To improve my peace and wellbeing, I will forgive myself and other people for things that haven’t gone as I would have liked
• Fun – To increase my happiness, I will commit time to doing more things that nourish me personally and professionally

So how did those words impact my 2022?

Well, 2022 was a challenging year for me (and, I know, many others) in terms of physical and mental health, but in hindsight, the above three words did provide structure and guidelines for some big decisions.

Subtract

While subtract might have negative connotations, I used the word in a positive sense.

I looked to step away from people and things, to give me more space to live life.

For instance, after spending a number of very rewarding years working alongside Nigel Moore in The Tech Tribe (including seeing the Tech Tribe Local Groups we set up in the UK flourish) I stepped down from the Tribe to reduce my workload. I’m still a huge supporter of the Tribe, and will remain a community member into 2023 and beyond, but no longer a part of the business.

I also reduced my business travel considerably to give me more time at home.

When most of us are striving to add more to our lives, I’ve found that actively looking for opportunities to subtract worked well for me.

Forgiveness

I (like so many of us) am my own harshest critic.

I would never speak to friends in the way I speak to myself in my mind.

So, in 2022, I put a lot of effort into exploring self compassion and self forgiveness through meditation, journaling and affirmations.

I also took time to reflect on forgiving myself for how I may have wronged others, and forgiving others for how I felt they had wronged me.

Even though you have forgiven somebody (yourself included) it doesn’t mean you have to forget.

Therefore, I take the lessons that I have learned from myself and others to aid me in future situations and decisions.

Fun

If you follow me on Instagram or Twitter, then you’ll have seen I had a lot of fun experiences in 2022!

Some highlights for me include:-

• Inviting members of Team Tubb and our friends to Edinburgh for board games, cake and lots of drink and food!
• Taking my wife Claire, and my step-sons Ben and Ryan for a helicopter flight over Newcastle-upon-Tyne!
• Playing my first game of Subbuteo in many years!
• Enjoying a number of theatre shows with Claire
• Visiting Miami and conducting a studio interview with my long-time friend and mentor Erick Simpson

Furthermore, I made a conscious effort to organise a lot of time with friends and family across the world.

So, as we head into 2023, what are My 3 Words for the year ahead?

My 3 Words for 2023

My 3 Words for 2023 are:-

• Share – Share my story, my knowledge, my routines and habits, and my contacts. I will share via writing, videos, podcasts and books
• Slow – Politely decline more. Do less. Think and reflect more. Seek out opportunities to get into “the flow” during work and play. Lose myself in the activity without clock watching. Embrace a slower pace of life with more fun and more downtime
• Student – Be curious. Try new things. Seek out tuition and training to aid my learning and development. Be humble and open to being taught as a beginner

I toyed with the words Develop/Evolve/Learn/Beginner/Humility for my 3rd word.

However, I eventually settled on student as three words beginning with the letter ‘s’ seems more memorable!

Thank you to Chris Brogan, Rob Hatch, Felix Ustorf, Chris Marr, Adam Foster, Geoff Nicholson, Dave Algeo, Jon Saunders, my wife Claire, and my brother, Paul Tubb for personally helping me decide upon my 3 words for 2023!

How to use your 3 Words

Think of your three words as a guide.

As a result, you can review your 3 words to help you make decisions.

For instance, I have my 3 words printed and pinned to my main work desk.

Additionally, I write my 3 words down every time in my journal.

Plus, I have a smartphone wallpaper that displays my 3 words for 2023.

The words act as a daily reminder to myself of the direction I want to head in.

If you’d like to learn more about the process, then Chris Brogan gives an excellent overview of My 3 Words on his blog.

What are YOUR 3 words for 2023?

Now, it’s over to you!

What are your 3 words for 2023?

As always, I’d love to hear from you. You can get in touch with me, or share more about your words in the comments below.

For example, do feel free to share a link below to a blog post with more about your words.

Plus, if you need some inspiration, other people are already sharing their three words on social media with the hashtag #my3words.

I wish you a very healthy and happy 2023!

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