A new year tradition - SARKARI JOBS

Every year around this time I come up with a word or phrase to inspire my new year, one that I will keep with me as a reminder as the year goes on.

This is nothing new. I first heard about this from a friend who I reconnected with after college. He told me that actually tattooed the new word each year about itself, to which my response was:

“It’s the word of the year this year, CRAZY?”

I wouldn’t take it that far (besides, wouldn’t it run out of space at the end?) but the idea of a word of the year has been with me for five years since then, and it’s a nifty little device to keep me in check.

My word last year was “celebrate” because my toxic trait is to achieve something and then immediately start the next thing before I have a chance to enjoy the moment.

Having the word written on my mind (and tattooed on a Post-it Note next to my desk) became a gentle reminder to help me slow down and be more grateful for the things that happened this year.

I will share my word of 2023 with a story. Perhaps this will inspire you to select a word that will help you get unstuck next year. 😊

Table of Contents

One of the most difficult challenges…

ever had to overcome as an entrepreneur was writing my book, Will it fly? Although it was self-published, which meant I could move it around much faster than traditional publishing methods, the book still took me over 2 years to complete.

Why did it take so long?

Because it wasn’t me.

You see, just before I started writing this book in 2013, I read a ton of books by one of my favorite authors, Malcolm Gladwell. As she absorbed his books, she also absorbed his writing style.

His books are so well written that I thought for my book to be that good I had to write like him.

From fascinating scientific studies to the informational connections you create between them, I set out to do the exact same thing, and unfortunately it stopped me in my tracks.

After 3 months of utter frustration, I stopped writing.

“I guess I just wasn’t meant to write this book” I told myself.

Fast forward to 6 months later. A friend asked me how my book was going and I told him the story. He then said the following:

“You are not Malcolm Gladwell. You are you. Why are you trying to write like him? He writes like you.

Game changer.

It seems so obvious years later, but as you know, it’s easy to fall into these traps.

Shortly after that discussion, and also with the help of a writing coach I hired, Terronez Bluehe was writing like me, and the words started flowing.

This coming year, 2023, I am writing a new book. This time, it’s with a traditional publisher, and instead of putting the “must be like all other great traditionally published books” spin, I NEED to stay myself in all my work, especially here. with this new book.

I will share more about the book later. For now, this is my word of the year to guide me through 2023:

Authentic.