January 2018 Power Words Challenge
Getting Started
I’m excited you’ve decided to join me for the Power Words Challenge starting on Monday.
Over the past two years, I’ve picked a Power Word for the entire year. This year I’m excited to commit to shorter timeframes.
30 days is enough time to play with a Power Word. It also gives you the ability to focus on different ones throughout the year.
To get the most out of this Challenge, you need to do two things before we start on Monday:
- Pick your Power Word (if you haven’t already).
- Decide how you want to stay accountable. Will you share a photo on Instagram? By writing in your journal? Something else?
You can get more help on both of these things from The Little Book Of Power Words.
I’d love to hear what your Power Word is! Please message me on Instagram @dantrommater or email me .
Week 1
Your challenge for this week is to start small.
It’s common when starting something to have great intentions, bite off more than we can chew, and then not be able to maintain the same intensity. It’s easy to view this as a failure.
It’s not though! It’s just an approach that doesn’t work. It’s the reason 92% of new years resolutions fail, most diets too. Habits are built gradually and consistently.
Once you’ve picked your power word, choose an action that takes no more than 5 minutes. Whether it’s posting a photo, writing in a journal, visualizing; whatever it is, plan for just 5 minutes.
Why? Because everyone has 5 minutes they can spare.
Notice what comes up for you about this challenge. Do you feel like it’s not enough? Do you feel relieved? These insights can tell you a lot about yourself and what mindset you use to approach starting new habits.
One of the best things about 30 day challenges is that they are experiments. We can learn a lot about ourselves, so play with it.
Support your new habit by setting an alarm or scheduling 5 minutes into your calendar to remind you to get it done. And if you forget one day, just start again the next.
Make sure to follow me on Instagram and share your photos with me @dantrommater using #my2018powerword.
Dan
PS. I’ve chosen #reading as my power word.
Week 2
Welcome to week two of the 30-Day Power Words Challenge! How’s it going? Has your power word helped you add more of what you want to your life? Does your power word still resonate for you?
I think it’s important to mention a few things:
- Be gentle – I know it can be hard to be consistent with a new habit. If you’ve missed a day or two (or the whole week for that matter), that’s ok. There’s no sense beating yourself up about it. Just pick up right where you are and take one little action that will help add more of your power word theme into your day. 5 minutes is enough!
- Be patient – Remember, the idea is continual improvement. Even a tiny step in the right direction is a good step. Just keep taking those small steps regularly and they’ll add up quicker than you might expect.
- Be flexible – Now that you’re a week in, it’s a good idea to assess if your word is working for you. Also look at how you’re putting it into action in your life. Does it feel like you’re forcing it? You’re not married to your power word or the way you’re using it. If your word isn’t inspiring you, it’s ok to adapt it or change it altogether.
This week take a moment to listen to your gut. Notice what comes up for you about this challenge. Do you feel like it’s not enough? Too much? Do you feel relieved? These insights can tell you a lot about yourself and what mindset you use to approach starting new habits.
I’m really curious to hear how you’re doing with the challenge. What’s your word? What strategies are you using to bring it to life? Are you writing in journal? Taking photos? (I know at least a few people, myself included, are sharing their progress on Instagram using the hashtag #my2018powerword.) Please reply and let me know!
I’m here to help you get the most out of this, so please email at with your thoughts, questions or success stories.
Week 3
Guess what? Today makes the halfway point in our 30-Day Power Words Challenge. Midpoints are a great time to reflect on progress, so I’ll fill you in on my personal progress so far and then I have a question that may help you too.
My power word for this challenge is ‘reading’. I’ve always said that I’m not much of a reader (that’s a sure sign of a fixed mindset, but that’s a topic for another time), so I decided to do something about it. Because a central idea of this challenge is to form new habits, I’ve been trying to build a habit of starting each day with at least 5 minutes of reading. I find it’s easier to get it in first thing before I get distracted with other work. So far, I’ve succeeded most days and that feels great.
So, how are you making this challenge easy for yourself? It doesn’t need to be a struggle. In fact, if it’s a struggle, you might want to ease off on your daily commitment. Slow and steady wins the race.
As always, I’m here to help you get the most out of this, so please reply with your thoughts, questions or success stories. It really lights me up when I get feedback.
Keep up the good work!
Dan
PS. In case you missed it in my email may week, be sure to check out the excerpt from Louisa Jewell’s new book. It’s about ‘engaging in small yeses‘ and fits in really nicely with the concept of power words and continuous improvement.
