Small Business Goals Start with a Vibrant Word of the Year – 18

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Shawna Rodriguez [: 00:00:02

Today, I'm going to share a pretty vulnerable story about how I actually felt at this last year. I've only between 2 words and never fully committed to either one. But here's the thing, failure teaches you things, and it taught me exactly what you need to know, and I need to know to make this work for your business. So whether you're struggling to hit your consistent 10 k months, or feeling overwhelmed by all the different directions you could take with your business this year, this one practice could be the anchor you've been looking for to really help you focus and make 2025 your year. Plus, you stay tuned till the end, you can learn more about what we're offering at Apple Podcasts for subscribers to look at you the complete implementation piece that will really make a difference. Because choosing your word, that is just the beginning. I am glad you are here.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:00:52

Welcome to Authenticity Amplified, your resource for attracting and connecting to your ideal client, the go to podcast for entrepreneurs on the go to grow their business. I am your host, Shawna Rodrigues, podcast strategist and the founder of the Solopreneur Sisterhood. I am here to bring community to the entrepreneurial journey and learn alongside you as we tap into knowledge and insights from experts to help you grow your business. I know how much effort you put into your business, and this is useful and practical information coming straight to you wherever you are whenever you have the time to listen.

Shawna Rodriguez [: 00:01:30

Today is the 1st day of 2025, at least for me. For you, it's just the first episode you're hearing for 2025. And setting the context for your year starts with setting goals. Right? We definitely believe in having a dashboard and goals for your business. It's very important. However, really clarity is one thing you wanna focus on, and sometimes clarity starts by getting simpler and getting smaller. So that's why we're going to start with the simplest of things. And that's focusing down to one word, which may feel a little overwhelming, but actually it might be very helpful and a little bit of a relief to narrow things down and help you feel like there's something you can control without having all the shiny objects chasing you and pointing you in 20 different directions.

Shawna Rodriguez [: 00:02:26

A word of the year has been a tool I have used for about probably 5 to 8 years now, and it has been such a wonderful tool for me. It's only more recently that I've realized how much that plays into my business as well as my personal life. And that's gonna be a large part of what we're talking about today is how the word of the year complements both your business and your personal life, and how bringing that together can really make a difference. So if we just go back a little ways, if we go back to just this year 2025, 2024, and 2023, to see my words were 2025, my word is going to be connection. It takes me a while to cope with my word. Don't feel like you have to immediately know yours. We can do some more today as we go along. But I started this conversation and these thoughts on my other podcast, The GRIT Show, back, I think, in November, is when I started that, if not the very beginning of December.

Shawna Rodriguez [: 00:03:22

Because it takes me a little while to kind of sort through and sift through and decide on what that one word is, because it's going to be the focus for the year. And as I talk about on that podcast, those words become my bedrock. And that's one of the beautiful things about having one word. When you have a list of goals like you do for life and for your business, especially, there's multiple things you're looking at. And it's important to check back in on those things and meet those objectives and goals and make progress. We all know this. Right? But having one word as your gut check, your focus, makes it really easy to eliminate and to narrow and to make sure that you're living up to that one piece. Right? I'm gonna go all the way back to my word when it was savor, and that was 2023.

Shawna Rodriguez [: 00:04:13

I'll do the math for a second there. It was when I chose the word savor as my word of the year. And you get a spoiler alert. Most people had to listen to my other podcast in a couple episodes to get this. But 2023, my word of the year being savor is why I did not get married in 2023. My choosing that word of the year helped me realize that instead of savoring my wedding and savoring my building of my podcast network, I was just overwhelmed by everything and not able to truly enjoy and be present and savor the things that I wanted to be savoring because it was all just too much. So consequently, my wedding was postponed to 2024, and I savored it. I loved it, and it was amazing, and I was able to be fully present for it.

Shawna Rodriguez [: 00:05:05

But narrowing everything to one word became that one check for everything, and that made it easier to make those big decisions. What it was, am I savory? Am I able to savor this? Are the current circumstances making that possible? No. And so then I was able to make changes and choices accordingly. And if you have a big long checklist that you're going through, it's not that simple to do that. So it was really valuable for me to have just one word to check those things against. My word for 2024 has been believe, and that's been very important for me to be able to recognize that. We'll get into my challenges when I tried to have different words for my business and how that wasn't successful for me, but it helped me realize that having one word and how that actually applied to my business as well as my personal life and how it's an overarching piece, which we'll talk a little bit more about. And when it comes to 2025, my word of connection, how that applies not only to my personal life, but also connects the connection.

Shawna Rodriguez [: 00:06:09

Right? It also correlates with my business as well. And so that's why having that one word can help you have that one priority that everything can kind of feed off of and work with. Obviously, we're doing more than one thing in our business, so we need to be doing other things and have other goals. But when it comes to what is the priority, what is gonna be the bottom line when you have competing priorities? Having your one word, having that one thing that is your primary focus is gonna help you make those final decisions. So that's why we narrow it down to one word. And we talk to the reason behind having one unified for business and for life is part of that having more one than one creates that conflict. And when you have more than one, it makes it hard to do all of the above. It's interesting because I have a background in early childhood.

Shawna Rodriguez [: 00:07:06

I was a mental health consultant and went into classrooms and did consultation with a lot of classrooms. And it would be interesting because a lot of times folks would want to have more staff in the classroom when there was a child with challenging behaviors, which is as a mental health consultant, kind of what I was supporting a lot of times. And sometimes we would notice the more staff you put into a classroom, the less support they got because everyone else thought somebody else was taking care of the situation. And so sometimes you had to be really specific about what went with with with with who and who was supporting what, or you had to be really good at realizing that this is the right number of people and having the right tools to be able to do the right things is most important. So sometimes when you have more, it is a diluting and makes it harder to have that focus. And for me, for 2024, I was thinking about having the word ease or flow for my business, and and I even talked about it on my other podcast when I was having word of the year that I was thinking about getting one for my business and what it might be.

Shawna Rodriguez [: 00:08:10

And it was never either, and I don't think that I could define 2024 as being a year of ease or flow in my business. I never found either of those things in my business in 2024 because there wasn't one thing I was trying to have happen. I might be able to say that I was able to believe more in my business because that was my overarching word for the year. And that that belief flowed not only into my personal life and my world, but also into my business. And I think that if you've been running your business for a while, if you've been in this in this realm, you've heard more than one person say that having your own business is a personal development journey. And the more you grow your business, the more you have to grow yourself, and your business can only grow as much as you grow. And there is this symbiotic relationship between the two that makes it more clear how your word of the year being the same for your business and for yourself is important because it does help to align those things as well as giving more power behind that.

Shawna Rodriguez [: 00:09:28

Isn't that interesting? So for me, I wasn't able to successfully have a different word. And perhaps you are different than I am, and it's really easy for you to separate the 2, and it's better for you to have one word for business and one word for personal. I'd love to hear your story if that's the case. And if you've done this successfully, I'd love to hear about that because we're all individuals. We're all different. For me, I tried that, never really landed on 1 solidly, had 2 kind of for my business that never really landed. And my personal world word is what I saw come through in 2024 for my business more than the two words I toyed with and never really pushed into my business the way that I could have. Right? And so part of that could be that I didn't put the time and the effort into it, and part of it could be that that having one word that fits all those pieces is a stronger goal.

Shawna Rodriguez [: 00:10:23

And so that possibly having a term that can apply to all of these might be what you're looking for. And I love I actually connected with a friend over the holidays, and she's somebody who has met how I've mentioned to my other podcast who in doing the word of the year, and she's somebody who listens to my podcast, and her word was completion. And I I mentioned in my other podcast that at moments I was, oh, that was such a good word. She's done such great things with it. And having that piece of me was like, oh, that's a great word. I wonder if there's room at some point in my life for that. But again, you get one. So the one I chose, and I was very my word is believe, and I owned that and appreciated that.

Shawna Rodriguez [: 00:11:08

And believe was a very powerful word for me, but I'd seen the things she'd done with completion and the things she'd managed to make happen in her world around that that were amazing. She had some circumstances that seemed outside of her control, and to bring them around to being finalized and being complete just seemed like such an obstacle, and those things, they reached completion. And it was exciting to see that. And then to see her right before the holidays and her talking about how she was reenergized by me talking about it on my other podcast, and how she was gonna complete the Christmas wrapping. So she wasn't up all night on Christmas Eve finishing the Christmas wrapping because completion was her word, and she was gonna apply it right up to the end for 2024. And that is something that I talked about in my other podcast as well that because they become bedrock, if I go all the way back to the history of my words of the year, I've had grace, gratitude, and all of these words that because I had them for a whole year, that's a long time to have a word be able to sit with you, and be able to simmer with you, and see the value of that word, and what it brings to your life, and what you want it to bring to you and your work. And the value of those words have become part of me in ways that have benefited me far beyond that year. So I could, like, list all of my words and tell you all the ways my life has improved because of those words.

Shawna Rodriguez [: 00:12:38

And it's very exciting to have a word that can have that kind of impact. And so choosing a word and then being able to have that small of a focus, that simple of a focus for a year gives it a bigger and wider impact. And I think that has so much of an example for our businesses when we're trying to do so many things in so many directions that it's great to have as example of having one smaller thing and having that depth, the one smaller thing, and the impact that can have that has ripples that last far beyond the time when you focus on that one thing and the benefits of that. So I think it's a great example in our work as well. So as we look at trying to figure out our word of the year and trying to integrate that for us, the things I really wanna look at is, like, what would help us possibly with that business life alignment. Right? We talk about balance, and we all know that, like, there's not quite that simple of a term. It's kinda funny how much it's gone out of fashion. Right? It's almost like to think of the alignment of bringing things, like, together in a way that it kinda flows together and can work together better.

Shawna Rodriguez [: 00:13:47

And so maybe you think of it as alignment. And so what's something that fits these different sectors that you want in both of them, or what are places where things overlap and your values for these different areas overlap. And sometimes it's the word or the emotional thing you want that you feel most lacking and you want more of in your world. So it could be the term ease or flow that I was looking for. Like, those two terms could be for my personal life, as well as my business. Right? So why was I just looking at them for my business? If I really wanted ease or flow, why wouldn't I want that in my personal life, as well as my business life? And wouldn't I make ease my word for an entire year and just find ways to put more ease into my personal life or ease into my business life if that's what I really needed? Right? And so if that's what you really need, then it's probably something that you need in more than one place because it will overlap and flow in those areas. And so that can help you see that, right, in ways it can serve. And so just try and look at some of those themes and what you're needing more of.

Shawna Rodriguez [: 00:14:55

And so it can kind of help you see what the bigger themes are for you, and that's kind of the value of it. Right? So we're gonna do a little bit of a discovery process to give you some thoughts around this. And if you've already found your word of the year, bravo, then this will definitely help you kind of reassert and fill that a little bit deeper. And maybe this is you thinking about how it then might also apply to your business if you only have applied it to your personal life. So as we're kinda going through, I'm gonna give us some examples to just think through. And again, none of these need to be the word that you choose because you need to find one that fits for you and is where you're seeing this need. Right? Sometimes it could be helpful to just reflect on ideas. So as I give you some ideas, if you can just, like, see what kind of emotional reaction you have to the words, And if you're like, oh, yes.

Shawna Rodriguez [: 00:15:49

I can see that. Like, so for my friend for the word completion, I'm like, oh, that's such a good word. Like, if I'm feeling that, then there's a piece there. Right? And if there's a word that, like, you don't quite sit well with and you have a little bit discomfort, like, figure out what that discomfort is. And if is it because it's not quite the right word, like, it's just a little bit off. So one of my words is off for me is abundance. Like, I don't care for that term because abundance to me is too generic. I have enough stuff in my world, and abundance to me is just more stuff.

Shawna Rodriguez [: 00:16:23

That's a connotation I have with it. And so a word like prosperity, if that's what I'm looking for, then prosperity is more the word for what I'm looking for and what I want to be my word for the year. And so I want specificity in my terms because I was the I'm a writer too. Right? So I want more specificity in my words. And so maybe that's why it just doesn't fit right for you or maybe it doesn't fit right because, oh, there's something to look at with this. And maybe this is a word I need because, you know, gratitude just, like, hits me in the face because I have a hard time with gratitude, and that's why I need to have it for my worth this year, so that I can look at ways to deepen my ability to show gratitude, or feel gratitude, or experience gratitude. And so when you have that discomfort, notice that a little bit and dig inside a little bit. And if you're having things that are coming up in the next year, whether it's business or personal, because, again, we're looking at all those pieces to see if there's something specific that comes together with that.

Shawna Rodriguez [: 00:17:21

So for me, like, when I was getting married, like, that was a big part of the year coming up for me in 2023, which then became 2024. And so looking at my wedding and what I really wanted for my wedding was part of what I wanted for that year and that process. And so if you have a big event with your business, a big launch that you're going to be having another, up leveling with merging with something, or or trying a new venture with it, or in your personal life, if there's, like, a really big family reunion, or event you're having, or you're getting married, or if you're gonna be having a baby, or expanding your family in some way, or you know there's some medical things that you're going to be working with or somebody you know was going to be. Like, if there's things that you know might be happening in the next year, that is it's good to have that in mind that these challenges that maybe, like, grace wouldn't be the first word you would think of, but based on the challenges in front of you, maybe grace needs to be your word for this year. And so to be able to look at that a little bit. And if you've had a word of the year in the past, maybe reflecting on that and seeing about how those words have impacted you or supported you might be helpful for you to be able to to see if there's something close to them or around them or what's had the most impact for you. If there's different categories that you wanna move into because you've already done certain categories. Right? So if you are somebody that's looking at something with growth and development, if that's really what you want your focus to be on, that maybe words like flourish or transform or amplify are the words around growth and development that really resonate with you for the next year.

Shawna Rodriguez [: 00:19:02

Right? Or if focus or clarity is something, because we've we've talked about this on our conversations and something that's really important for you to have the business that you want and to be able to move forward is to have that, then maybe align or simplify or intentional or clarity is the word that you want to be able to have. So that that focus and clarity can be that. If you're really working on your business mindset, that may be courage or trust or something along those lines of of building out a little bit is something that you're looking for around your mindset or growth is something you wanna be having for your word of the year. Or if you're looking for more balance and your well-being is really a focus that maybe boundaries or flow or space or serenity or quiet or, somebody that I work with, she chose Salud because that was, like, her native language and that was what she wanted for her for her year. So maybe that's the type of word that you need.

Shawna Rodriguez [: 00:20:12

If you're looking for more connection and community, like, obviously, I chose connection. I thought I think it's funny because I have my podcast network as Authentic Connections, and yet it's taken me how many years in to choose connection as my word of the year. But I think one reason I chose it was because it covered more than one area. Right? That with my building my business, that connection is important part because I'm building this community. Right? The solopreneur sisterhood, and so connection is very important for that community, and I wanna bring that to others. And me recognizing some very vulnerable conversations on my other podcast around my realization around how much my need of connection or that piece around connection has kind of affected me having so much busyness in my life that the busyness is because if I don't keep busy, I'll be nervous. It'll be something else. And that connection is what I want more than I want busyness.

Shawna Rodriguez [: 00:21:09

And so to have more connection is part of what I want in my personal life as well. And that I've moved to a more rural area, so I have less of that. So that for me, personally, I want more connection. For my business, I want more connection, and I'm creating community in the business that I'm doing. So that's why I chose connection. Right? So that maybe if that's something you're seeking as well, that maybe, like, collaborate or engage or authentic or something around that or even connection, we can have the same word I like to share, can be can be the word that you see looking for that, or or network. That seems cold. I'm not we've heard that idea.

Shawna Rodriguez [: 00:21:48

So so you can kind of figure that out, or if you're in a place that you really want to, like, have more action and and movement with your with your business and with your work or in your life, if you're looking at that, that maybe, like, momentum or rise or something that shows that that's, like, the direction you wanna be going with, for that that action that you want to be getting to that next level or up level or something can be your word for the year. Right? And if you're still in that place that you're, like, you know, building your foundation, that maybe that, you know, foundation. That's a simple one. Right? Or systems or strength or consistency or maybe flow fits for that if you're building the foundation or focus. Something like that that can help you figure out, like, what you need. So as you're trying to figure out, like, what category that you're in or what place you're in and you're looking for that if you just start just get out a piece of paper and start writing down, like, what what you're wanting, what you're seeing for yourself in 2025, and just putting all those words down and just letting them flow and see what words come to the surface. And I've Todd, I've mentioned it on this podcast that I love word hippo. I'm a thesaurus geek.

Shawna Rodriguez [: 00:23:14

My dad actually gave me a thesaurus when I was younger because I love to write even then. And so word hippo is a great place to go and find other words, see if you can find, like, the word that connects with you and speaks to you. So even if it is like if you're in that, like, action and and movement phase and growth phase and you wanna, like, get that momentum, and you're like, these aren't quite the right words. And maybe there's a word that you see when you put momentum into word HIPAA that like, oh, that's it. That grabs me. Right? And I'll also put in my if you go to Instagram, Shawna podcast, love for you to follow me there. I love connecting with you. I love getting to know to you.

Shawna Rodriguez [: 00:23:48

So please, take a moment and say hi if you do. But I'll put on there I actually have it kinda silly, but you can actually it just it's a reel that plays through a bunch of different words. And if you just, like, just pause it and just see what word it pauses on and see if those words resonate with you to see if that helps you get a feeling of what words might be something that speaks to your connects with you. So if that's helpful, you're welcome to kind of check that out on at Shawna podcast on Instagram to see if that's something that connects with you because I feel that that's a fun tool if you're not sure where to start, but I love brainstorming. I'm more of a brainstorming or just take a walk and just reflect and see what comes up, and something bubbles to the top. But, again, I'm someone who starts thinking November and doesn't land on something till January because I need time for things to flow, and you don't need to decide. Somebody who is in my podcast network for some time, she was crazy. She was like, I decide mine in March.

Shawna Rodriguez [: 00:24:48

So so we'll still talk about it now, and I'll just say it in March. So you can have your word of the year can start in when spring starts. That's fine. You don't have to decide today. It's okay. There's no time allowed on these things. You would do what's best for you. So one of the the things that can be a challenge is if you have that indecision is that, like, when I had ease and flow and never really chose 1 and never really had 1, and it didn't really it diluted the the focus.

Shawna Rodriguez [: 00:25:12

Right? So you do wanna try to, like, land on 1 so that you can have the 1. And then when you have the one to kind of actually visualize it and actually see about it being a resource for you because it's meant to be a resource. So when I was making decisions about my wedding, like, I looked to my word saver and made very different decisions about my wedding. It also helped me make decisions about, like, what I wanted to focus and spend time on sometimes. Right? And when it comes to me having believe be my word for this past year, it's helped me figure out what I need to look at and what I need to unpack and where I need to get deeper on. And believe probably seems like such an interesting choice for a word, and I'm just at a very different place in my journey than gratitude was, like, one of the first words and grace. You know what I mean? And so those were the early words. And so you develop and shift and grow with it as you go on and get to different words and different levels.

Shawna Rodriguez [: 00:26:19

Right? And gratitude, I am so grateful. That sounded ridiculous. Very cliche, but I am, was one of my first words. And that year I had, like, somebody that I would send her in the mornings. She and I would send each other with things we were grateful for, and it was rewiring my brain. So gratitude being if you haven't had a word of the year before, I highly recommend that. And I think even in business, it might not be bad for me to revisit that to be more grateful for what I do have, the things that are going well. It helps you recognize the gain and how much progress you're making over the gap and the things that aren't flowing together.

Shawna Rodriguez [: 00:27:03

So there's different words for different phases for where you're at in your business and what you need, but you need to see how that word fits and fits in situations for you. Right? So does it still excite you 48 hours after you picked it? Can you use it in different places when you're having a rough day? Does having that word help you get centered and find a place that that you're in a better space with it? For me, like, believe does help me because I tend to be somebody who doesn't believe. And so when I am having a harder time, me getting a center back on that is helpful. And does this word align with your values and everything else that you believe and want. Right? So it needs to have something that, like, challenges you a little bit. Right? So savor was a challenge for me. It meant calling off a wedding, which is pretty challenging, but it was achievable because I did that. Like, if I wasn't able to savor what needed to be done and what needed to be done was bigger than what I thought I could do, but ended up being the best decision ever made.

Shawna Rodriguez [: 00:28:09

Right? So that was signs that I found the right word. So when you do that, like, try to kind of sit with it and put it in a few places and see if it really feels like it's the right place. So we'll go into more about how you could implement the word and use it more and the ways that it fits in with your business and with your life. If you're a subscriber on another podcast, that's gonna be our focus is the implementation piece. So we'll definitely do that. But you once you choose your word, you can't just choose it. You actually have to keep it and use it. So it's definitely something you wanna do.

Shawna Rodriguez [: 00:28:41

And if you are interested in the solopreneur sisterhood, which we're going to be opening up in a few weeks, So definitely, on the wait list if you're interested in that. We as part of our dashboard is a place for the word of the year. So that is something that we will we will help you with this part of solopreneur sisterhood to be able to see the word of the year and implement because that is part of our conversations in the in the way that we operate within that. So I am so glad you took time to be here today. I'm excited we are in 2025. So welcome to 2025, and I look forward to getting to know you more and more about your specific business and what you're doing to really make 2025 your year because that's definitely what we support here on Authenticity Amplified as you find the ways to up level your business. Thanks for being here.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:29:35

Isn't there so much to learn on our entrepreneurial journey? Thanks for spending time with me here on Authenticity Amplified. Be sure to hit that button to follow or subscribe

Shawna Rodriguez [: 00:29:45

so you'll be alerted as new episodes are released. Here in this 1st month, they are coming out frequently.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:29:51

If you are a solopreneur and want to get to be part of this podcast launch, we are doing a fun activity with authentic business voices. Go check it out on YouTube. The link is in the show notes. And if you go to bit.ly/AuthenticBV, you can grab a quick time to record your video with me and be part of this fun event as our launch. I'd love to meet you. Entrepreneurship can feel like an isolating journey. After all, 80% of small businesses are solopreneurs.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:30:23

That doesn't mean you have to do it alone, though. We're here every week to be part of this adventure with you. Until next time.