Three words for the future
One of the exercises in the public speaking course Speaking as a Leader by Conor Neill is called “Three Words for the Future.” This is how the exercise is described:
Pick 3 words that you can use as guidance for things you want to do in the next 12 months. Create three words that sum up how you intend to behave and focus your energies. Then, with that in mind, think about how this will show up over the coming year.
Conor credits this exercise to the writer and speaker Chris Brogan. Chris explains it like this:
Every year, I come up with three words that become my guiding pillars for the year ahead. Instead of resolutions—which rarely help me—I use these words as a lighthouse for my actions and effort.
Three Words Aren’t Goals
These three words are not goals. They are a frame for reflection.
Goals, as we know, should be SMART: specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound. The idea is to let your goals serve your words, not replace them.
You choose words first. Then you set goals that align with them.
The words shape how you behave. The goals give that behavior something concrete to attach to.
My Three Words for 2026
FOCUS · SHARE · BUILD
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FOCUS — fewer directions, more depth → fewer projects, one main vector, saying “no” to everything else
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SHARE — stop hiding finished work; publish instead of preparing → podcast, audiobook, content, voice, speaking
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BUILD — create assets, not noise; play the long game → brand, websites as assets, passive income, systems
Every week, I build something and share something—without spreading myself thin.