Chapter 8

My One Word

Every single time we have shared the concept of One Word with others, we get the same response: “I love it! I can’t believe I’ve never done this before. It’s so simple and obvious. I can’t wait to get started.” And we get the same positive responses after participants have lived out their One Word for the year: “What a powerful year! I’ve learned so much. This is something I’ll do for the rest of my life. By the way, my word for next year is . . .”

We have never heard this: “I tried that One Word thing and it didn’t work.” Not once! The only way it won’t work is if you don’t do it. It’s never a question of whether One Word works. It’s whether you will put One Word into action in your life. If you discover and live your word, it works every single time, because there is a word meant for you, and it is meant to change your life in a positive way.

To help you through the One Word process, we’ve created the following action plan to help you prepare your heart, discover your word, live your word, and spread the word.

Action Plan

Prepare Your Heart: Look In

Take a little time to:

Get away from the noise and distractions of life, and create an environment to look inward, quiet your mind, and really listen to your heart. Then ask yourself these three questions, and write your insights here:

Discover Your Word: Look Up

Now that your heart is ready, it’s time to plug in and listen up.

Once you’ve prepared your heart, you are ready to receive your word. God has a word that is meant for you. Remember, God can use all means to communicate with us, and you never know when, where, and how your word will be revealed to you.

Ask God to reveal your word to you with this simple question: “What do you want to do in me and through me?” Write down what comes to your heart. Listen and be open to the word that God shares.

Once you discover your word, write it down in the space that follows.

Download this page each year at GetOneWord.com

Live Your Word: Look Out

Once you discover the word that is meant for you, then it’s time to live it out. Again, this is where the rubber meets the road.

Keep your One Word front and center. Write down three things you will do to make sure you have regular reminders of your word:

Sharing your One Word with your Stretch Team ensures success. List three people in your inner circle with whom you’ll share your word this week:

Spread the Word

Share your excitement about your annual One Word with others! Tell them about your journey.

List three other organizations you think would love and benefit from this process, and tell them about it.

You can visit www.GetOneWord.com to share a one-page overview of the One Word process with your family, team, or organization.

Congratulations! We are excited that you are now part of the One Word Team. We look forward to changing lives together . . . One Word, one person at a time. Let us know your word on our GetOneWord.com website.