The Power of Your Top 3 Words: How to Set a Clear, Calm Compass for the Year Ahead
Every January, we’re told to set goals.
More goals. Bigger goals. Smarter goals.
But most people don’t struggle because they lack goals.
They struggle because they lack orientation.
They don’t need another target.
They need a frame.
That’s where the idea of Top 3 Words comes in.
Not as a productivity trick — but as a personal compass for how you want to live, decide, and show up this year.
Why Top 3 Words Work (When Goals Don’t)
Goals answer the question:
“What do I want to achieve?”
Top 3 Words answer deeper questions:
- Who am I becoming?
- How do I want to show up — even when things don’t go to plan?
- What matters when I’m tired, overwhelmed, or unsure?
Your words become:
- a filter for decisions
- a regulator for your nervous system
- a return point when you drift
They don’t replace goals.
They hold them.
A Simple 5-Step Process to Set Your Top 3 Words
You don’t need to overthink this.
You need to listen, choose, and practice.
Step 1: Look Back Before You Look Forward
Before choosing new words, reflect on the year you just lived.
Ask:
- Where did I grow?
- Where did I struggle or drift?
- What did this year ask of me?
Patterns matter more than events.
Your words should respond to reality — not fantasy.
Step 2: Choose Words That Describe How, Not What
Your Top 3 Words are not goals.
They’re ways of being.
Good words:
- are felt in the body
- guide behaviour across many situations
- still matter when plans change
A helpful prompt:
“If I lived this year well, people would describe me as…”
Step 3: Limit Yourself to Three — and Order Them
Three is powerful because it forces priority.
Even more important: order matters.
Your first word sets the state.
Your second defines capacity.
Your third shapes impact.
My Example
2025 Words
- Awareness — learning to notice state, emotion, and drift
- Endurance — building sustainable energy and nervous system strength
- Outreach — sharing what I was learning through the app and community
That year was about stability → sustainability.
Emerging 2026 Words
- Presence — how I show up with people and my work
- Capacity — how much I can hold without urgency or control
- Leverage — letting systems and service create impact, not force
This year is about sustainability → meaningful impact.
Step 4: Install Your Words as Strengths in the App
This is where intention becomes practice.
In the Habits Coach app:
- Create each word as a Strength
- Write a short, personal definition:
- What does this look like in real life?
- What does it look like when I drift from it?
Then:
- Check in at least once every 7 days
- Daily check-ins create traction faster
This turns your words into something you embody, not admire.
Step 5: Check In Daily — and Measure Over Time
Your words don’t work if they stay abstract.
Use your daily app check-in to ask:
- Did I live this word today — even a little?
- Where did I drift?
- What helped me return?
Over time, the app shows:
- trends
- consistency
- quiet progress you’d otherwise miss
That’s how a word becomes a way of living, not a slogan.
Your Words Are a Compass, Not a Contract
You’re not promising perfection.
You’re choosing a direction.
Some days you’ll live all three.
Some days you’ll barely touch one.
That’s normal.
What matters is this:
When I drift, do I know where to return?
Your Top 3 Words give you that answer — calmly, clearly, and repeatedly.
Want Help Setting Yours?
You don’t have to do this alone.
One of the fastest ways to clarify your Top 3 Words is to say them out loud, test the language, and hear how they land — both for you and for others.
That’s exactly what we do inside the Everyday Heroes Community.
It’s a free, off–social-media space where people are:
- reflecting on purpose and direction
- sharing their Top 3 Words
- learning how to turn intentions into daily habits
- supporting each other without pressure or hype
If you’d like support:
- Join the free Everyday Heroes community
- Share your Top 3 Words (even if they’re still rough)
- Learn how others are using theirs as a compass for the year
Clarity deepens when it’s shared.
You don’t need perfect words — just honest ones.
π Join the free Everyday Heroes Community:
https://www.habits.coach/community
