For the second year in a row, I’m taking a page from Chris Brogan. He annually identifies “three words that will be my guiding pillars for what I will focus on in the coming year.”

My three words for 2011: velcro, abandon, and crayons. I’m going to use them, hopefully wisely, to guide my business.

• Velcro–I’m good at coming up with ideas, but sometimes I need more focus to see them come to fruition. I have some business projects planned for this year that I’m really excited about. Now I just need to keep the velcro handy to keep me locked in.
• Abandon–Here’s where the contradiction takes form. I use abandon in the sense of surrendering to the ideas, as permission to go back to my Independent Thinking roots and take real risks again.
• Crayons–I recently reread Harold and the Purple Crayon, which is about a boy who creates the world by drawing it. For me, crayons represent fun and creativity. This year, I want to keep my crayons front and center.

What are your guiding principles for 2011?

Photo by woodley wonderworks (Flickr).