2020 was a challenging year for most of us in various and unexpected ways.
I love the idea of a new clean start. I realize it is more symbolic than anything else but if it helps, then let’s take advantage of it.
Happy New Year!
For those of you who know me well, you know I love to create a theme for the new year. I like to do this annually and recommend that my clients (and friends) do it too. I choose a theme each year and have been doing this for more than a decade. I like having a theme instead of a new year’s resolution because with a theme, there is no failing at it. 🙂
I am a big Gretchen Rubin fan and she chooses a word for the year. This year her word is “Open.” This is similar to my theme idea.
I ask myself:
Who do I want to be? How do I want to feel? What do I want more of?
Your theme should help inspire you to be who you truly want to be and help you make wise(r) decisions.
Maybe it is what your fairy godmother would say to you or your mentor or your future wiser self would consistently say to you.
What do you want in the new year? But not a goal.
Instead of goals, the theme is less specific in nature. It helps you develop a bigger picture to what you really want. It can be a mantra or a motto. It should be flexible enough to apply to many different situations and areas of your life.
It has been interesting to see the unexpected ways a theme has helped me and manifested things in my life. The theme provides a desired focus. It should be positive and something that truly feels meaningful to YOU right now, so it is personal.
Here are some recommendations to create your own theme for 2021:
1. Set aside some time to start working on your theme.
2. During this time, start thinking of words, phrases or concepts that have a certain appeal or ‘spark’ to you when you think and say them to yourself. Consider words and phrases that you find relevant and inspirational to many areas of your life: personal, professional, spiritual, family, financial….
Look up, brainstorm and write down various ideas, quotes and anything that (at this particular time) really speaks to you. Write down lots of ideas. Anything that comes to you.
My strong recommendation is that you think in “intangibles”…consider feelings, senses, and beliefs you hope to experience versus things you hope to have or possess. (some examples of intangibles: “More Courage to do what I want”, “Confidence in myself”, “Love for myself and others”)
3. Select and write down your favorite ideas for a theme.
Give yourself time to ponder what sounds and feels good to you.
I know from past experience it can take a while to come up with the right theme. You may change it a few times and that is ok. Give yourself time and space to try different themes out. It may take a few weeks but once you know you have it, you know it. It should inspire you. It should feel good and helpful and empowering.
I know from others and from my own past experience to be patient in coming up with your theme. Personally, I usually take the month of January to come up with my theme.
4. Once you have decided on your theme, post it somewhere you will see often. You want it to be a consistent positive reminder. I like putting it on my journal or my vision board or screensaver on my computer.
Here are a few example themes I have chosen in my own life:
2020’s theme was “The Year of Listening” – I wanted to get better at listening to myself, listening to God, and listening to others. I thought this would help me with my own happiness and also help me to be a better parent, wife, friend, life coach and financial planner. Little did I know what 2020 had in store for all of us. I do think I learned to listen and pause and connect in new and meaningful ways.
2019’s theme was “Choose Joy!” – I was working with my coach and this is something that she said to me and it felt right. I knew I wanted more joy in my life. This incorporated other ideas I was considering for my theme (“learning, loving, and living,” “Outer order, Inner Calm”) but felt bigger and broader and more of what I really wanted. I often stress myself out and what I want is more love and joy and FUN, so this theme was to remind me to prioritize and make choices that reflect my desire for more fun and joy in my life.
2018’s theme was “Less is More” – I wanted this theme to remind me to focus on what is most important to me – the people I love, my work, and what gives me joy. I have a tendency to try to maximize everything and fit something into every single second AND to be way more stressed out than I want to be. I wanted to try and do less so that I could enjoy my life more. I really wanted to work on organizing my house and having less stuff around. The idea was more quality over quantity and to simplify my life. All things I value.
“Dare to Love!” I was excited about this theme. It was about LOVING with capital letters my life and what I was doing. The tag lines for this theme changed often. Some examples were: love myself, love my job, love those around me, love and appreciate the rough times and what they teach me, love my family and friends. This theme was about making a conscious decision not to settle for things I do not love and recognize and appreciate those that I do. This theme helped me in making decisions both big and small and raised my awareness in a positive way towards who I am and what I truly love.
“The Year of New Beginnings.” The origin of this theme came from a statue of the Spring Goddess, or the Goddess of New Beginnings that my sister gave me after my divorce. I was not sure where or how this theme would manifest itself (or where it came from after all the many changes of the past few years) but I wanted to be open and ready to making significant changes in my life. It truly was a year of new beginnings and growth! A few of the bigger beginnings were: starting several different jobs, creating my own business, working with a new coach, meditating, and making new friends. I had more beginnings than I could ever have imagined and in areas I never even dreamed of. To me that is the beauty of a theme.
I would love to hear what you come up with for your 2021 Theme.
Please send me a message or post in the comments to share your theme with others.
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