New Year, New Theme
As 2020 comes to an end, it’s time to gear up for 2021.
When a new year comes around, you’ve likely been asked “what is your resolution for this year?” If you’ve found it difficult to keep up with a resolution every year, you’re not the only one.
According to clinical psychologist Joseph Luciani, 80% of new year’s resolutions fail by February. This happens for a variety of reasons - maybe you ended up lacking motivation to take action or perhaps the timing just wasn't right.
Changing your resolutions to a yearly theme enables you to positively frame your year.
What’s a Yearly Theme?
A yearly theme is your “topic of the year”. Yearly themes typically consist of symbols, words, phrases, quotes, reminders, or mantras. Single words tend to be the most commonly used, but there are no rules to creating a yearly theme - it’s up to you! Setting a theme pushes you in the right direction, and allows you to maintain focus throughout the year in getting to where you want to be.
Here are some examples of yearly themes:
Balance.
Grow.
Mindfulness.
Confidence.
Empower.
Love yourself.
Aspire to inspire.
Make it happen.
If not now, then when?
Don’t stop until you are proud.
Say yes.
Your yearly theme should be used as a guide to motivate, ground, and center you. What words or phrases do you want to live by this year?
If you aren’t sure where to start, think about where you are physically, mentally, and emotionally. Gauge how you feel by asking yourself the following questions:
What areas in my life do I want to improve (personally, professionally, etc.)?
What do I want to focus on?
What do I want to accomplish?
Whether your answers are just a few words or full sentences, jot it all down as you go along. Having your answers written down can help you visualize and put the puzzle pieces together to compose your theme.
Once you’ve connected all the dots and found a central idea, adapt it to be a symbol, word, or phrase that works for you. And voilà! You have created a theme for your year!
Okay, let’s be honest. This sounds way easier than it looks, but don’t fret! We’re here to help.
We’ve created this worksheet to support you in planning your theme. There are exercises and guiding questions to assist you in developing your theme.
Here is what I came up with:
Personal - Be okay with making mistakes and use it as motivation, rather than kicking myself and dwelling on disappointment.
Professional - Continue to network and become more comfortable with reaching out.
Social - Connect with my friends more often (call, video chat, text).
Focus - Self-improvement, reflection, development.
Accomplish - Become more confident + better self esteem, and develop my personal and professional relationships.
After reviewing my answers, a light bulb went off in my head. My theme for 2021 would be relationships - building a better relationship with myself and others.
Once you have established your theme for the year, put it in your journal, on your vision board, or anywhere else you commonly visit. This will serve as a gentle reminder for you every time you see it.
Listen to the Seriously Though Podcast to learn more about yearly themes, spending plans, and achieving your goals!
