Ready to have your best year ever? Throw out your New Year’s resolutions (only 8% of folks actually keep their New Year’s resolutions anyway)! Instead of resolutions, I want you to consider a THEME for the year. Your theme is the one or two words that resonate deeply for you and keep you moving towards your best year. Your theme is the antithesis of a “resolution”. Consider the following:
- My 2017 theme was DISCIPLINE — and it paid off. Going through a painful divorce, I can honestly say that the work I had done to get clear on my theme allowed me to be confident and powerful in my new bachelor reality, and in building a thriving new business.
- In 2018, my theme was RADITUDE. It was a melding of “radical” and “gratitude.” I wanted to push myself to experience gratitude all the time. And it worked! I loved that theme.
- In 2019, my theme was HOME, where I prioritized creating the space and environment that I wanted to be in — where I focused on being grounded, energized, and filled to the brim with community, connection, and comfort. Again, it worked. Powerful theme.
- And in 2020, my theme was SPACE. The irony of that makes me smile — how much space did one need in 2020? Either a lot (Get me outta here!) or a little (Too much space in my calendar!). I, fortunately, needed neither — feeling very prepared for the space in my calendar, and my theme of HOME in 2019 had me very content to stay in my home and home office 24/7 during our pandemic year.
Your own personal theme will guide you as your north star. It doesn’t have the sharp judgment that a New Year’s resolution has, instead it is your gentle reliable compass … always moving you forward to the leader you want to be, and the life you want to have.
Are you ready to let your theme for the year find you?
Here is my simple 60-minute, 4-step process for identifying your annual THEME …
Step 1: Complete a Goals Grid (15 minutes) Take some time to inventory words and phrases that are important to you as you think about a successful year. Consider two questions:
- Do you have it?
- Do you want it?
From those two questions come all that you want to…
- ACHIEVE
- RETAIN
- AVOID
- ELIMINATE
Step 2: Do a Mind Map (15 minutes) Complete a simple mind map to further inventory what your 2021 can look like. Brainstorm and free associate what’s important to you. I suggest doing it freehand, but this free online tool is terrific.
Step 3: Sleep on it (15 minutes to prepare) Look over your Goals Grid and your mind map, see what theme possibilities suggest themselves, then give yourself a night to sleep on the one that really speaks to you. Don’t rush this step. You’ll see what I mean… makes a huge difference in identifying the really powerful theme that will truly support you in 2021.
Step 4: Make yourself accountable (15 minutes) When you have your own personal, powerful THEME, put it everywhere.
- Put it in your calendar so it pops up every day from January 1 – March 31.
- Write it on Post-Its for your bedroom and bathroom mirrors.
- Tell the world — post it on your favorite social media channel.
You have a 65% chance of completing a goal if you commit to someone. And if you have a specific accountability with a person you’ve committed to, you will increase your chances of success by up to 95%!
A personal theme is so much smarter and more effective than your typical New Year’s “resolution.” I hope you try it. It’s changed my life. Here’s to your best year ever!