There’s nothing worse than realizing you’ve dropped the ball on your New Year’s resolutions six months, one month or even a week into the year. Sometimes we set overwhelming expectations for ourselves and fall short because our goals were never actually attainable. Luckily for you, we’ve found a helpful approach to ensure that your 2019 is the most productive and inspiring yet.
Set Your Personal Theme
Throw out your list of resolutions and try your hand at setting a personal theme. Your theme should be simple and based on one word. A long list of resolutions can be daunting, but keeping your theme to a maximum of one or two words makes it easier to remember and it helps center your life around one specific idea.
You’ll find that by focusing on this one theme you’ll make changes and adjustments to your day-to-day activities. If you choose “mindfulness” you can ask yourself questions like, “How can I be more present today?” or, “What can I do right now to bring me happiness?” You’ll find the more you focus on your theme, the more you’ll make tiny transformations for the better.
The great part about setting a theme for the year is that it’s YOURS. Feel free to work at any speed or use any method that suits you. The idea is to master one theme at a time. You can even set a personal theme every month if you find it challenging to stick to one for the entire year.
As you set smaller goals around your theme, it’s essential to keep track of them in a journal or on your phone so you can check in daily. This way, you can monitor your accomplishments or areas for improvement. Mainly, you want to use your theme to bring yourself back to center when the everyday hustle and bustle takes over.
How to Pick Your “Word”
Think about aspects of your life that you want to improve on, as well as areas where you already excel. Ask yourself “How can I push myself further to reach my fullest potential?” If you’re used to making a list of resolutions every year, it might be a good idea to make your list and see what patterns emerge. Does one theme stand out linking your resolutions together? Consider where you want to be in a year, and then jot down full sentences to get your thoughts on paper. Your goals are probably too lofty and unreachable, but when you shorten these sentences down to one or two words, you’re giving yourself 365 days to focus on a way of living vs. an insurmountable goal.
Here are a few examples of themes you can consider or use as inspiration:
Health
Relationships
Adventure
Simplicity
The most important part of setting a personal theme for the year is to commit. Make your personal theme visible everywhere you go, be it at home, your desk or in your car. Set up a support team, and don’t be afraid to reach out to them to hold you accountable or to ask for advice.
So forget about setting daunting resolutions, and take some time to reflect on possible themes to help you become the best version of yourself in 2019. Follow us @Bozzuto on Twitter and share your theme for this year.
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