Context
How many times have you found yourself at the end or beginning of a year, crafting a list of objectives for different areas of your life?
You reflect on the past year – some wins, some losses, and that recurring dream or goal you didn’t quite reach. You create a list of “Resolutions” that, like 99% of people, lose relevance as soon as you return to your habits and daily routines.
Use this tool at the beginning of a new year, during significant life transitions, or whenever you feel the need for a fresh perspective and direction in your life.
Purpose / Objective
To provide a flexible, holistic approach to personal growth by choosing a guiding theme for the year, focusing on who you want to become rather than what you want to achieve.
Expected Immediate Benefits
- Awareness about the different areas of yourself you want to develop
- Clarity and laser-focus on your most important area for growth
- Shifting focus from HAVING to BEING
- Connecting with your true desires and enabling consistent actions without the pressure of specific goals
- Feeling more satisfied and motivated with the progress and growth
The Tool
“Your Theme” is a single word or short phrase that encapsulates your aspirations for personal growth. Unlike specific goals, a theme serves as a compass, guiding your decisions and actions throughout the year. It’s not about what you want to achieve, but who you want to become.
While Your Theme is an alternative to traditional goal setting, it can support your goals while reducing the pressure they create. It shifts focus from achieving specific outcomes to becoming the person you want to be.
How to use it
1 – Prepare yourself for reflection
Grab something to take notes and create the space you need to reflect: whether it’s preparing your favourite beverage, putting on some music or taking a walk in nature. This space is yours and needs to be a fertile soil for your reflection time.
This preparation step is crucial as it sets the tone for your reflection. Creating the right environment helps you disconnect from daily distractions and tune into your inner thoughts and aspirations. Do what feels right for you.
2 – Reflect on your life
Make a shortlist about what areas of your life you want to grow or aspects of your character you want to develop.
Some questions that can help this reflection:
- What aspects of your life or character do you most want to integrate this year?
- How embodying each of these aspects would change your daily life?
- How do they align with your long-term vision for yourself?
- Which of those would make the greatest impact in your life? Think about you as a whole, avoid thinking about a specific goal or objective.
3 – Turn that shortlist into “themes”
A theme is a Word or a Short Phrase that resonates with your aspiration.
To turn your reflections into themes, look for patterns or common desires in your answers. Distill each of these into single words or short phrases that capture the essence of what you want to embody or develop.
Examples: Adventure, Curiosity, Unconditional Love, Resilience, Physical Health, Self-care, Growth, Clarity, Dedication, Altruism, Spirituality, Mental Fitness, Courage, Vulnerability.
4 – Choose your theme
By now you should have a shortlist of themes that resonate with you. Select the word or phrase that feels most inspiring and aligned with what you want to develop or integrate this year.
5 – Apply your theme in your day-to-day
Now that you have Your Theme everything becomes very simple, all you have to do is to ask one question: “Is this aligned with my theme?”
For every thought you have, decision you make, and action you take, there’s a clear answer: YES or NO.
If the answer is NO and you want to dig deeper you can ask: “How can I approach this using my theme?”
Note that the second question doesn’t leave an option to not approach that situation with a theme, it assumes and forces you to think about the way of embodying your theme with every situation that you have in your life.
Some useful situations where to use Your Theme.
- Use it as a morning “mantra” to set your day’s intention
- Reflect on it before sleep to align yourself with your inner compass
- Turn to it for motivation during low-energy periods
- Use it to manifest more of that quality in your life
- Fill idle time with thoughts or actions related to your theme
Apply your theme until it becomes irrelevant for you. This would mean you’ve either integrated it or there’s something new to discover. Just simply re-use this tool to find the next one.
My previous years themes’: Adventure, Love, Curiosity, Focus, Connection, Simplify my life, Fun.
My theme for 2025: Dedication