As we embark on this brand-new year, a new theme has already been ringing in my ears: “Let the adventures begin.” What theme of the year will you choose?
Life can be a rollercoaster ride, especially while navigating building a new business and supporting my three kids as they balance school, preteen hormones, and extracurricular activities. With the constant juggle between career planning, lead generation, mom guilt, aging family members, and budgeting – the chaos can become overwhelming.
So, amid all the overwhelm, you may be asking – why choose a theme of the year? How can it possibly help navigate the chaos?
I’ve been choosing a theme of the year since January 1, 2021. It had started as simply a word of the year but has grown to be a phrase. I find a phrase is easier to incorporate into my monthly planning and reflection. I find it helpful to have a phrase that focuses on action, so that it can help me with decision-making and stretch goals.
Setting a word or theme of the year is a powerful practice that many people adopt for various reasons. Personally, I find that a theme related to my core focus of the year helps me stay aligned with the area of life that I want to focus on growing the most. That doesn’t mean the other life areas aren’t as important – typically, the theme I choose is an area that I found lacking in the previous year that I want to supercharge in the coming year.
My personal experience with a theme or word of the year:
It helps me with intentionally setting my goals and focus for each month, helping me to channel my efforts and energy towards something specific.
During my monthly planning and reflection sessions, the theme of the year acts as a guiding principle, reminding me of the values, qualities, or aspirations I want to achieve.
It helps with decision making – when opportunities and obstacles arise throughout the year, I can consider my core values, but also my theme, to guide me to the answer that aligns the most with what’s important to me.
I have found the theme of the year to be a game-changer for my career planning, work-life harmony, motivation, and overall life satisfaction.
I am always surprised by how it plays out as the year unfolds – life is dynamic, and I’m always reminding my clients that the destination we are striving for is only a guidepost. It can move, change, and adapt with our journeys as we learn and grow. The journey toward the guidepost is where fun and fulfillment exist.
During my end-of-year reflection, I realized that in the busyness of building a new business, volunteering for non-profit boards, and managing the chaos of being a mom of three – I miss going on adventures and having new experiences. For 2024, I want to set the tone that this year’s journey – in business, career, motherhood, and life – is going to be an adventure!
As the main character of my own story, I am looking forward to the new chapter that is waiting to be written.
Don’t forget – reflection and review on a regular basis is just as important as choosing this theme of the year. I recommend my clients review at least once a month, but I tend to review weekly with a mini reflection at the end of every day. These review sessions are like checkpoints on my map, letting me ensure that I’m still headed in the direction I want to be going. It keeps me aligned with my priorities and goals, steering me away from distractions and other’s agendas for me.
So, let the adventures of 2024 begin! No matter what theme or word you may choose for your own theme, I hope it acts as your North Star on your journey towards achieving the life that you want.
Embrace progress, not perfection.
What theme would you choose for this year? Leave a comment below, and let’s embark on the journey of 2024 together!
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