A Theme is a Low-effort, High-return Way to be Intentional Throughout the Year
Every year, I like to choose a theme for the year. I simply ask myself, What’s your theme for 2024 going to be? Then I wait and see what comes up. This is a low-effort, high-return way to be intentional and aspirational without having a goal or a plan attached. It’s something I’m seeking from myself and from life, and it informs my choices.
Since I know I’m going to do this, I usually start thinking about it long before I have any idea of what it will be. My word for last year was begin. The word was to give myself permission to start new things without being so focused on the outcome. I loved this theme because it was freeing and allowed me to be a bit more playful. I put down books I didn’t like, started creative projects, and put them down without guilt. I got more curious about my work and was able to follow my interests wherever they led me.
A Theme for This Year Was Harder to Pinpoint
This year, my theme was harder to name because the word didn’t come first; it was a feeling. In the planning workshop I led in December, I did a closed-eye process where you meet your future self. When I was writing the process down, I had a preconceived notion about my future self. She’d be fitter, stronger, and more confident. But when I did the future self meditation, my future self was none of those things.
She was light and happy with a huge smile. When she hugged me, I could feel her energy, and I loved it. It’s taken me a long time to write this post because I couldn’t settle on one word that covered it. I contemplated fun because she truly felt like she was having fun. I thought about being free, energetic, and light, but really she was all of those things. The beautiful thing is that I have the feeling as my compass, and so I’ll use the place holders of fun, energy, and light for the feeling that was so much bigger.
What’s Your Theme?
I would love to hear your theme for 2024, if you have one. If you don’t, I invite you to think of one. I always like to see how a theme can inform your perspective and work its magic in your life.
