BLOG #7 - What's Your THEME For 2021?
I was a huge fan of New Years resolutions growing up, but found I struggled to stick to it throughout the year. Typically I would start the first month or two on fire, and it would slowly dwindle away. By the fourth month, It was forgotten. This is what my New Years resolutions would look like in the past…
Themes are less specific and give much more room for adaptation. Life is chaotic and unexpected. Creating a Theme offers a less rigid approach. For me, this has been more sustainable throughout the calendar year. As you see below it isn’t just high motivation for 12 months. Of course you’ll have some lows through out the year. However, you’ll rarely fall too low and you’ll be able to make consistent gains as you review your system.
Two years ago I started with the theme: Radical Ownership. It got me to take more accountability and focus on what I could control. This year was the year of the German Sheppard. This stemmed from a podcast that discussed how these dogs were trained. They got to a point where they could walk straight from point A to B without getting distracted. I started by writing a definition and what the theme meant to me. Then I add a couple points to keep me on track. I set up reviews every month to see how the month has been going.
After finishing the book, “Your Next 5 Moves” and the TV show, “The Queens Gambit,” I’ve picked my theme. The year of the GRAND MASTER. I decided on this one as it’s the next step in the progression of themes for myself. First, it was about controlling the controllables with Radical Ownership. Next it was about building a laser focused mindset and presence with the German Sheppard. Now, it’s about predicting, anticipating, and executing like a Grand Master.
ACTIONABLE INSIGHT
1- Pick a personal THEME for the year
2- Write out objectives to follow & guide you to stay on course
3- Create monthly reviews to see how your theme is coming along
4- Make any adjustments or add concepts to your theme and REPEAT PROCESS
I want to hear from you now. What’s your theme for the year? Everything I chose was directly correlated with my experiences at the time. Choose something that is personal to you. That’s when you know you have something that you can stick through for a whole year! Look forward to hearing your answers.