One Idea to Make 2016 More Awesome

2015 was pretty groovy. Or, as the youths say these days, 2015 was “chill.” But only metaphorically. Have you been outside lately? I can’t remember another December that has been so unchill.

I don’t know about you, though. Maybe your 2015 was awesome and as metaphorically chill as mine was. Maybe it was terrible. Maybe it was somewhere in the middle. Either way, 2015 is over.

That’s why I love the space between Christmas and New Years Eve. It’s the perfect time to relax, reflect, and reload for the next year.

I think we can all agree that New Years resolutions are soooo 2007. I mean, seriously. Have you ever made a New Years resolution that you actually kept throughout the entire year? If you answered yes, we totes need to hang out. I’ll hire you as my life coach.  (You think I’m joking.) I could totally go pro at making “January Resolutions.” I always kill it in the gym for a solid 4 weeks after New Years. That’s where you come in. You can help me with the other 11 months. I know we’ll make a great team.

Until then, I won’t be making any resolutions of the sort. But I will most certainly be doing this one thing. Only for the semester, though. I dare you to give it a try! If you’re not in school, do it for the upcoming quarter, or for 6 months. Just not the entire year.  Change it up every so often to keep things fresh.

Here it is:  Choose a theme for the semester.  

Your theme is the overall idea and framework for what your semester or quarter is gonna be about.

What are you gonna focus on? Where do you need to improve? What really matters this semester? What are you fired up about?  It could be a short phrase or something as simple as a single word.

At the start of 2013, my theme was Mental Toughness. The transition to college had been rough, and I wanted to focus on hanging in there and getting out of my comfort zone.

At the start of 2015, I was frustrated with my tendency to dream about things but never actually do anything about them, so my theme was Action- actually doing stuff instead of dreaming about what could be. Stepping up to the plate and making something happen.

This past semester, I wanted to place specific focus on enjoying time with friends, knowing my time in college is running out. So my theme was People Always Win. I focused on investing in relationships, even if it meant cutting into time spent on school work and everyday tasks. I’ve had other themes in the past like Responsibility, Consistency, and Sold Out.

Visualize Your Theme

Pick a theme that you think captures the heart of what the next 3-6 months need to be about. Then write it down. Or turn it into a cool graphic with a sweet design and colors and stuff. Put it up somewhere in your room where you’ll see it everyday. A visual reminder makes a big difference.

Let your habits, goals, and areas of focus flow out of your theme. I’ve always found that the big picture helps clarify the details. If you know what your overall focus is, it becomes easier to create goals and habits that help support your theme.

When my theme was People Always Win, I made a habit of making sure I always had some sort of weekend plans with friends. I also made sure that I was spending time with friends at least 3 out of every 5 week nights. Those habits really helped the theme become real in my life.

Pick a theme that matters to you. Visualize it. Then go for it!

See you in 2016!

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