Ditch the Resolutions for a More Useful Theme

Have you ever found yourself peer pressured into setting a new year’s resolution and then didn’t follow through with it. Only to feel guilty for “failing”? If you can relate, you are not alone.

The beginning of every new year is always loaded with the pressure to set resolutions. While the original intention was good, the escalation of what they have turned into has gotten out of hand. According to Time Magazine, “as many as 80% of people fail to keep their New Year’s resolutions by February”.

If you fall into this category, it’s ok. Our resolutions are often hyped up from trends or what we feel is expected from society. Like losing an excessive amount of weight. Joining a gym even when you hate working out. Cutting out a certain type of food or waking up at 3 am to run before work. We often force ourselves to set these unrealistic or unachievable standards for how our year should go. And the worst part is that we beat ourselves up when we fail to meet these standards.

So Where Do We Go From Here?

Lets scrap resolutions all together – they are history now. Instead, we are going to focus on a theme for the year. You may be thinking this sounds very similar. However, yearly themes are a great way to set positive intentions and set yourself up for success.

Yearly themes are meant to be a broad topic in which you wish to focus on. For example, my theme this year is Good Health. Other theme examples could include: Adventure, Engagement, Minimalism, Creativity and many more. The purpose is to focus on something that can help you live more intentionally.

I Have Chosen My Theme. But What Do I Do Now?

Once you’ve chosen your theme, its time to start using it to help make decisions in your every day life. For those that are goal oriented, you can set small achievable goals for the week or month that fit into your theme. For others, implementing your theme may be something you keep on your mind and make decisions as they come along.

Let’s Look At My Theme For Example…

My theme is Good Health. While most will think of good health as weight loss and working out a gym, I am focusing on a broader picture. I not only want to continue working on my mental health, but I want to take care of my body which is the vessel that allows me to do the things I enjoy.

Here are some examples of small goals that implement my theme into my daily life

• Have a consistent self care routine – I have a routine, but I often fall out of habit with doing it regularly. I will set the intention to follow through with my self care routine of using lotion, washing my face before bed, flossing and using my water pick, and getting to bed at a decent time
• Participate in positive body movement – taking time to do what I enjoy like going on the occasional hike, axe throwing, or walks around town or the park
• Have less screen time – participate in other hobbies I enjoy like reading, crafts, spending time outside or with others instead of the tv. This could also include enjoying being outside on my lunch break instead of being on my phone the entire time
• Listen to my body – pay attention to my vessel’s needs like more sleep, rest and relaxation instead of being overly busy, getting up to move after sitting for a long time, fueling my body with the nutrition it needs
• Allow for rest and sleep – cut back or stop feeling guilty for resting or sleeping when my body needs it
• Have more gratitude – find joy and be thankful for even the little things in my every day to help keep positive and brighten my mood

These small goals are all achievable and set me up for success.

They fill my daily life with positive intentions that will effect other aspects of my life as I work on myself. The important part is that there is no failure, only steps towards bettering myself.

Reframing our mindset to be more positive is the best way to live life intentionally. I hope you are able to ditch the resolutions and set yourself up for positive self care and growth this year too. In the meantime, remember that I love you and you should love you too.