For the past few years, I've been picking an overarching theme that I embody for the new year, and monthly themes that provide a more focused lens. I then set monthly actionable goals that are meant to be in alignment with the monthly themes, and that are still aligned with the overarching theme. That theme is the guiding principle or energy that influences my mindset, decisions, and actions throughout the year.
Although I've grown a lot since I started doing this, I'm not pleased with how inconsistent I've been at executing. I also have to recognize that I set myself up with failure with how poorly some of my goals had been planned.
That's changing this year.
I don't believe in things being different overnight so I've been intentional about changing my ways for a few months now. And I'm not saying I'm a brand new person now but it's amazing how things can change when you set intentions behind them.
Up until now, my overarching themes had been single words, but this year I'm going with something I heard Andre 3000 say at his concert I went to last year. It has stuck with me since.
We'll never be able to do this again.
I'll never be able to do this again. That's my theme for the year.
I don't feel like working out? This day will pass and I'll have missed the opportunity to improve the health of future me. I'll never be able to do this again, on that day.
As far as I know, we only get one shot at this so let me go and make the best of all the todays I get.
It's not an excuse to be reckless, I will still move with intention and regard for whoever or whatever I'm affecting with my decisions. But these days it's so easy to let life go by, thinking we'll get rewarded on the back end of it, and that's just not how this works.
So, take this as an invitation to just go and do the thing, and if you ever feel like it, come and tell me about it.
Bonne année.