This article was first published by the Des Moines Business Record.
A decade or so ago, I had “one of those weeks”: a crashed computer, ill children, a new business to get off the ground, several deadlines approaching and a lot of my own expectations to meet.
In a nutshell, I felt pulled in a hundred directions and not effective in any of them.
Toward the end of that week, I went down to our (finished) basement and unexpectedly stepped in several inches of water. Our basement was flooded. As I started hauling belongings upstairs and outside to dry, I quickly realized we had too much stuff, and I began to connect the experience to my life.
I had too much stuff — on my mind, on my calendar, on my shoulders and in my expectations. I had too much stuff everywhere.
Rather than creating a bunch of resolutions that year, I decided to set a theme: Focus. I didn’t know what it would look like or how it would play out; I just knew I craved it. I held that theme high and committed to seeing where it would lead.
The results surprised me. I decluttered significantly. I let go of responsibilities I no longer felt called to fill. I revised my personal mission statement and made decisions in alignment with it. By the end of the year, I felt more like a woman with clarity, priorities and … well, focus.
I’ve set an annual theme ever since and now have many clients on board with this activity. Every year, I am surprised and rewarded by how the theme plays out.
One year, feeling a bit stuck, I chose the theme Expand. That year, I stretched in incredible ways. I pushed out of my comfort zone repeatedly, hired a high-level coach, expanded my business reach and enjoyed a family vacation I never previously imagined we’d take. I expanded my sense of possibility, no longer willing to work and live by some false limits on what I could or could not do.
Another year, my theme essentially found me: Confidence. I had felt a lack of this for some time and decided enough was enough. During my year of confidence, I started taking more healthy risks, speaking up, stepping up and taking action. Overthinking became more a thing of the past, replaced by a mantra of “I can do this!” or, at least, “I am giving this a shot!” I changed profoundly that year.
If you’ve never set an annual theme before, give it a try. Consider what you’d like to say about yourself next year at this time. Look at your values, goals and priorities. Decide who and how you’d most like to be in the coming year. Then choose a word that captures the essence in succinct and inspiring ways. It’s amazing how centering and focusing a theme can be.
Once you choose your theme, make it a regular presence in your work and life. Incorporate it into your passwords. Create a screensaver with it. Throughout the year, make note of how your theme plays out for you. Jot down inspired actions, unexpected coincidences and clever things you learn along the way regarding your theme. I bet you’ll be delightfully surprised how your year — and your theme — unfolds.
What’s your theme for 2016? Let us know — and hear others’ themes — on the MAP Inc. Facebook page.
Dr. Christi Hegstad is a certified executive and leadership coach, president of MAP Professional Development Inc. and leader of the ASPIRE Success Club. Find out more at www.meaning-and-purpose.com, on Facebook or via Twitter at @DrChristiCoach.