Storm

Resolutions vs Themes

It’s a new year and along with the happy new year messages comes one important question: what is your new year’s resolution? It is an annoying question, because as almost everyone agrees: new year’s resolutions don’t work. However, this hate towards new year’s resolutions is a missed opportunity to use the new year as a way to improve your behaviour. Therefore, I have come up with a new idea: New Year’s themes. New Year’s themes are not exact rules or challenges like resolutions. Instead themes are open concepts that will guide you through the year with every decision you make. You can pick themes like: year of independence, year of health, year of productivity, year of mental health, year of new. Themes can be as vague or specific as you would like. Here are some more reasons why you should pick a New Year’s theme.

Themes are not ruined by a minor setback
New year’s resolutions have the disadvantage that if you have one minor setback your goal is most likely ruined. This will discourage you to keep on fighting for your goals. Themes don’t have this problem. For example: if your theme is health, eating fast-food once isn’t the end of the world as long as you keep your focus on staying healthy.

Themes aren’t an ultimatum just a guide
A theme is used as a guide, which makes it flexible in day to day use. Resolutions are like ultimatums that don’t offer flexibility. For example: you pick a new year’s resolution to go to the gym in the weekend but by March you start to get bored from going to the gym. You could decide to give up. If it is a resolution you most likely will. A theme would guide you to start looking for alternatives to stay healthy.

Themes are interesting
Picking a theme is interesting. If your New Year’s resolution is to save an extra 50 euros every month, it is a simple rule with not much to think about. However, if your theme is The Year of Saving, to become more mindful of your finances, its way more open and can be further thought out. It’s also interesting to talk about your theme with others, conversations that will help you to develop it further.

In conclusion, this were some simple reasons to pick a theme and I hope that you are now convinced to pick a theme for yourself. If all goes well by the end of the year you will have made significant progress toward your theme goals. The most important thing is that you tried to actually change your behaviour instead of following a simple rule. The new year has just started so you are right on time to pick your theme. Good luck, I hope you will focus on something you truly care about.