Years ago, I vowed never to waste my energy on New Year’s resolutions again.

I’ve just never had much success with making resolutions — typically they felt like an external goal I was trying to reach, sometimes realistic and sometimes not. Usually it felt more like a “should” than something I was truly excited about.  So, each year… after months (if I was super committed), weeks, sometimes only days, my resolve to change faded.  Ugh, a broken promise to myself. This is about the worst form of self degredation!

Several years ago, I tried something new. I decided to set up a new way of defining the year ahead. There is, after all, a sort of “clean slate” feeling to a fresh new year.  Being one who believes in setting intentions and visioning, I wanted to set forth some kind of goal or mission for myself.

So I proclaimed that it would be the year of “Opposite.” I decided that every chance I got, I would examine my routines, habits and reactions to life in terms of “What would the opposite routine/habit/reaction be?” Wow, it was so powerful! I turned many habits upside down, formed new ways of seeing myself, and moved ahead on a few challenges I had previously thought too scary (a new business, a challenging certification process, for starters!).  I didn’t do every single thing in an opposite way — I didn’t dye my brown hair blonde or trade in my car for a motorcycle — but I gave myself the option to consider the opposite way, even if just to stretch my imagination further. It certainly helped me stretch my view of my own life.

A Theme Reminder

Since that time, I’ve set a theme for each new year. And I always create a little laminated card that visually represents my theme – I make several and place them strategically around in office, my house, and my laptop bag, so that I have a constant and compelling reminder. Usually it has a picture that I’m in love with. Often, it’s something in nature. A few years ago, my “Trust” theme featured a sea otter floating peacefully — and trustfully — just allowing the water to provide a safe, nurturing support. I wanted to learn to trust myself and my world like that otter trusts the water!

And guess what? That year of “Trust” opened up a lot of new opportunities for me. I tried many new ideas out, wrote more, relaxed more.

2012: Awake!

My theme for this year is all about staying awake to life, being conscious of everything I’m experiencing. In other words… not sleep walking through my days, later wondering… where did the time go? My intention for 2012 is to fully, really, no kidding: experience every morsel of it! I haven’t created my theme card yet, but I think it will be a fun design.

What is YOUR theme for 2012?

And how can you use it to support your year, to be the backdrop to your dreams, goals and vision? And what structure (like my laminated card) might you create to keep this theme front and center, a reminder when the chips are down?