Forget the resolutions this year!
I have been a sucker for the annual “new year resolutions” and I am definitely one of those statistics that abandons them by the third week of January. Overhauling our lifestyle just because the calendar clicks over doesn’t actually sustain us for changing our behaviour.
That said, I do crave a “reset” every January, and the fact that my birthday lands on January 1st sets me up for some intention setting about what I want the new year and new age to look and feel like.
For the past 8 years I have been choosing a theme for the year – either a single word or a phrase that I will keep in my consciousness and use as a guide for decision-making on the daily. Previous themes have included Connection, Power, Heart, Fun, Courage over Comfort and last years was the ironic theme of Movement & Ease J. These theme words have supported me to stay connected to who I want to be in the world and many of them have stretched me outside my comfort zone.
Well 2020 was full of surprises, and from the moment I chose Movement & Ease as my theme, the universe presented plenty of challenges or “opportunities” to lean into my theme. All the signs of a shit show year were there when: I lost hours of data on my master's research project on January 2nd, left my computer at home for a 10-day work trip, and lost baggage turned into facilitating in two-day travel clothes where I mistakenly had my shirt on backwards. The best one of all was the day my Airbnb host messaged me to ask when I would be out of my accommodation that day while I was in the middle of a facilitation, and I had nowhere to go! This was all in the first few months, long before we knew that a pandemic was going to change everything. I do remember feeling completely exasperated and wondering when Movement & Ease were going to make an appearance.
But of course, this is the point. What we want doesn’t always “appear” or show up in the way we imagined. I had to lean on my theme words to reframe my experience of 2020 and see that while movement didn’t show up in my physical routines in the way I had imagined, it definitely showed up in my ability to create movement in my business by literally moving everything to virtual delivery. The excessive sitting was a challenge and something I am aware of for 2021, and I am celebrating the way that movement showed up in my business and expanded my ability to serve globally without the lost baggage and travel costs.
Ease was elusive throughout the year as I finished up my MA, built my team, designed systems and transitioned to digital overnight. I was tired like you, but did my best to show up for my clients and look for ways to create ease in small moments. One thing I am working on this year is to lean on everything we created in 2020 so that I can now Be more and Do less in 2021.
So as I head into 2021, this is my theme; Be More, Do Less. This will challenge my patterns of productivity and the belief that hard work is the way to create what I want in business and life. At 53 years of age, I want to practice being more present to myself so that I can be the kind of coach and leader I aspire to be. The doing will come second, from a place of inner knowing, rather than what I think I “should” be doing. This will be hard for me, but a challenge I am excited about taking on with the support of my theme of Be More, Do Less.
What has this blog inspired within you? What kind of theme for 2021 will support you or stretch you into the person you want to be this year?
If you are curious to learn more and create your theme word with us, then sign up for our Masterclass on Friday, January 8th at 9amPT – Will you DESIGN or DEFAULT your 2021? Grab your seat here: https://inspiredresultsgroup.mykajabi.com/the-learning-lab-monthly-masterclass-design2021