It is the start of a brand new year, and everyone is writing about goal-setting.
If you are tired of setting goals this year, blame Brian Tracy, he made goal-setting a phenomenon it is, back in the nineties) and ditch them like me.
Goals are great but there is one big problem with them when you can’t achieve them you feel terrible.
On a day-to-day basis, goals often lead to anxiety, worry, and regret rather than fulfillment, pride, and contentment.
They exert pressure from afar.
Once fulfilled they just disappear, leaving a vacuum that we try to fill with a new goal.
Back in 2020, I learned to set a theme for the year, rather than goals.
The difference between goal and theme is like the difference between passion and purpose, between seeking and finding.
A theme is a gentle way to align your actions and decisions depending on what you want to achieve in the year.
A theme reduces the pressure goals create and at the same time replaces the need for your goals to make you happy.
Since 2020, I have been setting a theme each year.
With a theme, all you have to do is ask one question: Is this aligned with my theme?
A goal splits your actions into good and bad. A theme makes every action part of a masterpiece.
A goal is an external constant you can’t control. A theme is an internal variable you can.
A goal forces you to think about where you want to go. A theme keeps you focused on where you are.
A goal condemns you to order the chaos of life or deem yourself a failure. A theme provides room to succeed amid that chaos.
A goal shuts out opportunities for current fulfillment in favor of a distant payday. A theme looks for opportunities in the present.
A goal asks “where did you get today?” A theme asks “what went well today?”
A goal asks “what do I want?” but a theme asks “who am I?”
Goals are sticky. They’re clunky armor, weighing you down.
A theme is fluid. It sinks in, becoming part of who you are. It flows from the inside out, allowing you to change as you go.
When you use goals as your primary means of attaining happiness, you trade long-term life satisfaction for short-term motivation and reassurance.
A theme gives you a meaningful, achievable standard to live up to.
Not once in a while but every day.
It’s a way of being content with who you’re becoming, choice by choice, one act at a time, and finding peace in that.
No more waiting. Just decide who you want to be, then be that person.
Now the question is, what makes a good theme?
A good theme is a verb and a noun at the same time.
Themes such as:
Focus
Love
Balance
Compassion
Invest
Help
Kindness
Gratitude
In 2020 my theme was: FOCUS.
In 2021 it was: CREATE.
In 2022 my theme was: GROW.
And in 2023, my theme is RELAX.
I am taking all the pressure off me this year by eliminating goals such as;
publishing ‘x’ number of articles,
‘y’ number of books
‘z’ number of sketches.
Instead, I am listing:
What experiences do I want to have this year?
How do I want to grow and develop this year?
What do I want to contribute to the world?
What’s your plan for 2023?
This week, the book I am recommending is John Cleese’s Creativity — A Short And Cheerful Guide.
I thought I knew everything about creativity. John Cleese made me see it more clearly. I read it just before Christmas and finished it in one sitting. Some argue that the book is too short but John Cleese negated the argument in an interview saying, he intentionally made the book short because he had time to make it short. That speaks volumes about the book.
I made extensive notes from it, you can read them here.
That’s all from me this week.
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Thank you for another good book recommendation!! I too use themes rather than outcome oriented goals. My theme this year, as I wrote in my recent newsletter, is to focus on the fun. 😊🤗 Thanks again for a good newsletter!!
2023: EXPLORE. That is all.