Monday, January 03, 2000

A New Year's Theme

Well, it's a New Year. What do you really, really want?

What is your New Year's resolution? Lose weight? Make more money? Spend less? Make more time for your family?

A resolution says, “here's what I want to change.” It's meant to fix something. It begins with a loss and we are, therefore, forced to focus on what we are missing. Our ego takes over. The resolution is a reminder of our failures because it focuses on what we do not have. We suffer a terrible loss when our resolutions die in mid January.

But what if you approached your resolution as your playful child would? Ask yourself, “what do I really, really want?” There's a theme there. If you have resolved to lose weight, perhaps your theme is “a healthy life.” If your resolution is to make more money, maybe your theme is “abundance in all you do.” What about spending less? Maybe what you really, really want is “a creative lifestyle.” And more time with your family? Perhaps a theme of “playing hard” (my personal favorite) is more to the point.

A theme says, “here's what I really, really want.” It's meant to honor something. We focus on what lies ahead. A theme say “play with me.” Our child kicks in. The theme lies not in the completion but in the doing. It focuses on the process and a sense of adventure.


“Ring out, wild bells, to the wild, wild sky...
The year is dying in the night...
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.
Ring out the old, ring in the new...
Ring out the false, ring in the true.”
~Alfred Lord Tennyson

“May all your troubles during the coming year be as short as your New Year's resolutions.” ~Anonymous


Look at your New Year's resolution and ask yourself, “What do I really, really want?” Create a theme that honors your answer and integrate it into everything you do this year.