Each year I pick one theme word for my personal/professional life and one for the business. I also encourage our team to pick a theme word so we can encourage each other to be intentional about the year ahead. As we have done this exercise over the years, I have been so inspired and blessed to see others join in and pick their theme words. I love hearing what people pick and why. Theme words are not resolutions or goals. They are much more simple and realistic. They are simply the theme you want to see in your year. Then from there, you make small choices each month to see the word manifested. It’s also incredible to see how the word plays out when you look back at the end of the year.
I encourage you to pick a theme word for 2022.
Here is how you do it:
First, there are 3 secrets for it to work.
1. You have to want it.
2. You have to write it down somewhere where you will see it daily.
3. You have to tell someone your word.
It’s that simple. No workbook. No hours of self-reflection. Just do it.
I encourage you to be realistic and pick something that fits with your life this year. Don't pick TRAVEL if you are paying off debt, or having a baby, or finishing grad school. Pick the word SAVE or FAMILY or FOCUS instead. Look at what your year holds already and pick a theme that will help you LIVE it the best way possible.
Here are some ideas to get your creative, reflective juices flowing! Each of these 30 words will mean something different to each of you. If it speaks to you, ask yourself why? If it doesn’t, it isn’t your word.
Here are the 5 steps that we follow when picking a theme word.
1. Once you pick a word, write it down.
2. Google its definition.
3. Define it for yourself and how it will affect your year.
4. List 3 small, realistic, actionable things you will do this year because of this theme word.
5. Then tell or text someone your word. These things don’t work without accountability.
6. Then let me (Eloise) know your word. If I know your word, I can encourage you.
For my Instagram lovers: @eloisedesignco (there is an IG Story in our "2022 Theme" Highlight category you can customize for your stories!).
For my Facebook Lovers: @eloisedesignco (comment in our post or tag us in your post).
For my private Followers: Email eloise@eloisedesignco.com.
ELOISE’S THEME WORDS
Personal/Professional Theme Word: Uncomfortable
The end of this year brings a lot of change both personally and professionally. The change is needed but it can be hard when many things are changing at once.
I realized that I am going to be uncomfortable amidst the changes but decided to embrace the discomfort. I’m not going to fight her or claim that it’s all okay and easy.
I am going to name it, breathe, and then decide to do something about it. This simple 3 step process is one of the tools we use in the beingwell content that I teach to women in business. We come back to it over and over and over again throughout the material because it is simple, easy to remember, quick, and effective. I encourage you to use, the name, breathe, and choice exercise this year.
Business Theme Word: Focus
Our business has grown and has had a year full of incredible opportunities and projects. As a business grows, it’s important to refine. We don’t want to keep adding just to add. More isn’t necessarily growth. Bigger isn’t always better.
This year, I want to analyze everything we have been doing through a Quality vs Quantity filter. How can we move from quantity to quality in every process, system, timeline, service, design, etc.
I also want to write out what our focus will be each month. What is our focus internally, new clients, finishing projects, and goals. We will focus on what is in front of us so that we can finish it and not let all the other opportunities distract us.
I hope these steps and my examples help you as you think about the year ahead and what you want your theme word to be.