How to Set a Theme for the New Year in  2024

A few years ago I was really struggling with making tangible steps towards my dream life. 

I felt like my life was on groundhog day - doing the same things over and over again, and really not feeling fulfilled and aligned with what I really wanted in life. 

So each year, I would set out with the best intentions to create epic new year resolutions only to fall flat on my face by mid February. Leaving me feeling like crap and slowly falling back into the ‘auto-pilot’ life I was living. Only to find myself in the exact same position 12 months later. 

It was not until I started embracing an intentional lifestyle that I finally started seeing momentum towards my ideal life. 

And one of the very first steps I took in doing this was creating a theme for the new year. 

In today’s post, I wanted to talk to you about how you can create a yearly theme and why you should! 

Why Create a Theme for the New Year

Creating a theme for the new year is a great idea to help you get centered and focused on what you want to be intentional about. 

So often we are taught to make these grandiose, SMART new year resolutions, only to find ourselves falling off the wagon 3 weeks into January. 

By creating a theme for the new year you are giving yourself a little more grace, showing yourself self-compassion and being more intentional about how you want to live your life. 

IF you are looking for a theme for your new year then definitely check out my post with over 150 theme of the year ideas. 

What Exactly are Yearly Themes?

• Yearly themes are an overarching word, words or phrase that sum up your focus for the year.  

• A Theme for the new year is  like a “mantra” or “guideline” to keep you aligned for the year while guiding you in your moment to moment decisions.

• Themes of the year  are something that resonates with where you are in your life now and where you want to go.  

For example, in 2019 my theme for the new year  was “Setting Foundations”. I was learning how to be a new mother, learning how to start an online business and wanting to better manage and educate myself on personal finances. 

In 2020 my theme was “mindset and clarity” as I was really needing to find clarity in things and focus on how I could enhance my mindset around things. 

In 2021 my yearly  theme was “Reflection”. 2021 was a very rough year for me and I really needed to slow down, let myself heal and just Be. 2020 brought up a lot of clarity for me and now it was time to process all that clarity.  

 In 2022 my theme was “Expansion”. After really doing the inner work in 2021, my 2022 focus was expanding all the work I had done and keeping that balance within. Using all my themes from the previous years and building upon my intention setting process;  I was really able to hone in on how I could continue to expand and keep balance in my life. 

Now with 2023 here, I personally am moving into another chapter of life. The last 4 years of my life have been very reflective and transitional as I became a new mother to 2 beautiful girls. Now that my husband and I are  done having children, and we are getting out of the wonderfulness and fogginess of new parenthood, I am bringing the focus back onto my energies around what I want my career and family life to look like moving forward. How I can reconnect with the Lora I was before Motherhood and really find a sacred balance between being a Mother, Career-oriented Woman and Individual.  So my theme for this year is “Re-connect, Re-align and Rise”

By having this overarching theme, each choice I made day to day was filtered through my theme of setting these strong foundations. 

I hope by providing these examples it helps you with your theme of the year. If you are needing more information on how to set a yearly theme check out my post here and get ideas for your theme of the year here. 

If you want to go even deeper then check out my exact step by step process to set powerful intentions for your year ahead with my free intention setting workbook here.

Benefits of creating a theme for the new year

1. A theme acts as your North Star, guiding you towards your ultimate long term desires and keeps you aligned with your core values. 
2. A theme allows you to focus on WHO you are rather than WHAT you want. 
3. A theme is more fluid than a SMART goal and allows you to fully embrace every day and get off the goal setting hamster wheel of categorizing your choices into  ’good‘ and ‘bad’. 
4. A theme allows you to find peace and happiness in the present, while still aligning for the future.

Want the low down on how to set a theme for your year? Check out my step-by-step process here. 

Tips for Setting a Theme for the New Year

Think Big Picture

If you're looking to start a new year off right, consider starting with a big picture goal. This might mean setting a goal that requires some planning or preparation. Or maybe you'd like to set a goal that involves making changes to your lifestyle. Either way, having a clear idea of where you want to go helps you stay focused throughout the year.

Set Intentions

Setting intentions for your year ahead helps you get clarity on what you really want. When you combine setting intentions with your theme for the new year, you are taking  a powerful first step to living a more aligned life. Want more information? Grab my free intention setting workbook here

Know Your Core Value

I talk about this a lot on my website. Why? Because honestly, knowing your personal core values is a FOUNDATIONAL LIFE SKILL that we have not been taught. So many people do not know what they want in life, because they have not sat down to really uncover the core personal values. If this is you, don't feel bad… I did not know my core values for so many year. And it was not until I did that my life began to drastically change. Learn more about uncovering your personal core values here. 

Write out all the Words and Phrases which Resonate with you

If you're looking for some inspiration, here's a list of theme of the year ideas that resonate with me. I hope you find something that resonates with you too!

Create a Vision Board.

A vision board is an effective way to visualize what you want out of life. It's also a fun activity that allows you to connect with your inner self. You can make one yourself using magazines, photos, and other images that inspire you. I always make vision boards - for both my yearly goals as well as my life vision goals. It is a powerful tool in your self development toolkit and a great way for creative emotional expression. Learn more about creating your epic vision board here. 

Guess what? A Yearly theme does not just pertain to your personal life goals. Choosing a great theme can be used for so many other areas of life as well. Check out some ideas below. 

Ideas of what you can set a Yearly Theme for

There are many areas in life that you can set a theme for… it does not necessarily have to just be a new years! Some ideas of where you can set a theme for are:  

• Yearbook theme - Having a yearbook theme is a great idea for students of any age. It helps organize your memories and create a community around what the year was like. 
• Yearly Anniversary Themes - there are many milestones when you are in a committed relationship. Most often people celebrate the big fives - 5, 10, 15 , 20 etc… however you can set a yearly anniversary theme however you want. 
• Yearly themes for schools - how awesome is it to start the school year off with a theme for the whole year? Maybe the school wants to focus on friendship, kindness or balance. With covid wreaking havoc on so many children, uniting students with a theme for the school year is a wonderful idea. 
• Theme for your Church - creating a yearly theme for your church or community group is also another idea. 
• Family Theme of the Year - ever thought of sitting down with your kids and creating a theme for your family. Maybe it is around less screen time, more adventure or getting outside and exploring! the possibilities are endless. 

These are just a few ideas…. Creating a yearly theme for people to get behind, not only unites people but also connects them with a deeper sense of purpose and meaning. 

If you need some theme ideas check out this post with over 150 theme ideas

I hope this article inspired you to set a theme for your new year ahead. If so, please feel free to leave a comment or send me a DM with your questions or just letting me know what you picked! 

xo

Lora 

Want to go further? 

++ FREE CORE VALUES LIST AND WORKSHEET - CREATE YOUR IDEAL LIFE TODAY https://www.loradevries.com/blog/core-values

++ LEARN MORE ABOUT INTENTIONAL LIVING AND HOW YOU CAN DITCH THE BURNT OUT AUTO-PILOT LIFE AND START CREATING THE LIFE YOU HAVE ALWAYS DREAMED OF https://www.loradevries.com/Intentional-Living

++ LEARN MORE ABOUT MY STEP-BY-STEP BRAIN BASED VISION BOARD METHOD TO CREATE A VISION BOARD THAT ACTUALLY WORKS https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/1274321534

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