How to Choose a Theme for Your Year: Reflective Prompts For Personal Growth
As promised, this is the follow-up to Why Theming Your Year is Better Than a New Year’s Resolution.
Jumpstart Your Year
The simplest way to go about picking a theme is to be honest with yourself about how you feel. Overall, how have you felt this year or the past few years? If you could sum it up to one word, what would it be? Now, what is the antonym of this word? There is your theme.
(If you've felt overwhelmed, maybe your theme could be 'peace')
Simpler still, without the negative feelings. How do you want to feel next year?
(If you want more excitement, consider 'adventure')
When I started this back in 2017, looking forward to 2018, I felt stunted. I was worn out, miserable, and failing to stick to anything for myself. The only thing I was good at was my job, and even there, I felt I was constantly being overlooked. When thinking about what I wanted for the next year- I wanted to move forward. I wanted to grow.
Reflection Prompts to Get Started
(This will require total honesty about your year, goals, and weaknesses.)
This list has no chronological order, so feel free to jump around or skip questions entirely. However, these questions are put into the most digestible to least digestible, as far as, getting in touch with your feelings. If you find the word that resonates before reading all the questions, Congratulations! It is recommended to continue with the questions to help discover your priorities and get into the right mindset for the coming year.
What do you like doing?
Simple, right? Think of your hobbies and interests. Anything that you get excited to talk about.
What do you enjoy having around?
Loud music, artwork, pets, babies, stacks of books you may or may not read, when you think about your dream environment, what comes to mind?
What do you want more of?
In life, there are things you hate, tolerate, enjoy, and can’t get enough of. When thinking about your next journey, what do you want more of? More time to explore that hobby, more home-cooked meals, more time with friends.
What were the happiest moments of the year? What do these moments have in common?
This is where it could get a little tough. Remember, we have to be honest. Your happiest moment does not have to be the biggest moment. It doesn’t have to be the moment everyone cheered or was happy for you. What made you genuinely happy? That one thought(s) that makes you smile.
What were the saddest moments of the year? What do these moments have in common?
Whether grieving a loved one or a missed opportunity, every year has its ups and downs. Some years are harder than others, but we must always take inventory of our personal history and look forward to better.
In another life, I was a………
This is obviously not a question. It is a thought-provoking prompt. Whether you have uttered these words aloud or not, it is a thought you’ve undoubtedly had possibly more than once. In another life, you were an artist, a writer, a millionaire, happy. 2025 is your year to be what you want in this life.
Setting Intentions for the New Year
Revisit the list of goals you made for the year. If you didn’t have one or lost it in your mind, rewrite it. Now pat yourself on the back for every finished accomplishment. Well done.
For the goals not finished, what was the reason? Dig deep here; another person can not be the reason YOU did not achieve your goal. DO THIS FOR EVERY GOAL.
This can be tough, but it is necessary to understand that 1) you are capable of achieving your goals and 2) sometimes some things are just not a priority. Realizing and understanding these two things will put your next year into perspective. If it’s not a priority, you are free to stop thinking about it; if it is, you can come up with focused strategies to help you along the way.
Choosing Your Theme
Adventure | Growth | Voice | Finishing | Partnership
These are just a few of the prompts I have used over the past few years to guide me to my theme. Some years, a word comes to me swiftly and without much thought or preparation, and sometimes I have to address all the above prompts and more.
Ready to find your theme for the year? Take a moment to dive into these prompts and see where they lead you.
Reflect honestly, let your answers surprise you, and allow yourself to dream about the person you’re becoming. I’d love to hear what themes come to mind for you—share in the comments or just keep it close as you step into the New Year with intention.
