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Hello Everyone!
As we bid a maybe less than fond farewell to 2020 and look forward to the new year, I imagine many of you have been considering your resolutions for 2021.
Earlier this year, one of my favorite content creators put out this video about Themes as an alternative to the traditional new year’s resolution:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVGuFdX5guE
I thought it sounded interesting, tossed out whatever my resolution at the time was, and gave Themes a try for 2020. Now at the end of the year, I can say with confidence that this was a fantastic decision, and is something I hope to carry forward in perpetuity. Because of this, I’d like to briefly share my experience with Themes this past year in the hope that it may inspire some of you to give them a try in 2021.
As recommended, I decided to do Themes by seasons. They were as follows:
Winter of Wealth
I’m not super proud to admit that in my 20’s, wealth and savings were hardly on my radar at all. For the first few years I worked at CAG, I made close to zero contribution to my 401k. To give you an idea of how bad it was, a few years ago I increased my total contributions to 4%. As I turned 30 this year, I really wanted to get my financial ducks in a much better row.
When picking what book to read next during this Theme, I leaned towards financial books like The Richest Man in Babylon and A Random Walk Down Wall Street, both of which I’d enthusiastically recommend. I created an IRA, and when considering whether or not to make a possibly unnecessary purchase, I found a new option or branching path had opened up to me, not buying the thing and investing the money instead.
Spring and Summer of Health
I’ve always tried to be somewhat health conscious, but entering a new decade in my life, as well as an ongoing pandemic really made me want to focus on it, so I dedicated two seasons to this Theme. This was also a great example of the advantage of broad Themes as I realized during this time period that “Health” meant my mental health as well.
The ongoing pandemic made it pretty easy to choose to cook at home more. When at the store, having a health Theme in mind made it easier to pick healthier things to cook. I lowered the barriers to using my VR setup so that I could choose to exercise more easily, and got really good at Beat Saber. When choosing my next book to read during this time period, the health focus led me to choose 10% Happier to learn about meditation, and it is another great book that I’d really recommend.
Autumn of Adventure
A downside to this year is that I found myself with much less variety in my routine than normal. I dedicated Autumn to Adventure in order to encourage myself to try new things. Plus, who doesn’t appreciate awesome alliteration?
Making choices that leaned towards new or more difficult experiences led me to hiking up the most difficult trail I’ve hiked to date. It also led me to a new hobby in photography, as well as a new appreciation for art.
Reflecting back on the past year through the lenses of the Themes I chose, it’s hard to not feel fulfilled, as well as appreciate the momentum generated from having a focus. I’ve maxed out my IRA for the year, and continued to invest beyond that. I’ve continued to eat better this year, and meditation has been an amazing tool, I do indeed feel at least 10% happier for it. I have an appreciation for art that I’ve never had before, and it’s been so profound that “Art” is the Theme I’ve decided on for this Winter.
I hope that you’ve enjoyed reading this, and are considering giving Themes a try over the traditional resolution in 2021. I’d love to hear from you on which Theme(s) you’ve chosen and why.
I hope you all have a safe and wonderful new year, here's to 2021!
Amazon links for the books recommended above:
The Richest Man in Babylon
A Random Walk Down Wall Street
10% Happier
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