Every year, we dive into New Year’s resolutions with excitement—vowing to lose weight, exercise more, or eat healthier. But by March, most of us have already slipped back into old habits. Why? Because resolutions are often about specific goals that are hard to stick with long-term. This year, why not try something different?

Instead of setting rigid resolutions, choose a theme for 2025. A theme is a guiding principle or focus that inspires action throughout the year, without the pressure of a fixed goal. It’s a word or phrase that embodies an attitude or direction you want to cultivate in your life.

How Does a Theme Work?

A theme provides a flexible framework for growth and change. It could be something like 'Adventure', ‘Courage’, or ‘Breathe’. For instance, a friend of mine chose ‘Never Too Late’ to remind herself that it's always possible to pursue new dreams, no matter the stage of life. Another example: a recent theme of mine was ‘Recognising Great Work’. I made a conscious effort to notice and appreciate the efforts of others—whether it was thanking an employee at my local supermarket or nominating a colleague for a public service award.

Why Themes Work Better Than Resolutions

Resolutions often focus on changing a specific behaviour, but behaviour habits are deeply ingrained and can be difficult to break. Change takes sustained effort, and our brain’s cognitive resources are limited. By the end of the day (or week), we’re often too mentally drained to stick to our goals. A theme, however, is less demanding. It serves as a touchstone that guides your choices and actions throughout the year without overwhelming you.

Examples of Themes to Inspire You:

• Listen

• Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway

• Joy

• Courage

• Kindness

• Be Bold

• Self-care

• Less is More

• Mindfulness

• Let Go

• Step Up

Turning Your Theme into Action

While a theme is more flexible than a resolution, it’s still helpful to have a plan for bringing it to life. Here’s how to make it work for you:

1. Get Clear on the Theme: What does it mean to you? What are the behaviours or changes you’d like to see in alignment with this theme?

2. Identify Cues: Think about the situations or triggers that could help you stay focused on your theme. For example, if your theme is ‘Self-care’, maybe your cue is feeling stress or tension in your jaw, prompting you to take a few minutes for deep breathing or a short walk.

3. Create New Habits: Changing behaviour takes time. The key is to develop new, small habits that support your theme. For example, if your theme is ‘Joy’, try making a daily list of things that made you happy to reinforce a positive mindset.

4. Use Implementation Intentions: This ('if then') technique involves setting clear plans for action. For instance, if your theme is ‘Be Bold’, you might decide, “If I feel hesitant to speak up in a meeting, then I will take a deep breath and share one idea.”

Why Habits Are Hard to Change (And How to Do It)

Habits are automatic and often tied to specific cues, making them difficult to change. Research shows that willpower is limited, and when we’re mentally drained, our ability to stick to goals falters. This is where your theme can help—it’s less about willpower and more about creating a mindset that guides your behaviour.

If you want to break a bad habit or build a new one, start small and use your theme to guide your decisions. Don’t rely solely on self-regulation, which is inconsistent. Instead, use implementation intentions to create ‘if-then’ plans that make new behaviours feel automatic.

Key Takeaway

This year don’t tie yourself to an impossible resolution. Pick a theme, let it guide you, and watch how it transforms your year. 

Ready for 2025? The theme is yours to choose!