Your Annual Theme in Real Life ✨
An Easier System for Keeping Resolutions All Year 🌟
So… you picked a theme 🎉
You felt that little yes in your body.
“This one fits.”
That was the focus of the last post — choosing a Theme for the Year as a kind of North Star ⭐ to guide decisions and help your intentions stay rooted (and remembered) as the year unfolds.
And then January kept moving. Emails arrived 📬. Life happened. Your attention got pulled in twelve directions.
Now you’re wondering:
How do I actually live this thing once the year is in motion? 🤔
Good question. That’s what this post is here for.
Unlike a goal, a theme isn’t something you “execute.” It’s something you return to over time. It offers orientation rather than pressure, with room for flexibility as real life does what it does.
Many people find that having a clear sense of direction supports wellbeing, confidence, and life satisfaction 📚✨. Behavioral science backs this up. The real work is carrying that sense of direction with you once the year fills up — gently, imperfectly, and with support.
Why following through can feel challenging 🧠
If your intentions tend to fade by February, you’re in very good company. Research suggests that only a small percentage of New Year’s resolutions are still active by year’s end.
Sustaining change over weeks or months asks a lot of our nervous systems — especially for ADHD brains. Behavioral science highlights a few common dynamics at play:
The intention–action gap: Motivation often feels different in the future than it does in the moment.
Willpower depletion: Willpower is finite, and it gets stretched thin quickly.
Limited working memory: When life gets busy, intentions can slip out of awareness (particularly true for ADHD).
Ambiguity avoidance: The brain engages more easily with clarity than with vague plans.
Goal overload: Health goals, business goals, relationship goals — many meaningful directions competing for attention.
Progress becomes more likely when intentions are supported by the environment and translated into small, concrete actions 🌱.
Keeping your theme present in daily life 🧭
A meaningful theme already provides a strong anchor. Many people find it helpful to add a few gentle reminders once the year is underway.
You might experiment with:
Making it visual. Inscribing your theme on a piece of jewelry, setting it as a lock screen, or using it as a calendar header 📱
Checking in regularly. A repeating calendar reminder can create space for reflection. Weekly questions like “What would living my theme look like this week?” can guide intentional planning 🗓️
Linking it to an existing routine. A note near your coffee maker or running shoes can prompt a brief, low-effort check-in ☕👟
🌉 Building a bridge from intention to action
At this point, you have a theme and some supports to help keep it present. The next step is translating that direction into action that fits your real life.
You might call these goals, intentions, or next steps. What matters most is that they feel livable and adaptable.
One approach many of my clients enjoy is a Tiny Experiment: choosing a small, repeatable action for a defined period, approached with curiosity rather than pressure. At the end, you pause and decide what feels supportive going forward.
Helpful guidelines include:
Small & repeatable: Actions that fit your current energy and capacity tend to be easier to return to. Training for a marathon might begin with 15-minute runs. 🏃♀️
Defined duration: Committing for a reasonable set period (such as two weeks) often helps the brain stay engaged. ⏳
Curious reflection: If a day is skipped, noticing what got in the way can offer useful information. Brief notes or journaling can help surface patterns.✍️
End-of-cycle check-in: You might continue, adjust, or complete the experiment — each outcome offers clarity. 🔍
Why support makes a difference 🤝
If someone is expecting me at a meeting, I show up. If a client or boss is waiting on a deliverable, it tends to get done.
Intentions held only by ourselves can feel quieter and easier to postpone. This isn’t a personal failing — it reflects how human motivation works.
Shared intention often brings momentum. Support from others can make progress feel more doable and more grounded.
Some options that many people find helpful:
Body doubling: Working alongside another person (Focusmate is a favorite of mine) 👥
An accountability partner: Brief, regular check-ins to share progress and next steps 🔄
Groups: Accountability groups, coaching groups, or masterminds 🧠
A professional coach: Especially supportive when goals are ambitious or patterns feel long-standing. 🎯
Supercharging your progress 🚀
When I describe coaching, I often compare it to working with a personal trainer 💪🏼. People hire trainers because they know they’ll show up for another human in ways that are harder to access on their own — and because trainers understand how people change their bodies for the better.
Coaching works in a similar way. I understand how people change their selves for the better — better thinking, better feeling, better behavior — in ways that are sustainable and aligned with who they want to become.
If you’re feeling ready to live your theme more fully and make steady, meaningful progress, I’d love to talk about how I can support you.
You don’t have to do this alone 🤍