Cross-Post: Your Theme for the New Year?

If you’re firmly caught up in the inertia of the season, and planning to make yet another obligatory new year’s resolution that won’t likely inspire you, or amount to all that much, consider the suggestion of Curt Rosengren and try assigning yourself a “unifying theme” for the upcoming year, instead!

For those who don’t know Curt, he’s a self-identified “passion catalyst” who writes frequently on the topic of career change/reinvention and who specializes in helping people figure out how to marry their personal passions with their professional livelihood.  I’ve known Curt for at least a decade now and always love to hear his original, innovative angles on the career exploration challenge.  He’s extremely devoted to his craft and highly gifted at helping people break through their own self-imposed barriers and limitations in order to discover the work that they’d really love.

At any rate, in one of Curt’s most recent blog entries, he authored the article you’ll find here discussing the idea of establishing a “theme” that you can rally around in the months to come.  Read this article and perhaps you’ll find yourself committing to a “fun fitness” regimen or a “work/life balance” objective for the year ahead.  Or you might get even more creative and decide 2010 will be the year of “abolishing your inner critic” or “letting out your wild side” or living in “pay-it-forward” mode at all times.  The possibilities are endless!  And while some may disagree, I think this theme idea is a neat twist on the traditional “resolution” concept — as well as one that could be even more effective at helping a person add an exciting new dimension to their lives, either personally or professionally.

So just for kicks, take a moment to mull this concept over.  If you could pick a development theme for yourself, what would it be?  What catchy sound bite would best sum up your vision, goals, and objectives for the coming year?  If you come up with something that invigorates and inspires you, write it down and take the steps necessary to keep it firmly in mind, going forward.  For example, you might program the theme into your computer screen saver.  Or add it to your e-mail signature.  Or tape it to your bathroom mirror.  Or instruct your friends to recite your theme back to you every time they see you.  Whatever it takes to modify your existing habits and weave this new element successfully into your daily ritual.

It’s a neat idea, at the very least, and I appreciate Curt’s permission to link you all to his thoughts on this subject.  If you’d like to partake of some of his additional insights on the subject of career exploration, or how to identify your core passions, I’d encourage you all to spelunk Curt’s website here or sign up for his prolific blog!