Have you chosen a theme for 2018?

I know it sounds corny, but trust me: if you do it right, setting a theme for the year can have such a positive impact.

I've been doing this for the last few years. I've found it to be a fun and helpful encapsulation of what I want the new year to bring.

Having a theme for the year, in the form of a special word, a motto, theme song or image can help to keep you in touch with your goals and dreams, and guide you in your decisions and choices this year.

What is your theme for 2018?

To help you choose, ask yourself: how do I want to feel this year?

And then ask: How can you encapsulate that in a word, a song, a quote, an image or anything else that you can keep in mind as you choose your way through 2018?

My theme for 2017 was the quote by Stephen Covey: "The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing." I chose it for a couple of reasons... Firstly, I had a HUGE 2017 planned and needed to make sure I didn't fritter away my time on mindless, unproductive, unnecessary stuff. I also chose it as I was still in the process of recalibrating and re-establishing boundaries after allowing a couple of needy-Nellie emotional Vampire-types absorb way too much of my mental and emotional bandwidth and drain way too much of my time and energy.

So my theme for 2017 was a great way to continually remind myself of what is truly important in my life: the people I love, and not to let business or stress or unimportant people or situations take away from spending my time with the people I love, showing them I care and creating happy memories with them.

And it worked an absolute treat!!!

It was an extremely helpful touchstone throughout the year as I focussed on eliminating the drains on my time and energy that were standing between me and my Big Hairy Audacious Goals!!! I was constantly reminded me to enforce healthy personal boundaries, to be judicious with my time and to schedule the important stuff first. In short, my theme for 2017 made me much more efficient, effective and productive.

So I'm absolutely convinced that having a theme for the year can be an incredibly helpful tool if we put some careful thought into it - and keep it in mind throughout the year!

Oh, and my theme for 2018? Two words: Health First

It serves two purposes. Firstly, it reminds me to consider my health first in all my decisions. So for every step I take throughout 2018, I will be asking myself how my physical and emotional wellbeing will be impacted and how can I make sure I am putting my health first. I'm a card-carrying type-A recovering workaholic with a long track-record of putting work, deadlines and achievement ahead of sleep, healthy diet, self-care, stress-management and my personal relationships. Not any more baby!!

And on a more practical level, "Health First" reminds me to exercise first thing in the morning, to prioritise sleep, and schedule in massages, family time, medical check-ups and other important self-care BEFORE I cram my calendar full of work meetings, deadlines and social commitments.