I'm seldom excited about the New Year. Not because I intend to 'grinch' my way through the holiday (which would be a delight for the anti-new-year resolution crew), but for the reason I have not yet completely understood (ask me again after one year of therapy). A vague reason is the pressure to set resolutions, and as a transformation coach, I work with individuals who are constantly changing their lives all year round, so I don't subscribe to the new year being the only time for this. However, we live in a world that capitalises on every holiday including the New Year, so we might as well make the best of a fresh calendar year to assume some refreshing approach to life.
Therefore, as we set our sights on the months ahead, let's combine the power of building character strengths with the practice of selecting a mantra, theme, and word to guide us through the year. Fortunately, I have found this exercise does work and I'm happily sharing my learnings and knowledge with you.
Building Character Strengths: Your Foundation for 2024
Before diving into the process of choosing a mantra, theme, and word, let's first explore the essential practice of building character strengths. Achievements are great, we all love a 'happy to announce' story on social media, but behind closed doors, we are left with either our pitiful or commendable character. A strong character serves as the bedrock on which you can build a more meaningful and successful life. My biggest highlight of 2023 was the person I became by the end of the year - secure, healing, confident, capable, authentic. Here's how to make character development your central focus for 2024:
Self-awareness is the first step: Take a moment for self-reflection. As a researcher of self-reflection, I find that the quality of questions you can ask and answer for yourself during self-reflection is in proportion to the quality of your life. Self-reflection requires stillness, and the more pauses you can take, the better you can improve your character. Start by understanding your values, beliefs, and personality traits. What qualities in others do you admire? What do you want to strengthen within yourself? Self-awareness is the cornerstone of character development.
Identify your strengths and weaknesses: Once you have a better understanding of yourself, identify your existing strengths and areas that need improvement. Use personality assessments, feedback from loved ones, or journaling to gain insights into your character.
Set clear intentions: Choose a few character strengths that resonate with you and align with your goals for 2024. Whether it's kindness, resilience, honesty, or patience, having a specific focus will make your character development journey more manageable. In 2023, I set a clear intention to be brave, authentic and secure.
Practice, practice, practice: Developing character strengths requires consistent practice. Look for daily or weekly opportunities to put your chosen qualities into action. The more you practice, the stronger these qualities will become. In 2023, I got deep into my journaling practice and used this as an opportunity to document the practice of my character strengths - Oprah's 'The Life You Want' journal is a great starting point for this.
Embrace setbacks as learning opportunities: Don't be discouraged by setbacks or moments when you fall short of your desired character strengths. View these experiences as valuable lessons and opportunities for growth. A sign of resilience is learning to grow from challenges. In 2023, I took all the personal and professional challenges I experienced as an opportunity to build and improve my character strengths. Celebrate your wins, and stay grateful for the opportunities for growth to improve your confidence.
Now, transitioning to another essential practice for the new year: choosing your mantra, theme, and word.
Choosing Your Mantra, Theme, and Word for 2024
Choosing a point of focus complemented my efforts to build my character strengths in 2023. My mantra, theme and word for the year guided me through the challenges I experienced last year and served as a guiding compass as well. I also recently completed this exercise for 2024 - although it didn't all come to me immediately, it all fits like a glove when they finally came together.
Mantra: Your Personal Affirmation Your personal affirmation is what you meditate on and start to feed your subconscious. It's best if it's the opposite of your limiting beliefs. If you have a negative thought of being defective or not enough, you can write down what the opposite of that is and turn it into a mantra. Start by reflecting on your aspirations and intentions for the year. What feelings or qualities do you want to cultivate within yourself? Your mantra should encapsulate these aspirations in a concise, positive, and present-tense statement. For example, if you aim to enhance your self-confidence, your mantra could be something like "I am confident and capable."
Theme: A Guiding Principle Themes are great for alignment with all areas of your life - whether it's a spur-of-the-moment decision or a life decision. Consider the overarching theme or principle that you want to infuse into all aspects of your life in 2024. It could be a word or a short phrase that represents your overall focus. For instance, if you want to prioritize personal growth, your theme might be "Growth and Transformation."
Word: A Single Point of Concentration Words are a quick way to jolt yourself back to your focus for the year. Choose a single word that encapsulates your overarching goal or the essence of your theme. This word should be easy to remember and serve as a constant reminder of your intentions. Continuing with the personal growth theme, your word might be "Blossom."
Align with Your Values: Ensure that your mantra, theme, and word align with your core values and resonate with you on a deep level. When they are rooted in your values, they become more meaningful and impactful.
Keep It Simple: While it's tempting to choose elaborate or complex phrases, simplicity often works best. Simple mantras, themes, and words are easier to remember and integrate into your daily routine.
Display and Repeat: Write down your mantra, theme, and word and place them where you'll see them regularly – on your desk, bathroom mirror, or screensaver. Repeat them daily, either silently or out loud, to reinforce their presence in your life.
Adapt as Needed: Remember that your mantra, theme, and word are not set in stone. If your priorities or circumstances change throughout the year, feel free to adapt them accordingly. This practice is meant to be flexible and responsive to your evolving journey.
Lastly, be open to the lessons, growth, and transformation that come your way.
As we step into 2024, let's combine the power of character development with the guidance of a mantra, theme, and word. Not only focusing on material achievements could help us be more intentional with our personal development this year. Here's to a year filled with character, purpose, and meaningful progress on your unique journey!
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