Do you have a theme for 2020?
Each year I like to have a single word that helps me stay focused on what I want the year to mean to me.
This year, my theme is “doubling”, or more specifically, doubling everything that is good for me. So contrary to what my inner self might crave, I won’t be doubling beer consumption.
Why it matters
Setting a word, or a theme, for each year puts intention and control over our lives, even if we don’t see the fruits of that labour straight away. By setting a theme, we are setting ourselves up to stop repeating mistakes of the past and ensure that we bring harmony to each part of our lives—and really, balance and harmony are the new way forward.
One of the biggest conversations I have with clients is about that thin, sometimes imperceptible line for business owners between work and home life, and the various challenges that brings. We all want to have the best of both worlds but trying to separate the two into different categories doesn’t work.
The Myth of Work-Life Balance
Our identities as business owners are informed, influenced and affected by our personal lives—and we need to shed the chains of “leaving it at the door” and embrace how our life influences our work—and vice-versa. One of the best ways to do that is by defining a theme that gives us control and lets us blend both sides of our existence as seamlessly as possible.
It’s not always easy, but confronting the mental toll that business ownership takes on our mental health and our lives outside of work is critical in being able to harness the power that brings into our business and helps distill it in ways that can benefit our business.
Here’s a great article on Inc.com detailing why harmony is so essential to get right for business owners. It’s an enlightening read if you have a few minutes to dedicate to it.
My Theme for 2020
So, here’s to 2020, and in my case:
- 2x the time developing my business
- Double the time spent with my wife
- Double the Quality time spent with my kids
- Allowing myself more time to plan
- More time to jam with my band and pedal till my legs ache and experience the value of pursuits outside of work
- Continuing to help entrepreneur’s double their businesses; and
- Doubling the amount of nutritious things I feed my body (and perhaps just a little beer)
So, how about you? Do you have a theme for 2020, or a word of the year you want to apply to your life and business this year? Let me know in the comments below, and I wish you double the laughter and success that 2020 can bring.
