The Everyday Awesome Project
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The Everyday Awesome Project
56: Create a Theme for the Year: Coach Polly's Solo Episode
Ever felt lost in the whirlwind of daily chaos, longing for a way to navigate with clarity?
Join Coach Polly as we embark on a transformative journey inspired by programs I've completed and my own personal new year rituals. Together we'll setting a yearly theme that becomes your personal North Star.
This practice isn't just about picking a word; it's about aligning with your core values and ensuring that your actions and experiences truly reflect what matters to you most. Discover how this simple yet profound exercise has helped me live with intention and purpose, and how it can do the same for you.
In this solo episode Polly explores the creative realm of choosing a word that resonates with your dreams and desires for the upcoming year. We’ll dig into the power of reflection and dreaming, examining various facets of life like family, health, finances, and fun. Through techniques like word mapping, definitions and synonyms, you will be guided to uncover the perfect word that captures your intensions. This imaginative journey not only helps you articulate a clear vision but also sets the stage for a year that aligns with your deepest desires.
Finally, let's make the abstract tangible by discovering your unique theme and word for the year. Polly shares her theme for 2025, "harmony," along with the "ways of being" that resonate with her intentions.
As we explore the impact of consistently reminding ourselves of our chosen themes, you'll be encouraged to engage with this practice creatively, using tools like journals or post-it notes.
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Hey superstars, welcome back Polly here and welcome to a solo episode of the Everyday Awesome Project, and I'm happy to be sharing with you today something that is near and dear to my heart. I decided to do this as a solo episode and share with you a process that I call it creating a theme for the year or creating a word for the year, and there's a lot that goes into this, but I think if you're listening to this, you're either fascinated by it you've done it before or you want to learn how to do it. So the teacher in me is coming out and I hope, if you are listening to this on our podcast, you may come jump over to our YouTube channel because I'm going to do show and tell. I feel like this topic because I have so much to share visually it might get more out of it. So I'll do my best to entertain both your audio and video if you're watching this or listening to this and tuning in. So thank you for joining me and creating a theme for the year, creating a word for the year, and this is part of my overall annual process that I go through, and I did another episode at the end a few episodes ago of the year, of how I kind of close out my year, bringing closure to the year. And then this is part of my process for setting up intention, setting up living intentionally in your life and so creating a theme for the year something I've done for many up intention, setting up living intentionally in your life and so creating a theme for the year something I've done for many, many years I can't even remember how many and word for the year and lots of different things. And I want to give a little shout out here in the beginning to somebody that I take a lot of inspiration from. It's called the Holiday Council by Molly Mehar, and I did her program a few years back. I did it maybe like three years in a row. I just love her material and she has some nice steps. She goes through every December, I think it is. She does about four to six weeks of taking you through some of the process that I'm going through. So if you haven't checked her out, check out Molly Mehar. She's a wonderful coach and guide in the world of transformation, and so kudos to her. And one of the things that I wanted to share with you comes from materials that I've picked up from her and things that I've acquired and just processes that I go through. So, before we dive into the steps of the how, let me just share with you a little bit of the why.
Polly Mertens:Why have a theme for the year, why have words for the year? Why do people do this? Like, what is this about? If you're tuning into this, you've never done this before. Just bear with me. I just want to share with you a little bit about that. So I would say, when I first started doing these, you know the whole New Year's resolutions, all this goal setting. You know all that, all of that great. You know you can have a ton of goals in your business, maybe your personal life or whatnot.
Polly Mertens:I find that having a theme and having a theme that you can come back to is like having a compass. It's a North Star right, just like if you really know and own your values, if you've ever done a values process or exercise to really get clear on not only what your values are but what the priorities of your values are. And that's work of Tony Robbins. It's super powerful and this is similar right. So what do you want your theme to be of this year? And I'm getting a little ahead of myself, but basically it's a simplified way of just having kind of like one word or one sentence or a small phrase. It's just like your North Star through the year, right, it's like it's that little thing that reminds you oh yeah, that's it. Oh yeah, that's what I'm doing. Oh, should I do this or that? Oh wait, what's my theme? What? What am I most focused on? Right, Because you're, if you're like any of the goal setting that I've done in my life, you can have just tons of things going on in all the areas of your life, right, but a theme or a word can help you really just like hone in and create focus and clarity, sort of navigate the clutter of life and just come back to a center for yourself.
Polly Mertens:Your North Star of, like, what is this year about, what is really most important to me? It's like the overarching umbrella of everything that you want to have within that year, to be within that year, falls under this umbrella of this theme, and often they're inspiring or uplifting or they help us make, you know, transition from somewhere that we've been or we're stepping into, or something we us make you know transition from somewhere that we've been or we're stepping into, or something we want to, you know, not have ourselves do anymore some behaviors or some patterns that we want to let go of and kind of embrace something new, a new side of ourself, a new identity, if you will. So let me now take you in through. You know, there's a lot of ways that you can do this. This is just Polly's version and I hope, as you listen to this or as you watch this, that you get inspired in your own unique way. You don't have to do it exactly as I do it, or exactly as I say, or how Molly Mayhar says or anybody says.
Polly Mertens:It's really about what makes the most sense for you, what helps you get in tune with that inner you, that inner conversation, that intuition, your North Star. What are you most needing right now? Or what's most, let's say, resonating for you or is inspiring for you right now? Right, because first step is, you know, as I said in a previous episode, about the reflecting on the year and reviewing the past, right? So maybe, if you do this once a year, as you as I do these, really it starts to talk to me like I start to get the hint of a theme months in advance. I start like hearing whispers or so much is showing up in my life that is either resistance or contrast or clarifying for me, like I'll know, before I sit down to create my theme for the year or my word for the year, I've got some ideas, you know, some things have been showing up, right.
Polly Mertens:So if you haven't, I would strongly encourage you to either go back and listen to that episode or sit down with yourself and just say you know, I'm gonna, I'm gonna sit with myself, get in a quiet, reflective space, get a journal. You know this is you time, this is you going and doing that inner work, that inner conversation, really just finding out more and digging around inside of yourself. For what's this year, past year, been like, or this period or season in your life been like? What did you learn, what did you grow from, what was frustrating, what do you want to leave behind? So this reflecting, you know, and tell it as a story.
Polly Mertens:You know there's a whole process that I go through. Basically, you start with the reflecting and renewing or sorry, reflecting and review, because it often informs like, okay, I don't want that anymore, I've got clarity, this is what it's time for, right? So you know, in themes for the year. There's all sorts of ways that you can go about this and come up with them or be inspired into them, and it's largely your life that is informing. What season are you in, you know? Are you in a season of renewal and rebirth and regeneration, or new beginnings? Or are you in a season of calming and ease or gentleness or compassion or self-care or quietness, right? Or are you ready for adventure? Are you ready to like get after it? Are you ready to like leap the tallest building? Right? It's totally your life and your season that you're reflecting on and looking into the new year. What's calling you right? So step one is I would encourage you to spend some time.
Polly Mertens:If you want to go through that whole process, please listen to that episode or at least spend maybe 30 minutes just reflecting on the period that you've been in, kind of getting the clay to begin to work with as you step into step two, which is imagining and envisioning this year ahead. You know, and some people like to do this, you know, in five year blocks or 10 year, you know, whatever you're called to write the word for the year, the theme for the year, it could carry over for more than one year, but let's, I would say, in these next 12 months. I find that for myself anyway, everybody's visions come differently. Some people know exactly what they want to do for the next 10 years, 20 years. I'm not that way. I like a lot more variety. I don't really often know more than about six months in advance. You know like that's the horizon or the staircase that I can see as I take steps towards that. So, whatever your horizon looks like, if it's a theme for the year, then begin to. You know you can do meditation process. You can just do some silence work. You can just do some creative. You know people like to collage whatever it is that gives you starts to give you some inspiration.
Polly Mertens:And just as you come out of your reflecting and reviewing, okay, what would I like to have more of in my life? Right, I love some of the things that Molly has in hers is like you know, what would you? What would your future visualization look like? How did you know what's the strongest emotion, what are you present to in your life right now that you're really wanting more of or less of in your life? Right, so you know what's what's, what are your heart's desire? She would say so. What are you craving? You know. So you look at the different areas of your life. We look at the wheel of life and the 12 or eight different ways you can slice up the pie of your life. You know, is it areas of family that you need to focus on or you're choosing to focus on? Is it your health? Is it your finances? Is it your adventure, your fun, your playful side? What's it time for, right? So what's it time for? What are you craving? What are your desires Like? See what bubbles up. You know. Start journaling those types of things, answering those questions.
Polly Mertens:So step one is imagine, I'm sorry. Step two is imagining and envisioning. What do you want this year? What's calling for you? Maybe it's super clear, because last year gave you a lot of clarity going into the next 12 months Fantastic. Or what would you if you took that big dream off the shelf and you dusted it off and you said maybe this is the year for that or damn it, it's the year for that, or it's time to stop doing that. Right, I need to set myself free. I need to create some new boundaries, whatever. It is right. So I need to set myself free. I need to create some new boundaries, whatever it is. So the next one is what is it time for? What are you craving? What area or season of your life are you most wanting to focus on, right? What needs to change? What change do you want to bring about in yourself and in your life and in your results that would have the biggest impact for you on these next 12 months?
Polly Mertens:Step three, I think, is the most fun part, right. This is where we begin to get that creative side, and I love so. This is I did this years ago. I'm showing in video, if you're listening to it. It's word brainstorming, right? So it's getting a sheet of paper. I love to get out color markers. Just take a big blank sheet of paper and just start like spilling out words that come to you, right, you might write them in pencil or you can write them in color finding words that are calling to you, that are interesting to you, maybe that you found in your review, or maybe you found in your dreaming and your imagining, right? So, just like, start finding words, gather word ideas, right, and just brainstorm all over the page, like you know.
Polly Mertens:So some examples so like for me, this year was, and this word was like creeping up on me for the last few months because I was not having a lot of ease, so I just kept going I want more ease, I want more ease in the new year. I want ease in the new year. So ease, simple, smooth, rested, flow, right, those words were, you know, coming for me and coming from me. But yet there's a playful side. So words and sometimes I highly recommend words have a frequency. Words often and you've listened to any of our episodes, you know I love coming up with a definition and really understanding, like, the root behind words and what does it really mean, right?
Polly Mertens:So we throw out words that we don't necessarily all agree on the same definition. So, getting clear on fine-tuning in the word for you, I also love to do synonyms, right? So Word Hippo is a fun website that I like to go to. Or just synonyms, you can just synonym for that word. So if I said ease, what are synonyms for ease? What is the definition of ease? And as I read it, it's like very intuitive. You, you know this is the woo-woo side, is like you just know if that word really has, uh, impact for you, if it resonates for you, if it's like, yeah, like. For me, it's like I'm a hell. Yes, I raise my hand like I want more of that in my life, right? Would you high five if somebody said, if we can give, if that's what your life was about, if this next year that was what was you were up to, would you just be like amazing, thank you, I will take it all day long, right?
Polly Mertens:So other words that I was coming up with were open and welcome and free and clear, passionate, activated, thrilled, excited, electrified, charged, right. And then there's the audacious, the maverick, the plugged in, the stimulated, invigorated. And then I had tender and sweet, yummy, harmony, rhythm, balance, um. And about physical, it was nimble, agile, capable, graceful, mobility, you know. And then my playful side surprised and delighted, awe and wonder.
Polly Mertens:So you can go anywhere online these days and there are lots of coaches that will have just like adjective, word, ideas, right. So I strongly encourage you, you know, check these things out, go find ideas, um, dig yourself into them and just gather word ideas, like, like, just spill everything. It takes more than a page, whatever it is for you just spilling words onto the page that really excite you or turn you on or light you up or feel good, you know, and maybe, if it's ease, you're not excited or elated, you're just like, ah, yeah, that's what I need more of right now. Yeah, ease or grace or simplicity or focus or clarity or love or harmony or whatever it is Right. And then I find that, as you have all these words on the page, some will just start to jump out at you Like as I, you know, kind of brain dump, or you just, you know, gather all these words, you're going to gravitate to some, right, and what I like to do is I start to circle them, right, so I circle my words and I see if that resonates more, and then what you're trying to do is start to, you know, deduce or reduce it down, you know.
Polly Mertens:So you're coming up with one word or one phrase, theme of the year, and it's from this bucket of words that you've come up with and just kind of going back and forth. So sometimes I'll play with two words, you know. So let's say, I've got nature or natural right, or excited, or electrified, or is it maverick or audacious or bohemian or whatever you know. And so, looking at the words that you've written, fine tuning, going back and forth, looking at definitions, looking at synonyms, finding, you know, just really clarifying, and then whatever works for you to narrow that list down, I would say you know. Next, as you're brainstorming your ideas, look up the definitions, listen to your own intuition. Only you know which word is going to be right for you, right. And you start narrowing it down, honey, and I find that words like jump out at me, right, or a phrase and a definition I'd be like ding ding, ding, we have a winner here, right. And a definition I'd be like ding ding, ding, we have a winner here, right.
Polly Mertens:And so I thought my word for the new year was going to be ease. And then I looked up the definition of both ease, and then I, one of my words that I wrote down was harmony. And as I read the definition of harmony, I said hold up. That actually speaks more to me about what I've been feeling or longing for or wanting to express in the world, is like harmony. I want to be in harmony with myself, so I'll just share with you. So my word for the year, for the new year, is harmony, right, and so what does that mean to me? What is the? You know, I can take, you know, I can take. You know all these definitions, what have you and for me, really, it's a lot about?
Polly Mertens:I've been studying a lot about sound and doing a lot of sound work and energy and vibration and harmony. Well, the definition doesn't scream out like sound or vibration being in harmony with myself, with my source, with the people around me, with what's happening, with what's wanting to happen with nature. It just started to make so much sense Like it applied in so many different directions for me anyway. And last year let me see if I have my word oh, last year my words were expand and elevate. I was really wanting to just be in this growth and like growing myself, being the biggest version of myself, I wanted to elevate my voice, my thoughts, you know, just to expand and elevate were my words last year.
Polly Mertens:Harmony is my word for this coming year, and you have all these little other words that, like, are vying for that number one position, I find. So you get the one word and you're like, okay, yeah, that's it, but there's all these other little words that you don't want to let go of, and so I love one of the things that Molly says. She calls them your ways of being right. So you have your theme word. I'm sorry. You have your word of the year and you have ways of being, and so I'll give you as an example, and I'm showing. If you're watching the video you'll see. I've got this card that I write down.
Polly Mertens:So I have at the top my theme, my word for the year 2025, which is harmony, and then my ways of being, and I'll give you some examples of mine. So bohemian nature, lover, playful and curious, tender and sweet, fluidity and mobility, excited and electrified, surprised and delighted, welcoming and welcomed and radically aligned. That's just what my words came. You know yours can be whatever is turning you on or resonating for you, or your intuition says that's a hit for me. I'm just giving you some ideas here and you know some other ideas, so you might have phrases too, right? So I'll say that I have a theme, a word and then ways of being, and you know you don't have to be, you don't have to go this far, but if you choose to.
Polly Mertens:So my theme, like I said, ease was coming to me towards the end of the years. I was doing my review and my reflection and just kind of noticing what was in my space and in my life, was like I want a lot of ease. So I want life to feel at ease and with grace, if you will, in the flow type of thing. And then, as I went through this process, really, what jumped off the page and I think I saw it in a Pinterest post or something, right, Because you can get inspiration. So as you do this, you don't have to do this all in one sitting, right? So, like I said, the ease was coming to me was like screaming off the page months ago, right, and I was like, okay, I think that's going to be it. Like screaming off the page months ago, right, and I was like, okay, I think that's going to be it. And it's not it, but it is close to it. So it helped me find my word for the year. And then I like having a theme for the year, right, so themes can be whatever you want, right, so it could be the year of one word. You know that could be it.
Polly Mertens:So the year of harmony, that's your theme. This is the year of harmony. I have a girlfriend, jen. Her theme last year was simplify, simplify, simplify, simplify, simplify. Just one word really spoke to her, right. So examples I'm just reading off some examples here. So is it the year for investing in me? Is it the year of following through? How about setting boundaries? No-transcript. Maybe it's making shit happen. Maybe it's setting boundaries. Maybe it's managing your mindset, raising your vibration, intentional alignment, fearless intimacy, bold and bright love and light, right, taking responsibility, owning your power all kinds of things.
Polly Mertens:My theme for this year. I live a life that causes my soul to dance inside my body. That just speaks to me so loudly, like there are so many ways that I can use that as my North Star. Like is this life that I'm living? Is this thing that I'm about to do? Is this place that I'm going to go? Are these people that I'm with? Am I being one with my soul, my essence? Am I living a life that causes my soul to dance inside my body? That's telling me like I'm lit up, I'm fired up, I'm tuned in, I'm turned on, I'm a hell yes for this, whatever I'm doing. So that's my theme for the year. My word is harmony and I share with you my ways of being. So I ask you, you know, narrow down to one word, right, maybe two, like I had last year expand and elevate. But just was like expand and elevate. My theme last year was hell yes, that was my. I'm a hell like I wanted to feel. Hell yes for my life, for the things that I was up to, the things that I was invited to, the things I was saying yes to. Am I a hell yes for this, right, or am I a hell, no right? So this year I've shared my theme, my word for the year and ways of being. So I invite you to try this on.
Polly Mertens:Play with this. What is your intentional life calling forth from you? What are you craving? What is your heart's desire right now? So first step is doing some reflecting and reviewing. Second step, word brainstorming, imagining and visualizing. Get words out on the paper, right. And then, you know, really get creative, right.
Polly Mertens:So this is I'm showing on screen my, this is one of my books. So, like, get creative and play with it and make it colorful and and really, you know something that you want to look for, you want to look at, want to review, look at, I've got this day timer that I use and this particular one has a whole section at the beginning of all the areas what's my, what are my affirmations, things to remind myself, things I'm grateful for, have my core values in it somewhere, you know, and, as I show, I've got a little card. I'm going to have this with me every day, right, and I have these cards from years gone by, like I keep them, and I love looking back. You know what was my theme for 2019? What was my theme for 2015? Right back.
Polly Mertens:You know what was my theme for 2019? What was my theme for 2015? Right, so it inspired you. It reminds me of the phase that I was in, just like looking at pictures and reminiscing and memories and whatnot. You know my journals, my themes. They tell me something about the phase that I was in in my life, right, like what was most important to me. So, what's most important to you, what is it that's your craving or is calling to you, and I encourage you, you know.
Polly Mertens:So my, this process for me is usually, you know, just, and you can do this, like I said, this is just how I do. It is I like to give myself a day for this. It's so damn fun, not to say that I do the whole day. It's not like eight hours I spend doing it, but I just carve out space and I create rituals and I turn on yummy music and I light candles and just get in comfy clothes, you know, maybe make a little cave or an altar or an area and I do whatever feels good that day. Right, I just create space for the energy, the creativity, the inspiration, the guidance, the intuitive calling, knowing the messages from my guides and myself, my inner compass, to work with me and work through me. And the beauty of it is as it sets the tone for the year and when you, you know, and you can start out and maybe you think that that's what it is, you can change it.
Polly Mertens:So this isn't like you're going to do it wrong. You know you have to. If it doesn't take you all day to do this, then you're not working hard enough. This should absolutely feel like fun. This should feel like something you look forward to, like back in the days when you would, you know, as a kid you'd get out colors and markers and and paper and you would like write. You know drawing and stuff like that. So look forward to this.
Polly Mertens:This is not something that you have to struggle with or you have to fight yourself to get to do or you have to squeeze in a little window of time. It's meant to be spacious and maybe for you. An hour is spacious, so be it right, give yourself that hour. Make it as yummy, as comfortable, as playful, as creative, as time for yourself, because you deserve that time with yourself, your life, the being that you are to be in the world, who you're putting yourself out into the world. What are you welcoming more of from the world? Right, it's absolutely okay to have you know a theme that is an invitation to the world to bring you things. Maybe it's abundance, maybe it's prosperity, maybe it's love, maybe it's passion, maybe it's romance, maybe it's adventure, maybe it's calm and ease. So will you give yourself this time, will you do this process?
Polly Mertens:I hope you haven't gotten this far and listened to this whole thing and just walk away and don't do anything. I hope you rewind, I hope you listen to this over and over again and I hope you actually do it. I hope you set yourself down, get a journal, get some crayons, get some colors, get some things out, get post post-it notes, postcards, whatever it is, and really have fun with this right and take it with you into the year right. So in some years I've made multiples of these cards. I've had them in my car, I've had them in my office. I'll have them in my purse, posted up on the refrigerator, whatever right, and looking at it and reminding yourself of it right, it's sort of like in the beginning you have. It takes a little muscle memory to remember what it is.
Polly Mertens:I remember last year, with expand and elevate. I just would go on walks and I would just say that, over again, expand and elevate, expand and elevate. I'm expanding and elevating, expanding and elevating, over and over and over again, as I infused my year and my body with it. Right and so harmony, right, and so for me, that's what this year is about. What is this year about for you? What could it be if you gave yourself the gift of spending a little time getting to know your inner compass, your North Star? What's it calling for or yearning for right now?
Polly Mertens:So I invite you and please share with us what's your word for the year, what's your theme for the year, what would you like it to be? Try some out, you know, play with us on social media, share with us what you're playing with, what you're coming up with. We'd love to hear from you. So, as we come to a close, I wanna invite you, as we always do. The one thing I would say is don't let another year go by without being intentional and you choosing for you what the theme is of your life this next year. And I want to remind you, samantha, I send you love and wishes from the end of this episode. I wish you were here with me, sending you a big hug and for all of you who are listening, we love you, our friends, our joyous A-Team family. Remember how your life feels is way more important than how it looks, and every day is your opportunity to find your awesome Woo-hoo.
