Anna S. E. Lundberg

Coach, Speaker, Writer

Hello 2015: My theme for the new year

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I love the approach of having a theme for the new year rather than a long list of resolutions that you’re unlikely to keep. A theme gives you a framework for the year without being too restrictive, a beacon to guide you while allowing some freedom along the way.

For me, last year was the year of follow-through; the year before, a year of bold decisions. This year, 2015, I’ve decided will be the year of being ACTIVE. Now as several people have already pointed out, I haven’t exactly been inactive these past few years; so I suppose what I mean is being PHYSICALLY active.

I used to win the 100m races in primary school, I was an awesome GA in netball, and I even won the sports award in sixth form. Already at secondary school I got a bit lazy, playing some netball, hockey and tennis but half-heartedly; when I changed to an American school I found that I couldn’t do any of the sports (basketball, baseball…) and instead became a cheerleader (yes, I know). At university I did one year of rowing, which is probably when I was at my fittest; we used to go to Burger King for a huge meal after each race and still I was slimmer than I’ve ever been. Since then, I’ve done a few 10k races and half-marathons, gone skiing a few times a year when I lived in Geneva, taken tennis lessons, done a bit of yoga, trained at the gym – but all very sporadically.

I’m going to blame at least part of this on my wonderfully cultured upbringing. My family doesn’t exactly have a habit of exercising together, preferring instead more sedentary activities: we would go to museums, to the opera and the ballet, rather than on hiking expeditions or cycling weekends; build motorised lego trucks and train tracks rather than play football in the garden. As an adult, I’ve continued these more intellectual-but-fattening pursuits by spending most of my time reading, writing, taking courses, going to the theatre…

So 2015 will be the year of being active: walking, running, training, dancing, and generally moving about! The aim is to lose weight and get fit, feel great and have more energy, try new things and meet new people. I’m hoping that by the end of the year I will have established new and lasting habits, reprogramming my mind and body so that I’ll continue with a more consistently active lifestyle over the coming years. Bring. It. On.

To make sure I live up to my theme throughout the year, I’m planning at least one new activity every month. So far, I have a few things already booked in:

January – Personal trainer programme and starting to run again
February – Ski trip to Verbier with my friend Serena
March – Arctic Adventure in Kiruna, Sweden with Secret Adventures
April – Women’s Health Half-marathon in Stockholm? (25th April)
May – ?
June – ?
July – ?
August – ?
September – Stockholm Half-marathon? (12th September)
October – Muddy 5k (10k?) race with my sister in Norwich (25th October)
November – ?
December – ?

As you can see, I still have at least six more months to fill. Looking back at my bucket list, I have plenty of activities to choose from:

#20 Go on a yoga retreat in India
#26 Dance salsa in Cuba
#30 Cycle across Gotland in Sweden (I also want to go kayaking in the Stockholm archipelago)
#34 Climb Kilimanjaro
#35 Go hiking in Switzerland
#56 Climb to the top of a climbing wall
#57 Run a marathon (eek! Maybe next year…?)
#60 Get my sailing licence
#66 Learn to ice skate
#67 Go snowshoeing (planned for Verbier in February!)
#78 Learn to salsa (important for #26)
#79 Do a diving intro course
#80 Learn to dive (as in, off the edge of a pool)
#89 Do yoga daily (what a silly thing to put on your bucket list! when is this ever going to be completed??)

Other ideas? Want to join me? Want to share your theme for 2015? Get in touch in the comments section below!

Goodbye 2014: So how did you do on your theme for this year?

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Is it just me, or has this year gone by faster than any other year? Is this how it’s going to be now, each year going faster and faster as one year becomes a smaller and smaller portion of my life? When you’re little, one year is a big thing: you tell people you’re eight and three-quarters, almost nine! Now it’s just one of many…

For the first time last year, instead of writing a long list of resolutions that I would never keep, I defined a theme for the new year: FOLLOW-THROUGH. A theme is less restrictive than a list of action steps but still gives you a framework for making decisions throughout the year. So now it’s time to look back on 2014 and see how I’ve done – then tomorrow I’ll look ahead and define a new theme for 2015.

SUCCESSFUL FOLLOW-THROUGH IN 2014:

  • I maintained this blog, posting at least once a week and sometimes twice a week. I also started and sustained the Fearless Fridays series of interviews with people who have quit their corporate jobs to do something different.
  • I completed my MatadorU travel-writing course that I had started more than a year before but left to drag on.
  • I travelled to New Zealand to see my friend who has already been living there for almost two years. This also meant that I could tick off two items from my bucket list: Hobbiton and Weta and the Waitomo Glowworm Caves.
  • I went to two new countries, as is my goal every year: this year it was Malta and Malaysia – both highly recommended, by the way.
  • I stopped going to interviews for full-time jobs, said no to recruiters, and on 11th February I officially established my independent digital marketing consultancy. I’ve maintained a business blog on that site and completed several big client projects this year, keeping busy and gaining an income far above what I had expected during my first year of freelancing.
  • I joined a gym and got into a rhythm of going three times a week. I even went four times at my hotel during a weeklong beach holiday.
  • I read 36 books this year – not quite the 50 that I had set as a Goodreads challenge but definitely more than I’ve been reading these past few years.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT*:
*This is what we used to call weaknesses or failures at Procter & Gamble. Good, eh?

  • I stopped going to the gym when I left for my big trip in November and abandoned all attempt at eating healthily. Oops. My weight has crept, or rather leapt, up in the meantime.
  • My big consultancy projects meant that I was busy and didn’t always make time for writing, working on my business website, or making plans to grow the business.
  • Although I’ve been blogging quite conscientiously, I sent off only one article for publication and I haven’t even started on any of my book ideas.

All in all, I’ve had a great year and I’m proud of what I’ve achieved. Going independent was absolutely the right decision for me and has brought new challenges, opportunities, and friends. I’ve worked hard but also had plenty of time to spend with my family and to travel. I think I’ve shown dedication both at work and at home, and I’m happy with how I’ve followed through on my decisions and commitments this year.

So, what’s next, what’s the new theme for 2015? You’ll have to wait until next year to find out…

 

Did you set a theme for 2014? How did you do? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!