The speaker discusses the challenges of setting New Year's resolutions and suggests a more effective approach: themes. They argue that resolutions often fail because they are too specific, rigid, and tied to a single point in time. Instead, they propose using a theme, which is a broad, directional concept that can adapt as you grow and change.
They explain that themes are like a friendly bot guiding you on your path, helping you notice branches and consider choices. They provide an example of a year of novelty, where the theme was to try new things, leading to a more varied and interesting life.
The speaker emphasizes that themes should be broad and directional, but most importantly, resonant. They liken words to tuning forks for the brain, and when choosing a theme, you're looking for a word or phrase that resonates with you and causes your brain to vibrate in resonance.
They suggest that themes are a high-level, longer-term way to navigate your life, guiding smaller, more specific systems and actions. They argue that themes are a more flexible and adaptable tool than rigid resolutions, allowing you to change and evolve over time without feeling like you've failed.
Finally, the speaker encourages you to give yourself time to find a theme that resonates with you and try it out in the coming season. They conclude by suggesting that a season is a nice human length of time to experiment with a new theme, reminding you that change is a natural part of life.
1. The speaker is discussing the common failure of New Year's resolutions, suggesting that they often do not flourish or are foregone.
2. The speaker is comparing the effort curve of resolutions to a rodeo, where individuals often get thrown off their resolutions and have to return next year.
3. The speaker suggests that instead of setting a specific resolution, one could set a theme for the year.
4. The speaker gives examples of themes, such as "year of reading" or "year of health".
5. The speaker emphasizes that precision is not necessary for themes, and the trend line is what matters.
6. The speaker suggests that if the trend is going in the right direction, then the individual is moving in the right direction.
7. The speaker mentions the concept of a "friendly bot" that follows the individual on the path to help notice branches and consider choices.
8. The speaker shares an example of a theme they used, "year of novelty", and how it helped them try new things instead of sticking to the known.
9. The speaker emphasizes that a good theme cannot fail, as it will point out paths that would otherwise be overlooked.
10. The speaker suggests that a theme should be broad and directional, and that it should resonate with the individual.
11. The speaker explains that words are "tuning forks for the brain", and that when picking a theme, one should look for a word or words that cause the brain to vibrate in resonance.
12. The speaker suggests that themes are a high-level, longer-term way to navigate the brain, and that they are a fuzzy, high-level way to guide smaller, more specific systems and actions.
13. The speaker suggests that a year is a long time, and that a season might be a more human-length of time to set a theme for.
14. The speaker encourages the listener to give themselves time to find a theme that resonates with them and to try it out in the coming season.