My 3 Themes For 2022

Every year serves as a new space filled with infinite paths and possibilities.

You can, within this space, select the possibilities you wish to actualize.

For many of us, selecting these possibilities involves setting goals.

Goals are lovely.

My intention, though, for 2022, is to focus far less on goals, and far more on themes.

You will, by reading this essay, learn why that is, and what my three main themes are.

The Nature Of Themes

Just over 1.5-years ago, I wrote an essay titled “Living By Themes”.

The essay was inspired by the writings of James Altucher, who has often written about living by themes, as opposed to living by goals.

To me, this is a radical notion.

A goal is finite and enclosed, rooted entirely in the creation of a specific result.

A theme is completely open-ended, offering many paths for exploration and fulfillment.

You can live by a particular theme in many ways, while also engaging with the abundance of paths that single theme contains within itself.

You can, in some ways, pursue a goal in a similarly open-ended way. But, goals are still confined to their intended results, offering fewer paths and fewer possibilities for change and growth.

The act of pursuing a very specific set of goals is undeniably constructive.

For many of us — myself included — a goal is a wonderful tool for accomplishing a specific aim.

Sometimes, though, the act of pursuing a specific goal serves only to erode our awareness of the infinite paths available to us, as well as the beauty and fulfillment those paths offer.

Even more than that, goals often force us to prioritize our accomplishments over our growth, which can serve as an unhealthy way of measuring our own value as human beings.

For people without a clear path — yours truly, for example — living by a theme can be valuable.

Rather than focusing on the accomplishment of specific results, you can focus on the cultivation of specific qualities and, in doing so, engage with the abundance of possibilities all around you.

You will, in doing so, grow as a human being, discover what you value, learn many new things — all while allowing yourself to find the specific results you wish to create and enjoy.

Right before we dive in, though, one last thing to mention is that the terminology surrounding “goals” and “themes” is murky.

Some Themes For 2022

Adventure

My first theme is “Adventure”.

Right now, in this moment, there exists an infinite number of adventures that you can, with relative ease, embark upon and enjoy.

That is my belief. It may, or may not, be accurate. But, as far as beliefs go, it works well for me.

Many of the adventures available to us may not appear to be adventures, in a conventional sense, but that is because the word “adventure” has become rather distorted.

Rather than being an exotic and dramatic experience occurring in some far-off land, an adventure is, quite simply, “an unusual and/or exciting experience or activity”.

Something as simple as visiting an unfamiliar park in your local area can be, and is, an adventure.

So, for 2022, my intention is to go on more adventures, to live by this theme.

Even more than that, though, my intention is to find, and enjoy, the abundance of adventures available to me, within this moment.

Right now, that might be pursuing a new creative project, learning new skills, visiting one of the many parks in my local area, learning about another culture, joining a new group to meet new people, hiking somewhere new, playing a musical instrument; and so on and so forth.

My intention is to live by this particular theme and, in living by this theme, to enjoy these adventures for what they are, while also seeing where they lead.

Creativity

Just about every single one of my most significant passions involves some form of creativity.

This is probably true of everyone, since most tasks require some form of creativity.

Even the act of cleaning your bedroom requires you to be creative, such as when it comes to organizing your space or finding a place to put away your things.

And that is precisely the point of this theme.

Just about every task and activity allows for some form of creativity.

My intention is to engage with the creative possibilities available within a wide range of activities and pursuits, including those that seem remarkably mundane.

Beyond that particular notion, there are several types of creative work that it is my intention to engage with and explore, on a greater level, in 2022.

My intention is to create unique, valuable essays that explore fascinating ideas in a skillful way.

My intention is to write enchanting stories that play with unique aesthetic choices and fascinating themes, all while appealing to others.

My intention is to play with samples, beats, and instruments in unique ways, so as to create a unique bricolage of pleasing elements that not only speak to me, but speak to others, as well.

My intention is to engage with all of this on a greater scale than in 2021, while also doing so in unique, and creative, ways that are unfamiliar to me, allowing for novel skills and abilities to come forth.

Each one of these intentions is an open-ended path that allows for play and exploration.

Success

“Success” is a tricky theme.

Some would insist that success is, for the most part, out of our hands.

In some ways, that might be true.

Even so, though, it seems we are, for the most part, in control of our actions, as well as our reactions to the events and circumstances of our lives.

To go along with that, we each possess certain innate creative powers and abilities.

The act of acting and reacting in deliberate ways, while also harnessing those creative powers and abilities in a similar manner, can aid us in bringing forth success.

So, to live by “Success”, as a theme, requires engaging with the above.

Right now, my main pursuits, when it comes to success, primarily involve my professional career, as well as money.

My intention is to engage in successful habits, so that success, in those pursuits, is a natural byproduct of my day-to-day actions and behaviors.

Outside of those, though, some of my other pursuits include my various creative projects, as well as developing the skills necessary to accomplish those projects.

Just as with my professional/financial pursuits, my intention is to embrace successful actions and habits, so as to succeed in my creative pursuits.

The form that this success takes, as well as where these paths lead, is rather vague.

And yet, the picture’s clear enough that the “mood of success”, so to speak, can be felt and understood, even if it cannot be conveyed with words.

For this type of act — living by a theme — that is more than sufficient.

Conclusion

Right now, the year is young — it is January 10th, 7:36 PM, at this moment.

My themes, or my perspective on these themes, may shift and transform, as the year passes.

Even so, though, at this moment, these are my themes, and my thoughts on these themes.

For now, that’s the direction.

A direction with a nice, clear path that leads to a somewhat vague, yet exciting, destination.

I’m excited to learn more about that destination, while also enjoying all that the path offers.

If you resonate with this concept at all, and would like to go on a similarly unique journey, my advice is to think of some themes that mean a lot to you and, then, choose to live by them.

Even if you live by these themes for just a short period of time — one-month, perhaps, or even less — you’ll at least know a little more about what you value and where the road can take you.

As always, if you want to reach me, for any reason at all, you can do so at “maxwellcakin@gmail.com”.

Best wishes, and please have a lovely day!