It might sound cheesy to say this, but choosing a theme for each season of the year has changed my life.
My summer theme was “vibrant girl summer” a spinoff from the “hot girl summer” phenomenon.
For me, this meant that I was feeling alive that summer – doing lots of fun and new things, and living on purpose.
I decided to go all in. I created a playlist, decided to only read books that felt like they fit the “vibrant girl summer” energy, watched upbeat shows, painted my nails vibrant colors, and created a fun bucket list.
While I didn’t check off every single thing, the summer was exactly what I wanted it to be, and I feel like that’s because I went in with the theme. I cultivated the vibe I wanted to experience, if you will.
As fall is now approaching, I’m thinking about my next theme.
I’m not quite ready to go full cozy mode; I still want lots of adventures. So, I’ve had to think about what I want that to look and feel like.
My life theme for Autumn
I’m going with “feel good fall” as a way to explore different things like what makeup style makes me feel good, playing with my wardrobe, and watching shows and movies that leave me feeling good, etc.
I was initially going for a darker theme, which we talk about in an upcoming episode of Playground To Purpose, a podcast with my childhood bestie about adding more play into your everyday.
Ultimately, I decided I was craving a bit of an extension to summer. This is in total contrast to what my co-host Nina is doing (a super unique theme!), which is a fun thing we’ll keep you updated on as we explore these themes. I’ll keep hers a surprise, so you’ll have to tune in!
Life themes have helped me to add more intention to a period of time – and allow myself to figure out what I want it to feel like ahead of time.
As much as we can’t predict aspects of our lives, we can go in with a purpose, so that we’re not left with a “wow, that just flew by!” feeling. Instead, I’ve been more present and gotten a little out of my comfort zone.
How to select your seasonal theme
What kind of vibe do you want to experience? What do you want to add more of to your life?
I also like to think of the literal seasonal change. In summer, you’re likely going to be outdoors more, maybe you’ll be taking vacation time, and it may be a slower work season. In the winter, it may be more at-home time, celebrating holidays.
Factor that into your life theme choice.
Seasonal life theme examples
Nina (my co-host on Playground to Purpose) had a theme for the summer season which was “Nina’s Summer of Adventure and Magic.”
For her, this meant reading lots of fantasy magical-themed novels, going on lots of trips, attending a whimsical tea party, catching epic sunsets, late night exploring in Las Vegas, scavenger hunt in New Orleans, and enjoying spooky places.
Here are some other ideas:
- Soft Girl Autumn
- Cottagecore Aesthetic
- Baddie
- Cozy Fall Vibes
- Parisian Aesthetic
- Self Care
- Wanderlust
- Adventure
- Hygge
- Coastal Grandmother
- Preppy
- Bold
- Moody
- Memorable
- Ease and flow
- Aesthetic autumn
- Focused fall
- Moody and mysterious (my original theme for fall)
- Barbiecore
- Back to the basics
- Crafty & Creative
If you can’t tell, I love a little alliteration moment. There are really no rules for what your theme can be, and what you want it to look like during the season.
For soft girl autumn, you could focus on cooking meals slowly (like slow cooker meals), working on long-term projects, buying a disposable camera, and getting photos developed instead of instantly snapping them on your phone.
For a Parisian aesthetic, you could buy a few Parisian-inspired outfits for the season, watch French movies, make some pastries, create a playlist of French music, etc.
For “Back to the Basics,” you could simplify everything in your life. You could plan to clean out your closet, find some “staples” for your wardrobe, have more time offline, etc.
Things to do to plan for a new season’s theme
Decide what it looks like for your lifestyle
I use my theme to inspire my style, activities that I want to do, what I watch, listen to, and read. I only use the theme for what feels fun or interesting, but I use it as a guide for what I want the overall mood or vibe to be for the season.
Create a playlist
I love starting off with a playlist to represent the theme. You could find one on Spotify, or craft your own. Obviously, I’ll listen to other music during this time as well, but it’s fun to have one solely dedicated to the vibe.
Create a mood board
My vision board on Pinterest includes both what I want to do and experience, as well as how I want to feel. It’s a fun way to get more clarity on what you want to wear and what you want to experience. You could also create a color palette!
I like picking a theme that’s broad enough to keep you going for a three-month time period. That way, the theme continues to feel fun and like I can do a lot within it.
Create a themed bucket list
I love creating a list of the activities I want to do within my city. Plus, any travels I’m already planning on. It’s fun when you pair a trip with your theme as a guide for what activities you want to do. I find that I’ve been much more intentional about getting friends together with my bucket list. I crossed off 13 things from my last list!
You could also create some goals around your themes too if you want to make it feel more productive! In a way, my bucket list also doubles as the “fun goals” I want to make happen.
So what do you think? Will you start creating seasonal themes for your life? Have you already been doing this? Tell us what you’re going to plan for the next season!