A (3:37)

Entrepreneur Mag Money expert Nicole Lapin. On Tuesdays, Jason and I answer the helpline and help callers solve their work problems.

B (3:45)

And on Thursdays, I give you one way to improve your work and build a career or company you love.

A (3:50)

And it starts now.

B (3:53)

It's the end of 2025 and you're probably thinking ahead. You're thinking about what worked in 2025, what didn't, what you want from 2026. Well, here is a year end tactic that I have found incredibly clarifying and that can help you. You too. I give every new year a theme. A theme. I theme the new year. It helps me prioritize what matters without getting locked into narrow goals. And once I choose a theme, it guides my decisions all year long. I'm going to share how it works and how it can help you thrive in 2026. But first, let's back up and I'll tell you how it all started. In 2023, two major contracts of mine were ending together. They made up most of my income. That meant that 2024 was shaping up to be a financial cliff and I was scared. So that December I came up with an idea. I declared 2024 to be the year of opportunity creation. To me, that meant increasing visibility, seeking partnerships, creating new opportunities. However they emerged, however I could manage it. I had the whole year to figure it out and by the end of 2024 I had done it. But I was also completely exhausted by all of this opportunity creation and all these commitments and all these new projects and teams and things that people expected from me. So I decided that next year would have a different theme. 2025 was going to be the year of opportunity balance. That is what I spent this past year doing. I pulled back, I renegotiated commitments, I said no more often. It felt stabilizing. And now as 2025 ends, I'm thinking about what comes next. Because what's my theme for 2026? It is perhaps the biggest question of the year. And you, I think, should have a theme too. Here's why I love this ritual. When you declare a theme, you are really declaring a full year priority and you're making it hard to forget. I share my theme with everyone. My wife, my friends, my business partners. I rep it to myself throughout the year too. It becomes a filter for decisions. And critically, themes don't lock you into specific outcomes. In 2024, for example, I could have said I want to make an extra $100,000 this year, right? That could have been my goal for the year. But then what would I have done to achieve that? It probably would have pushed me towards short term money grabs, you know, day trading on Robinhood or selling crap on ebay. I don't know. None of that would have solved my actual long term problem. The put together a theme in the first place. The reason that I wanted that extra money, it was because what I really needed was a more resilient professional life so that my income wasn't tied to a few contracts. The theme opportunity creation Instead of let's go make another $100,000. That theme gave me room to explore, to experiment, and to discover what actually worked without chasing a narrow definition of success. That is the power of themes. Goals can blind us to the big picture, but themes keep us oriented while we move. So here's how to create your own theme. If you're ready to start, just follow these two steps. Step number one, you want to identify a central problem to solve next year. In 2024, I needed more opportunity. In 2025, I needed balance. These are two big problems. They required sustained attention across a whole year. Not any just kind of quick win. So what is yours? What is the central problem that you want to solve next year? And then step two, set an intention, not an outcome. Your theme should be compelling enough to commit to, but broad enough to say in fewer than five words. Maybe a way into it is to ask yourself, at the end of next year, at the end of 2026, what general statement do you want to be able to make? For me, for example, it was simple. I wanted to say I created more opportunity for myself. I Wanted to say I balanced those opportunities and had a more fulfilling life. And then at the end of 2026, I want to be able to say I spent more time with people and I built deeper relationships. Once you have the theme, start telling people because that is when you really commit to it. Which is the reason I'm going to tell you mine right now. Now. So here's how I decided on my 2026 theme. I asked myself to start what feels missing in my life, right? I'm trying to identify a central problem to solve. Well, here's the answer. I love my work, but I don't spend enough quality time with people that I enjoy. Too many conversations happen in 30 minute meetings and there's just too much alone time at my computer. As an extrovert, I hate this. My energy and my best ideas come from being with people. So I made a decision. 2026 is going to be this. It's the year of less work, more people. I want less time spent on work and more time spent on lunches, coffees, walks, hikes. When I do take on new projects, and I'm sure that I will, I'll prioritize ones that are socially additive. More collaboration, more connection. And how exactly am I going to do that? I mean, I don't know. But good news, I have a whole year to figure it out. So what is your theme? Maybe it's the year of taking risks or saying no or building something or slowing down or speaking up. Whatever it is, it should feel both aspirational and achievable. It should excite you to think about and also be broad enough to pursue in multiple ways. So consider what it is and then. You know what, tell me. I would love to hear your theme. Here is the way to do that. Uh, so if you subscribe to my newsletter where. Where I. I first wrote about this theme idea. If you subscribe to the newsletter and you ever hit reply to the newsletter, it just goes straight to my inbox and I gen. I genuinely, I read everything and I reply to everybody. Might take me a minute, but I do. So you could just go to one thing better. Email. That's a web address. Plug it into a browser. Because the newsletter is called One thing better. It's like a companion newsletter to help wanted. One thing better. Just plug it into a browser and you'll get the newsletter subscribe and then you can hit respond and me your theme. I would absolutely love to because look, we've got a whole year ahead of us. A year of opportunity, a year of creation, a year of growth, and we can maximize it together. But to do that, we have to be focused on what matters most. Help Wanted is a production of Money News Network. Help Wanted is hosted by me, Jason.

A (10:50)

Pfeiffer, and me, Nicole Lapman. Our executive producer is Morgan Lavoy. Do you want some help? Email our helpline@helpwantedoneynewsnetwork.com for the chance to have some of your questions answered on the show. And follow us on Instagramoneynews and TikTok MoneyNewsNetwork for exclusive content and to see our beautiful faces. Maybe a little dance?

B (11:11)

Oh, I didn't sign up for that.

A (11:12)

All right, well, talk to you soon.