#themeword hashtag on Twitter is enough to make unmotivated people sick

May 18, 5:25 PMLife in the Cubicle ExaminerDudley B. Dawson

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Can you find the #themeword that doesn't fit?

I recently discovered horribly frightening concept within the world of self motivation.  Theme words.  Annual theme words.   Through the declaration of one simple yet loaded word, self motivators share these theme words and tweet these #themeword hashtags as if they've embarked on a new journey toward personal freedom. Words like "inspire" and "execute" litter the #themeword landscape and once again prove that people focused on setting and sharing self motivational goals are quite often the most deficient people you'll ever meet.

What exactly is a theme word or a #themeword hashtag?

A theme word is an annual goal setting technique.  It's similar to a New Year's resolution.  Except with a theme word, you literally select one word.  One word that you wish to accomplish or achieve in the current year.  The #themeword hashtag is simply the Twitterfication of this concept and catapulted the concept into the view of of other people on Twitter who also feel excitedly ambitious around the new year (and people looking to make fun of them). 

Who writes these #themeword hashtag things?

If you were to search on Twitter right now, no one.  But come December - February, thousands of misguided but driven fools will line up at Twitter's doors to send out their world-changing theme words of 2010.

Why do people create a theme word, and more importantly, why do they feel the need to share it on Twitter?

People who create theme words are people who think tomorrow will be different than today.   They are goal setters.  They believe that somehow, some way, setting a goal will improve their life regardless of how futile their effort is to fulfill the goal.  If life was a novel, normal human beings just have pages.  But people who set goals have chapters.  With each chapter comes a new look on life.  A new journey in which all previous failures are wiped away and replaced by the unending potential for success.  However, what makes theme words different than other goals is that they are always achievable. By adopting a subjective words like "Authenticity" you automatically win.  No one can tell you that you didn't achieve authenticity -- they can't prove it.

Sharing these theme words on Twitter is pivotal for self motivation types.  What's the fun in making yourself better if you aren't sharing it with everyone else?  It's the same reason these people read The Secret and told every person they came into contact with that it was the greatest book on Earth.  It isn't about achieving actual success.  It's about the apperance of being a determined and focused because deep down they know they are truly a failure.

How do I determine what my theme word should be?

After analyzing the #themeword entries on Twitter for several minutes, I have determined the following steps to creating a successful theme word:

1. Go to this random word generator. http://watchout4snakes.com/creativitytools/RandomWord/RandomWordPlus.aspx Select noun, adjective, verb...whatever you want.  Generate five words.

2. Pick one of those five words and include with the theme word these 2 things:
    a. A pathetic attempt to rationalize the use of this word as your goal for the upcoming year.
    b. Talk about how excited you are about the upcoming year.

3. Share your theme word by tweeting your own #themeword on Twitter.  Please include the #themeword hashtag and a link to this article using this link: http://bit.ly/dbdhash

What's your favorite themeword?

My personal favorite comes from the #themeword hashtag site from @RyanMcKillop who wrote "Busy year ahead of me. I have lots of big plans and ideas to get rolling on. I think my #themeword for 2009 will be EMBARK." 

Ryan, I hope you are doing well with all of your embarking.

>> Link: Perhaps the force that started this entire mess - Kicking off 2008 with a themeword