Every December, for as far back as I can remember, I have sat down with pen and paper to write out my New Year’s Resolutions. I love the idea of “re-creation” and “re-birth” of the self, which is why I have always found resolutions and goals to be so enticing. In the past few years, however, I moved away from creating resolutions and instead turned towards generating intentions. A resolution is defined as “a firm decision to do, or not do, something”, whereas an intention is defined as “a thing intended, an aim or a plan.” Notice the difference in wording between the two terms. There is a distinct energy behind both.
If the last three years have taught me anything, it is that the world, this life, is unpredictable. Perhaps this is why 77% of adults surveyed in recent months said that, no, they will NOT be writing New Year’s Resolutions for 2023. With the air of uncertainty heavy upon us, why make a firm decision to do or not do something? No, we have learned that there is great value in being flexible. This is why I find “intentions”, not “resolutions”, so compelling. An intention is a “plan” or an “aim”, that is free to shift and evolve as we ourselves shift and evolve. Intentions can flow with the rhythm of our lives while still providing us with a bit of focus and guidance.
Until about three years ago, my process of contemplating the New Year was very casual. I’d sit down on New Year’s Eve, or even New Year’s Day and make a list of all that I wanted to accomplish in the coming year, in the form of resolutions or goals. Then, I’d set the list aside. I might glance at it a few times throughout the year, reminding myself of all that I’d hoped to achieve. The year would end, and I’d do it again. As one might imagine, this didn’t really lead to optimal results within my life. Sure, it is a start, but it wasn’t a very thoughtful practice – there were no concrete action steps or accountability. Haphazard creation leads to haphazard results.
I have become much more intentional with this process as of late. I thank one of my mentors, Rachel Brathen, otherwise known as “Yoga Girl”, for this. She has a wonderful New Year’s Intention Setting podcast that has helped me to develop a system, a ritual if you will, for contemplating, creating and then monitoring my dreams for the year before me.
The Environment:
When I set out to create my intentions for the year to come, I first must place myself in the right environment and headspace. I do this by lighting a few candles, turning on some soft instrumental music, and moving myself into a space where I can be alone. I begin by moving through a few yoga poses to ground my mind and body into the present moment. From here, I am then able to write.
A Release:
First, I will write about the year that has passed. What have I accomplished? Which intentions were lived out? What am I most proud of? What was challenging for me? What do I wish had played out differently? This is my opportunity to release any pent up or stagnant energy from the last 365 days.
Brain Dump:
Then comes the brain dump. What is it that I most desire in my life for the year ahead? What are my dreams and aspirations? If I could show up as the highest version of myself, what would that look like? To organize this brain dump, I write within the scope of four categories: body, mind, spirit, and home.
- Body encompasses what I am eating, how I am moving, how I feel within my body, how I am treating my body, how I perceive of my appearance; anything that relates to this physical body of mine.
- Mind involves what I want for my professional life – my career, my financial situation, the creative tasks that I engage in, the books I am reading, podcasts I am listening to, shows I am watching and tasks I am taking in; it is a representation of the ways in which I am feeding, engaging and strengthening my mind.
- Spirit begs the question, “how do I want to nourish my soul?” I am not particularly religious, but I am spiritual. So, for me, this usually involves time in nature, meditation, yoga and prayer. It is my connection to something that is greater than myself.
- Home entails my environment and the people within it – my closest relationships, my community, the physical space in which I exist.
It is imperative that I give myself an unlimited amount of time to really ponder what it is that I want to manifest within each of these categories.
The Review
Once I have provided myself ample time to dream, it is time to go back through all that I have written with a thoughtful eye. Oftentimes there are themes within categories, or certain words that appear again and again. I circle or highlight these, looking for connections around what it is that I want so as to narrow my focus.
Creating Intentions
Now that I have identified common language and patterns throughout my brain dump, I can set out to create focused intentions that reflect what it is that I want for the year to come. In order to give energy to what I seek, I must narrow my desires and work to “keep the main thing, the main thing”. I choose three intentions for each of the categories above (body, mind, spirit and home). For example, within the category of body, I might write “nourish my body with whole and nutritious foods; move in a way that leaves me feeling energized and strong; dress in a manner that lends to confidence and grace”. From there, I can organize my days, weeks, months and year to reflect these intentions.
The Affirmation and Word of the Year
Along with my 12 intentions (three within each category), I develop an affirmation that I can repeat daily for the year ahead, as well as a word that can provide me with guidance. Last year, my affirmation was, “I move through my life with courage”. My word of the year was “courage”. This affirmation, and the word, helped to guide my decisions when I wasn’t sure which way to turn. The affirmation, and word, are a way of remaining true to myself through the most tumultuous of times.
From there…
Now that I have my intentions, my affirmation and my word, I am ready to begin the process of HOW it is I will encompass these in the year before me. For each intention, I create a list of action steps that must be achieved in order to live out said intention. For the example of “nourish my body with whole and nutritious foods”, this would look like “include produce in each meal, focus on clean proteins, cook meals at home, limit sugar and alcohol”.
At the beginning of each week, I pull out the action steps that I have created and plug a few of them into my planner. This ensures that I am regularly reviewing, connecting with, and monitoring my intentions. At the end of each month, I ask myself a few questions to reflect on the ways in which I am living out the intentions that I have created. Am I staying true to my course? If not, why? Perhaps the intention needs to be adjusted to better reflect my own changing desires or personal expansion.
The affirmation and word for the year are placed as a bookmark within my physical planner. This means that I see them each and every day. I use my meditation time to silently repeat the affirmation I have developed, envisioning myself living this affirmation to the fullest.
Alas, if I am going to create intentions, affirmation and words, I must find ways to weave these into my day to day for true change to occur.
Now, knowing that the world is unpredictable and uncertain, and that 77% of the population has decided to forego resolution setting, what are your thoughts and emotions on the topic? Will you be setting New Year’s Resolutions for 2023? Might you be open to creating intentions? If so, what will your process look like? I encourage you to ritualize and romanticize this time if you can. After all, it is only your life, your dreams, that we are talking about here.
✴ Happy holidays ✴
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